The Montgomery advertiser., 1903-06-21
WAR ON MosQrIToEs.
Insects Breeding Places Should Be 9 Destroyed.


 u Destroyed.
 Earpers Weekly
 There is a difference in mosquitoes, as tnere is in men. concerning the places in which they like best to live. few are really domestic, in the sense that they live ky pr reference with man and about his habitations, but many are strictly sylvan and do not modest him unless he runs deliberately into their way. A very few have never been known to bite under any proyocation, while others need no urging whatever and appear to be liter ally bloodthirsty. Most of them are home bodies straying little or not at all from the immediate surroundings of the point where they first reached the adult stage, while others travel many miles and supply regions where none are na- tive. This argues quite variety Of mos Quitoes and, as a matter of fact 1t IS a poor locality that connot turn out twenty or more species of the pest. It is the failure to realize this point--the ten dcncy to consider that all mosquitoes are alike and equally pestiferous-that Is responsible for unsatisfactory results among mosquito crusades. What benefit can be expected from local work when the dominant mosquito breeds twenty or more miles away, and what good does 1t do to oil ponds and streams unless we know that mosquitoes breed in them?
 We may say with certainty that no mosquito thus far known can develop without water enough to breed in; but we cannot say that in all waters mosquitoes win thrive. In fact. we are now learn ing that there are many swamp areas once supposed to be prolific producers Of the insects In which practically none at atl develops. We have also lehrned that the ugly looking pools and ponds cov- cred with green duck weed are always 'tsafe," because itc iarva can exist where it cannot freely come to the surface; and we know that the great areas covered by "cattails'' are also harmless from the mesquite standpoint, though the reasons for this are not yet clear.
 We have thus narrowed the problem materially. and can say that. in general. mosquitoes either breed close to the places where they occur in numbers or that they come in Ike a thief in the night from shore points.
 Tn the Eastern United States there is orly one species-the sqlt marsh mosqui- to-of which 1t Is positively known that it travels great distances. Any point be- tween twenty and forty miles from 2 rnarshy st Is liable to invasion by this species. though at the latter distance their occurrence is only occasional and their stay usually short. Tn the high lands at points way from the coast. and even in cities. towns and villages near shore. the presence of any considerable number of mosquitoes continuing stead 'lv through the season. indicates the ex- istence of some local breeding place and such breeding places may occur even in our very houses,
 A forgotten bucket of wate- in the eel lar or just outside will serve to develop hundreds; A rain barrel is good for thou sands per week unless securely covered. and any vessel, even tin can. In which water remains continuously for more than a week may serve as source of supply, It must be realized that no pool is too insignificant to be utilized by a female mosquito who has batch of eggs to be plsc sced
 To make any campaign entirely effec- tive all breeding places must be dealt with, and for this purpose there is no more effective destructive agency than kerosene oil of a low grade. Though the mosquito larva is strictly aquatic. 1t de- pends upon getting It's air supply from above the surface through a short tube at It's anal extremity. If the surface is, coated with kerosene. access to the air is barreds except at the cost of dose of OH. ana there IS Tor the unfortunate wriEgier only a choice of deaths; if either stifles for lack of afr or 1t Is pol soned by the kerosene which gets into its breathing system. The method is a good one. and absolutely effective but the oil is offensive and the applications must be repeated at short intervals. A better method. therefore. is to destroy the breeding places altogether, so as to get a permanent result. Alittle grading and filling here and there. to get rid of depressions that fill with the rains. a ditch or two to drain low place. and local exemption may often be gained. Water barrels and imperfectly closed cis- terms may be kept quite safe by placing in them a few little fish of almost any species: gold fish will do or the little min nows that may be found in almost every stream or pond throughout the country