The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1900-04-29
MOSQUITOES AND MALARIA.
How to Extirpate the One and Prevent the
Other

pOSStSS
ing acquaintance" with the mosquito,
few are really well informed as to her
she is generally of the tender sex-fam-
lily history. Mosquito is the dimintive
Of mosca, which is Spanish for fly. The
English more commonly call them quats
Scientifically the mosquito belongs to the
About $50 distinct species are known of
which % species occur in the United
States. In North Carolina we find twelve
or fifteen species, of which only four are
very common Although mosquitoes oc-
cur in swarms of countless millions of
individuals the number of world wide
distribution. The mosquito is the chief
insect prosecutor of men and animals
alike in the frozen north and the torrid
zone.
Our more common mosquitoes belong to
the true genera culex and anopheles. The
latter is the larger and more blood
thirsty. 1t is also for reasons which will
be given presently the most dangerous
genus.
The specific names of the more common
species of mosquito are eloquently de-
scriptve of the creatures habits. We
have punctor, pungens, stemulaus, prov
ocans, perturbans, empatiens, implaca-
bills, and damascus. Mosquitoes are
aquaotic insects during the laeval period.
They are the "wrigglers" seen in stag
nant water. The adult female lays her
eggs in masses of 200 to 400 upon the
surface of still water. She never ovipos-
its on maving water The eggs are cover
ed by a water proof cement which keeps
thin perfectly dry They are usually de-
positied al night or in very early morning.
The eggs hatch in IL to Is hours, accord
ing to temperature. The young maggot
is very active from it's birth. 1t feeds
upon algae and other vegetable matter
it finds in the water. Though living in
the water the maggot breathes air
through a horn-like process near the
tail. The larval stage continues for from
five to seven days according to season.
1t then transforms to the pupa stage
during which it is quiet and floats about
on or near surface. The pupal stage lasts
two days The skin then bursts and the
winged insect issues. At first the crea-
lures wings are soft and wet and it is
unable to fly. 1t rests until dry on its
burst larval skin as on a frail raft. If
the water is even very slightly ruffed
the rafe is almost certain to be overturned
and the creature browns Hence the
avoidance of rapidly moving water by
the mother insect
The life period of the male mosquito
is only 3 or 4 days. The female lives
about two weeks in summer. But a few
gravid females of each species hibernate
in hollow trees, caves. cellars. etc, and
these propagate the species the follow
ing spring. Although mosquitoes never
miss a chance to partake of red blood,
not one out of ten million ever tastes
this delicacy Their normal food is the
sap of the rank growing marsh plants,
usually common when mosquitoes abound.
The pain of the mosquito bite is chiefly
due to an acid poison which the creature
injects-probably with view to making
the blood or sap flow more easily. There
are numerous palliatives for the pain.
Among the best are oils of pennyroyal
and lavendar and crude creosote Rubbing
with the freshly cut surface of garlic
Glove or strong onion also gives relief.
salve made by macerating fresh garlic
pennyroyal or lavendar leaves and
stems in lard is both a preventive
and a palliative for insect bites. Few in
sects will alight upon a hand or face
which has been rubbed with such salve.
People living in sections where mosquitoes
abound should grow patches of these
plants to make salve and use it freely
upon themselves and their cattle.
recently physicians have been led to sus-
pect that the mosquito or at least one
genus-Anophetes, is an intermediate
host of the protozoan parasite, which in
the human body causes malaria, ague. or
chills and fever Eutomologists, who are
generally also entomophilists, are loath
to believe such an evil report of this
familiar insect. They are disposed to
look upon this as a case of the dog and
bad name '"E as no friends it i'm
ard" But the British government has
recently sent a scientific expedition to
the malarious district of Sierra Leone in
Africa and the party claims to have dem
onstrated the necessary connection be-
tween the mosquito and the malarial
parasite. The mosquito most active il
not the sole carrier of the infection is
Anopheles. Of this genus we have two
species very common in the southern
States wherever malaria abounds. The
elucidation of the apparent connection
malaria is one of very great practical inn
portance to the people of North Carolina
and the whole south. The annual loss
to this State alone on account of ma
larial disease must amount to over a mil
lion dollars. If by extirpating them mos
quito We can escape this tax the State
will be greatly benefited What is the
State Board of Health doing? The mos
quito is not difficult pest to combat!
1t can be reduced to insignificant num-
bers at a trife of the present cost of ma
larial sickness. The most practical
methods for DISCRIMINATING mosquitoes
are as follows:
/. Drainage of ponds and prevention of
water stagnating in bitches and holes.
The frequent addition of kerosene or lime
to priyy vaults.
2. The application of crude petroleum
or kerosene to the surface of ponds,
bitches and sluggish streams which can
not be drained or have the current quick
ened. One ounce of oil for each fifteen
square feet is sufficient. In case of ponds
and still waters, one treatment will suf-
flee for one month. In case of sluggish
streams a thin strohem of the oil should
be allowed to flow on the water for two
or hOurc