The Houston daily post. [volume] (Houston, Tex.) 1886-1903, 1902-04-07
THE CONTROL OF MOSQUITOES.
The Surest Way TO Exterminae Them Is by
Draining Their Breeding Places.


toes thai have been hiherraing an The
past season Of cold and sec viii soon
emerge from their winter habtats and
take wing tor the stasnaut water Of
svsmps and pond, where after the man
rsr Of their kind they will lsy billions Of
eggs and h,forc the SUMMER Is over viii
have ropalsted the air With literally ul
lions Of their pe50ierous breed Hone.
however lies in the TACT that while the
mosquito has hscp 7slerp the scientist
has bern awake Sautariaus and men Of
science generally have been patiently at
work upon the problem q his eAtctmina
,icn. including IN their plans 81 wholesale
slaughter not only the anorheles OF mas
laria-besrins species hut also lhe no less
annoying and even moro ubiquitous tboueh
essentially. harmless, oulcx family
Ever since it was established that the
anorheles mosquitoes were the medium
for the spread Of mslara war has been
declared against the insect 30 many parts
Of the country and last season Washing
ton. New York and New Orleans were
points Of particular Strategic interest I'm
MANY instances Immediate rehct has hscn
obtained BY spraying ponds and bcg' with
Kerosene but IL has been scucta'iy agreed
bv students of The subject that rcrme-
rent immunity can be secured 0n'y hy
draining the breeding places or hy stocking
mosquito infested ponds with larvae eating
fish Ard these two lsA points % rs
safe to saw viii have ihr r-1H sucu.
ton Of the public this SUMMER above IN
others
During the past year tryesre5uoue have
been made aloaE both these li0c. ny Mr..
William Lyman Underwood one o The lee.
iurers IN the biological department. at the
Massachusetts Institute of technology and
an enthusiastic photographer nt animal and
insect life, who has made minute photo
graphic records not only OF the mosqui-
toes themselves Of their life lu captivity
and the destruction OF their larvae by gold
fsh. but has also as a member % ihr board
Of health Of Belmont, town near Boston,
put into operation practical measures for
their determination by rcclaimins mosquito
breeding lands in that vicinity. Nh. On-
derwood has thus been able under the
general supervision Of the head of the
biological department OF the institute Prof
Wm. r. Sedgwick, 10 link the thcoty and
practice OF mosquito control, and 60 make
the town Of Belmont an object lesson tor
other malarial districts.
To secure subjects for his camera. Mr.
Underwood established colonies OF mos
quitoes in his owu laboratory gathering
from nearby breeding places the larvae
more colloquially the 'wrigglers -ot both
the malarial and the uou-msarial
species. The anopheles usually STAY at the
surface OF the water where they have
hatched out from floating masses OF eggs,
and eat and breathe in horizontal posi-
ton, seldom going TO the bottom unless on
the alarm OF an intruder The cuex lar
vac. on the other hand ordinarily stay
near the bottom coming to the surface oc-
casonally 30 breathe and there hanging
head down al am angle OF abou, i3rlyvc
degrees while they Jake in air from a long
breathing tube which protrudes from the
end Of the abdomen and is thrust through
the surface film of the pool The breath-
ing tube o the anophees larvae is much
shorter and SIS body is held parallel and
Immediately below the surface.
Placed in bowls OF water. Mr. Under
woods wriggicrs changed in course 90
pupac and then 70 adult winged mosquitoes
There is a humorous touch 10 the fact chat
I they have occupied cage originally built
10 contain a wild cat that was 10 be pho
tographed in its various Characteristic at
titudes The iron bars Of this cage are now
covered with gauze, bot their evident
strength suggests none the less the devcl
opment OF some exceptionally ferociou,
species The cage is well adapted how
ever for observing the habits Of the insect
in all its stages Of life small aquarium
at ono corner contains water plants and
little marsh slime, and offers the female
mosquito AN opportunity to lay her egg
under practically natural couditions-thu,
completing the cycle Of mosquito life Prob.
ably the adult insects can live for som,
7 time on the water and aquatic plants which
I are supplied them. without other food but
{ 10 make sure Of full nutrition slices oI
banana are given them every Jew days. a
d