The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1897-08-08
THE MOSQUITO PLAGUE.
II n FAST GROWING WORSE, shT
EXPERTS IN NEW ORLEAE&

beinH bGWelopc1 10 Suht AoleIu Nonotthohs
OF Ltre-It works Nest OF the Day and Pretty
mach An the Year-A New Nsttonai Pest
New ORLEANS, Aug. New York and the
other cities that arc suffering from the mosquito
pest this summer can learn n great deal on the
subject from New Orleans. which IL the metrop-
oils and capital OF all tho gnat and insect tribes.
Among other things they can learn that the
mosquito nuisance Is growing steadily worse,
and IL likely to grow worse all over the country,
because of the conditions existing in modern
cities. and particularly the electric lights; and
also because the mosquitoes and other gnats arc
adapting themselves to our domestic economy,
Just as the Asiatic cockroaches and various
other insects that keep house with Us have done
in the past
Like all tropical or seml-tropical cities, New
Orleans Is infested with insects during the sum-
mer, and especially the old or creole portions of
the city. Every few summers an epidemic OF
sand fieas prevails, the fieas coming up through
the soil where tho eggs were buried and through
tho floors and carpets. OF late years two pests
have been added to the entomological nuisances
Of the city, tho so-called electric bug and the
mating moth. The electric bug was never seen
before the use Of the electric light, and the pop
ular idea IL that the light generates 1t In some
way. As n matter of fact 1t is a rare swamp
insect found only In the innermost ro-
cesses Of the Gulf swamp, which has been
attracted to the city by the bright glare OF the
electric light. IL is a large and formidable In
sect, as biz as an English sparrow. with formid-
able-looking pincers, and what look like feathers
on its legs and wings. 1t has steadily increased
In numbers as the city has been better lighted,
and, it Is claimed. has increased in size. A
swarm surrounds every electric light, and from
90 to 500 dead bugs will be found on the pave
ment around 1t next morning, which have killed
,ba,naalvaa nv dashinr against tho lumn or
ground.
The mating moth or ant has been noticed for
the last few years only. 1t looks like a cross be-
tween a moth and an ant. 1t is in form like the
white ant of Africa, and thoroughly Transparent,
but with q tail like q worm. 1t eats the string
or fibre running through mating. which then
falls to pieces. 1t is claimed by creole house
keepers that the insect has been prevalent here
only a few years and was brought from Japan.
and that II eats only JAPANESE, not Chinese,
mating. On the other hand. the CARPET and
aboriginal, and peculiar to Louisiana, and 10
the creole quarter.
Other insects. such as water bugs. candle bugs.
and shrimp moths, need. not be considered, be-
cause they possess very few marked character
istics. The shrimp moths arc pink and look like
cross between a shrimp and u grasshopper.
noyance beyond piling up on your desk when
you are writing at night.
1t is Of the mosquitoes that New Orleans can
speak most authoritatively. and Its experience
Is not at ali reassuring. Instead OF the nuisance
decreasing, 1t has grown steadily worse. In, Old
days it was attributed to the swalmps by which
New Orleans was surrounded, and which were a
breeding place for millions Of mosquitoes; The
swamps, and it was thought that this would have
agood effect by destroying the breeding places Of
improvement OF the cities. the mosquitoes have
grown steadily. worse. They are more ubiquit-
season is longer. Formerly the mosquitoes
were confined almost exclusively to the rear Of
breeding places. They were rare in the bu ,iness
centre Of the city twenty years ago. To-day
they are e%verywh9re: i was not necessary 10
parish prison or the workhouse. the mosquitoes
being so scarce there. until the present year.
for the past few summers, the suffering among
the prisoners has been so great. that a charity
other II : public 81 INSTITUTIONS was started. and the
prisoners can now sleep at night Formerly
story OF a building. their power OF flight being
limited; now they can be found above the tenth
was limited. the mosquito coming In with May
and lasting until the cool weather OF October.
and being easily influenced and d.ssipated by a
cold wave. The season is now much longer. es.
pccially in the upper or fashionable portions OF
shs fi sysr apa month IN %dn afYn ao ths Year bars E EesS 80 sue Ss
extreme and Unprecedented cold weather as
visited New Orleans In the winter Of 1925 gave
it relief from the mosquito plague for only three
These facts indicate either that new varieties
u IhoSItAAoCo y NS" A.So32 VI
winian process Of selection becoming harder
growing domestictted. like the cockroaches
There are really three species of m1S9uitoes
quito. gallinipper or "moustique." or marin.
g~ouing;' the blind mosquito. so called. and the
s aTiis Is s ana m fife the jersey tRs l9f insect + 'n Il G IS Prob.
ably no more troublesome than It was OF
old: .. The p sS % ,bs blind blind N, mo sot ,1Sn which
but only unpleasant They neither sing mol
bite. They put in an appearance Pnly once in
From the cutters and bitches in the rear Of New
ter as to look like dense smoke, and several fFt
alarms hay have been ranE up Sy mistake ,
clouds the smoke from a burning building
The worst visitation was in 1882. At that time
I wstsr BODY SSHsc sot nearly "h frssh + fro 9sn they B { sa,'
= Caro- erevasse. which poured the Mississippi
d iaE n ine9 Il; end S 9Sssm rose fF Iss .% 6rsssi f96P Bls f.,
water ana we're blown BY the winds toward New
. Orleans, or Vaudeville ouisburg, and other sum
, blind mosquito is a yellow insect, filled with
4 yiscid fuid It is not blind because it is at
= great lodging abilities q It's mate. the bt,in'
blind insect, it leaves an unpleasant oily Q
!. gll9ey stun 4, on your fac or hands very disagree
t For a, few days the visitation was a seriou
. pest. At West End. the lake suburb OF New
0 orleans, the wharf anu leyec were covered b.
o the dead bodies OF these mosquitoes as thougl
with snow: On the other side Of Lake Pont
: sharLra!n It was worse. for the wind, generall
0 dinner and supper were only possible in aclose'
5 room. Otherwise we were likely TO eat as man,
mosquitoes as other food. They few into tn
nose. mouth, and eyes. and such swarms wer
driven up against the fences as to pile up tn
: dead bodies a half inch or more high, and tn
d air was actually impregnated with the odor Q
r the d~ecaying corpses OF the i~nsects. occasIonall
: the blind mosquito presents itself to-day, bu
{ never in such swarms as then.
{ The third and worst variety OF the mosquito
and the one which seems to be dOmesticatin
itself and adapting itself TO our present mode q
life. Is what is known in New Orleans as 9TH
o day mosquito" 1t is either an entirely different
variety or a great Improvement on the old tru
swamp mosquito, OF which the Jersey insect Is
d fair specimen It is gray in color, or rather
mixed pepper and salt, instead OF black or dar
Q brown. and much smaller than the ordinar
, mosquito. but far harder. It Is foun
r in Louisiana to-day that the old. fasl
II Toned mosquito bar and wire screen
Q or netting win NO longer sufice to keep on
y these day mosquitoes. They can and do saueez
n thrnuuh the nlaahaa Of thu hara md acrann,