The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1903-06-04
OIL THE BEST MEANS
TO KILL MOSQUITOES
Least Expense and Most Eff
fectiye Method.
RECOGNIZED EXPERTS VIEWS
Film on Surface of Water Not Only
Kills the Insects But the Eggs
Placed There by Them.

'If the Health Office expresses the
least doubt as TO the value of oil in
destroying mosquitoes, it doesn't know
what it is talking about said Dr. l..
o. Howard, chief of the bureau of ento-
mology of the Agricultural Department,
in the course of an interview recently.
Scientists both here and abroad have
proved conclusively that not only do
these insects disseminate malaria and
kindred diseases, but they may be killed
t'y covering pools in the infected dis
tricts with film of oil. Every n.edi "a,
inan should be familiar with the results
or these e. periments.
"Oil operates in this way: Mosuui-
toes often remain under water for a
long while. coming to the surface from
time TO time to breathe They draw in
the air through a long. slender tube at
the caudal extremity of the body If
oil be spread on the top of the water it
has the peculiar effect of clogging This
tube and suf9ocating the insect Then,
too. the female places hundreds OF eggs
en- the surface of staguant pools to be
Matched TIE oil not only kills these
but the female mosquito as well, catch
Ing her after the manner of a fly on
sticking paper.
Whitney's Mosquito Dinner.
81 have returned but lately from Mr..
Wnitney's whimsical but enjoyable
mosquito dinner I wish all who at
tach little importance to the use of oil
in rlosquito warfare could have seen
what Mr. Whitney has accomplished in
three weeks. The neighborhood of his
country house was literally infested
with the insect, so that it was very IN
pleasant to cross them. Today he has
driven of every mosquito in the neigh
borhood
1t IS clear that the army surgeons of
the country appreciate the value of oil
They spend no time in considering the
advisability of using it. believe it is
employed. and with excellent effect, at
every army post in the country which is
1T all troubled with the pest.
Drainage is without doubt the most
effective means of destroying the mos
quito kncyp to science. Circumstances,
however. often make it Impossible of
application. Suppose you have a els
tern which you wish 10 preserve and
which is q hot-bed of mosquitoes. To
drain the cistern would. of course, be
out of the question. whereas oil could be
used very readily. again sfagnant pools.
periodically renewed by rain, are found
on many valiant lots in and about the
CITY. 1t would be too costly to drain of
this water after every shower, but a
film of oil could be kept upon them at a
merely nominal outlay
Sewers Are Breeding Places.
Though it is not generally known,
sewers are one of the most fruitful
sources Of mosquito production in cities.
whether you consider the sewer proper
or the manhole let into the main pipe
Drainage IS impractieable here and
heavy rains do not occur often enough
TO keep the sewers flushed. The largest
hasn't surface over three feet in diam
seter and couple of ounces of oil, re-
newed every few weeks, would be ample
TO cover it.
There are any number of cities
throughout the country which have
adopted the oil system, and more are
taking it up now. Savannah Hartford
Baltimore. New Orleans. aui Atlanta
are only few which occur TO me at
present. Ten thousand dollars was placed
a the disposal of the health depart
T:ent. of Brooklyn last week TO be used
in their oil war
DR.. Howard is recognized as al au-
thority on mosquitoes. and, in fact. on
all insects. The results of his exhaus-
tive study of the pest and the best
means of stamping it out appear in one
OF his books. This volume is entitled |
Mosquitoes. and is written in a style j
which will interest laymen as well as /
lysicians.