Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1892-07-23
MOSQUITOES IN sEnsEv.
resssrss They Innscs Upon ssmmsr w.
ftors Along the shore.

A pELusroS RESPECTING MOSQUITOES Ayp LAND
PLIES TO PREY uroS rHK vIcIocs IxsEcrs-
SPIDERS As MOSQUITO KILLERS.
OK TIE JEnsKy SHcRE. July 20, 1874.
NANNoT SOMETHING BE DONE TO
~ destroy thcse horrible mo-quitces2 Were
II not for them the Jersey shore at this season
OF the wear would be indeed a paradise. I am
assured that they are Troublesome only when
the breeze brings them from the inland marshes
Certainly the wind seems often 20 come from
that quarter. but my own belief IL that the
rapscious insects are never far away.
Yesterday afternoon there was a brisk sea
breeze and i took advantage OF the absence of
mosquitoes TO indulge in q stroll to the south
ward OF the town. What was nv as.onishmcut
on extending my walk a little way inland. to
fnd the coarse grass filed with fierce and pes
tiferous hordes. while on the lee side OF the
sand hills the limbs Of stuuted trees and other
objects which afforded n hold for clinging were
actually swArming with millions on millions
OF them.
TWAS near evening and the zen breeze fen. a.
It is apt 70 do, shout sunset. Scarcely had 10
lulled when dense columns Of mosquitoes rose
el'eh ee1Aos WHY'S lrOu anu
other shelters and moved in the direction of the
town I can state from nv own experience of
Few hours later tina; they got there This land
breeze notion L. palpable delusion. The
fact Is that mosquitoes cannot STAY IN the air
when the wind blows strongly from any direc-
tion. and, inasnuch n the breeze is usually
vigorous. they lie low while IL prevails.
All the same. they are never far anay When
the wind is blowing Of the ocean and AL l.
peaceful on the Jersey shore their myriad hosts
are simply lying in wait, ready 10 descend
upon the hapless summer visitors who come
hither for rest and recreation. Al night when
the breeze fails, they make human eKistencea
torture with their infer al seronsdes exacting
price in blood for Their unlimited music. For
my own part have never believed in the stcried
gsllinipper. which 10 alleged Co make its noe
turnal flight with a brick under its wing for
sharpening It's beak. Nor is there any faith TO
be had In the existence o. the so-oalled twin
screw mosquito" with bill az each end.
However, the culicid of reality is horrible
enough.
PRIZE PoR A MOSQUITO KILLER
1t Is not long since philanthropic gentle
man. DIR. Robert II. Lamborn, offered a prize
OF $50 for the hes; suggestion ss TO how to rear
dragon flies artifcially for the purpose Of de-
stroying mosquitoes. Everybody knows that
dragon hies are great enemies of mosquitoes.
One may often see them flying through the air
and making swift grabs this wsy and that, every
grab meaning the death OF n mosquito. SCH
entific friend Of mine AZ Washington told me
that be had on one occasion swept up nearly
bushel OF mosquiiocorpse from windows IN the
sand ON the lee side of small stagnAnt pond on
Cape Cod. The stagnant water produced great
numbers both of mosquitoes and dragon hies
and the latter hung in the wind and captured
the mosquitoes whenever they rose, smoking the
Juices from their bodies aud throwing their VIC
Tins away.
I can believe even an SCALP, :. r,osor;,, .x,rx
as that because have seen mosquitoes myself
In numbers 70 which the plague of the Jersey
| shore is rs nothing. IL certainly did seem
very plausible suggestion that mosquito-breed-
ing waters might be stocked with artifciany
raised dragon hy larve with results very de-
structive to the Objectionable culicids Nova
days entomologists are doing great deal Of
work in the line Of propagating harmless insects
10 prey upon hostile ones Why should not the
same methods be applied 60 this most numer-
Gus and widely distributed Of all winged foos Of
mankind, the house fly alone exoepted2 I'M
fortunately there seem TO be important difficul-
ties In the way, not the least OF which 10 thai
the dragon fy requires nearly year for its de-
velopment, while mosquitoes will produces
hundreds Of generations In a summer.
THE DRAGON FLY's NETAMoRPHosn.
The larv# OF the dragon flies are very ugly
and herce-looking worms. You can obtain
some for examination by going TO any stagnass
pool and raking from it's bottom . small qusn-
tity Of Shiny weeds and mud, in which tho
| creatures viii usually be found crawling They
would be of no use at this stage of their being
| for destroying the laryn OF mosquitoes, becsurs
they prefer other things TO eat and are particus
larry fond of gobbling one another. This latter
| trait would render il exceedingly difficult %
breed them by artifce. Ii Is wonderful thing
| TO behold one Of these horrids docking things 10
the act OF being metamorphosed- When the
| time comes for IL 20 undergo that process %
climbs up on a dry stalk out Of the water, its
back splits open and out steps q beautif1
winged creature. with gauzy wings and brilliauf
hues, for all the world like transformed prince
| In the Arabian Nights under the wand of .
| beneficent fairy.
Another trouble with drngon flies as moaquito
catchers is that II would not be possible TO do
| mesticate them. They would not stay In The
house and capture the game. but would dy
| away as soon as they were set at liberty 30 the
nearest marsh or pond. Then again. they d.
not fy at night. when the mosquitoes are most
fond of going abroad SO that the nocturnal
depredstions of the latter would not be inter
fered with by them. But the main point against
the project suggested is found IN the fact that
the mosquitoes breed everywhere. each little
puddle OF stagnant water contributing to their
countless hosts. The only practicable method
for their general destruction suggested by any
OF the contestants for DIR. Lamborn's prize was
to drain all the meadows and swamps fill up
the stagnsnt pools and level rain-holding hole
lows near dwellings. Even such processes could
hardly be successfully carried out on Q compre.
hensiye scale over the sandy plain and bogs Of
New Jersey, slightly elevated as they arc above
the level OF the sea.
MOSQUITOES TROUT KILLERS.
Thus it is to be feared that the Jersey shore
Will always be favorite haunt Of these abomis
nable insects. No story that know is 90 vividly
Illustrative OF their ferocity one that Is told
in q publication Of the United States Ash com
mission by c. ii. Murray, who speaks Of having
seen mosquitoes in the act of sucking out tho
brains Of numbers OF baby trout a. they came
to the surface of a stream. Something may be
done In some localities, perhaps, by sprinkling
the waters with petroleum The thinnest film,
Of oil is fatal 10 the mosquito larva, and .
single drop viii spread over quite large space
IL is said S3 worth Of crude oil viii cover 100
acres Of water surface five times in . season.
thus absolutely preventing the propagation Of
mosquitoes from that area. The mosquito has
been suspected OF being the agent BY wAich
yellow fever and certain other diseases ere
spread, and the charge has not yet been dis
proved
SPIDERS A FOE TO TIE PESTS
Or. Henry G. McCook says that spidsrs I'm o
great many mosquitoes, well as incslculshls
numbers Of other undesirable insects. III one
viii walk on . dewy morning with his eyes