The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1902-10-04
THE MOSQUITO
OF SALT MARSHES
DIFFERENT FROM OTHERS
STATEMENT MADE BY ENTOMO-
LOGIST AS TO IT'S HISTORY.

Prof. John b. Smith, the state ento-
mologist of New Jersey made this an
nouncement: 1T will be a satisfaction
to know that l have worked out the life
history of the salt marsh mosquito COM
pletely. I know just how it breeds and
Just where it breeds now, and the
knowledge is brand new"
The results of the professors inves-
tigation are given by him in detail The
salt-marsh mosquito has certain we'll
defined peculiarities that distinguish
il from all other species, and that make
it easy to study its habits. 1t is the
most numerous and annoying of all the
mosquito pests in this state, because it
abounds at the sea coast resorts at Il
time when its pestiferous attentions are
most undesirable.
1t is almost certain, Prof. Smith says,
that the adult salt marsh mosquito does
not winter in the adult stage, because
the most careful search along shore
very early in the present year failed to
| disclose a single specimen, while ma
larial and house mosquitoes were found
in some numbers. He did not find the
insect until the spring was well advanc-
| ed.
| 1t is almost equally certain that they
do not winter in the larva stage, be-
cause no wrigglers were found when
the winter had just ended but were dis
covered in great numbers and of very
small size in late March and early April
The professor concludes that the winter
| is passed in the eggs stage and that
the eggs are laid singly or in groups on
| grain or sedge, or even on the ground.
| When the water becomes sufficiently
warm the wrigglers hatch, and the san
! sons breeding is started. Areas that
| are regularly covered by ordinary tides
| are not breeding places for these mos
qutos nor are ponds or pools covered
only at full tide, if they are six inches
or more in depth and contain fish or
| fiddler crabs
1t will be news to many that the
| fiddler crab is one of the most des-
tructive enemies of the mosquito. 1t
may be put down as a general rule,
says Prof Smith subject perhaps 70
exceptions, that where fiddler crabs live
mosquito larvae do not.
"Depressions at the beginning of the
upland, covered only by winter or storm
! tides, leaving pools that last for weeks
and are reflled by rains, are ideal
breeding places he says Draws,
| drains, or bitches that fill at tides and
do not drain clean are bound to become
| filled with wrigglers Any depression
| in a salt marsh area not connected with
! the tide that at any time holds rain
water for a week will breed MOSQUE
! toes"
There are hundreds, perhaps thou
sands of such pools, ponds, bitches and
| depressions along the Jersey Coast.
| Speaking of the breeding capacity of
! the mosquito in these places the pro-
| fessor says. 81 have found pools so
! crowded that an estimate of 100 wrig-
glers to an area of one square inch was
scarcely equal to the fact. Half that
number is a common occurrence. This
means over seven thousand in an area
of one square foot, and it needs an
area of less than one hundred and fifty
square feet-a pool roughly ten by
| fifteen feet-to produce one million
mosquitoes at one Matching"
The remedies the professor recon-
mends are to fill in such breeding places
where ever it is practicable. This is the
most effective and lasting remedy. 1t
! has been tried with great success at
Seaside Park and partially at Manta-
Token and Bay Head Where filing is
not practicable he advises that the tide
flow be introduced by ditching or that
the pool be drained, or that petroleum
be used. AS to this last named remedy
he says
I'm such cases pail of fuel oil kero-
sene or crude petroleum and broom
are needed. Dip the broom into the oil
pail shake the oil over the pool and
then sweep over the surface thoroughly,
so as to get into the grass and along
the banks, that every part of the pool
may get it's oil coating and the water
itself be stirred with it. In less than
an hour every lava and pupa will be
dead and the pool will remain safe until
the filling or draining can be COM
! Dleted -"