The state herald., 1908-05-08

Previous to the year 1926 mosqui-
toes were unknown In Hawaii. Dur
ing that year they were brought to the
port of Lahaina. on the Island of Maui
in the ship wellington" from San
Bias. Mexico. The story, as told by
the late Rev. William Richards at
= that time In charge of the Mission sta
tion at Lahaina is as follows: Mr..
Richards was returning to Lahaina
one evening and met a native who in
formed him that there was new
fly" in the place. The native de-
scribed the insect as being very pc
culiar fly" that made its presence
known by singing in the ear"
Shortly after this. Mr.. Richards be-
ing on the outlook for the new fly.
heard the singing" in his ear and
recognized the sound as that of the
mosquito, which up TO that time had
never been seen or heard of in the
islands. Furthermore. up TO the year
1926 there was no word in the Haw-
allan language for mosquito. The ma
tive term is "makika." a corruption
OF the word mosquito. Lahaina was
at that time the port for incoming
and outgoing ships. II is easy to un
derstand that the ships coming here
were few and far between and how
general opinion would center on the
ship wellington" as the carrier of
the pest
Since the mosquito introduced In
1896 on the ship wellington" was a
so-called might" mosquito. the writer
infers that the species determined as
Culex pipiens Linn, so abundant and
widespread here. was the one intro.
duced at that time. The two species
OF Stegomyia or day" mosquitoes were
introduced during the present genera.
ton.
The mosquitoes were n long time
spreading over the islands. Two gen.
erations ago there were many dis.
tricts entirely free from this pest To.
day such places are exceptional. In
the eighties there were no mosquitoes
at Makawao on the same island as
Lahnina. Makawao Is some so miles
from Lahaina "as the crow flies" with
n mountain range nearly 5000 feet
in elevation Intervening. The building
OF roads. making settlement and com.
munication possible, and the intimate
interisland communication of late
years. has so favored the distribution
OF this pest that only few places nj
the higher elevations can ofier To Wis.
itors the inducement that the district
is free from mosquitoes.
The abundance OF mosquitoes In
Hawaii may be accounted for
by the facts that up 10 this
time there has been no effort TO
do away with their breeding places
that the number OF natural breeding
places is unusually large. and that the
pest is not checked at amy season Of
the year by climatic conditions. II be.
Ing possible for them 10 breed uninter
!uptedly during the entire year.
A tropical country Ia an outofdoor
country and the mosquito problem be
comes at once serious question
Heretofore the only effort directed
against the mosquito nuisance In The
Hawaiian Islands has been 10 secure
protection from the adult by screening
the houses. the use OF nets over beds
Ai night and the burning OF buhach or
insect powder These methods are
more or less successful In obtaining
individual relief, but In no manner do
they lessen the numbers of the pest
or remove the sonre. Of the nuisance,
A conservative estimate. based on
fisurea furnished the writer BY the
Wholesale importing houses OF Hon.
oiulu. places N. sum annually spent
In these islands for insect powder.
wire mosquito cloth and mosquito net
ting at t?7.si1 Of which s7.oos In for
insso, powder. tP.iab for wire moHaui
TO cloth and fio.boo for mosquito net
ting These figures are based ON IN.
retail price and do not include n
great quantity Of cheaper grades Of
npen mesh cloth sold TO ofien,ala and
the poorer classes, A landlord can,
no, think Of Offering house or room
for ren, and expect a ready tenant IN
less he II able 10 Insert mosquito
proof' In the announcement. and nets
ar. q household necessity In homes
that ropnot sfrofd screening, u the
aboy. amount Of money was judicioua.
~ spent In Kidding the communities
Of this territory Of tho breeding places
nt mosquitoes, permanent relief could
b. secured, In reviewing tho iifeh his
tory of the mosnul,o I, II evident that
the nah, against the adult II futile and
that the arofi of control must ba d.
treied against the breeding places Of
the insect
q, 10 the common opinion here that
tho iafo patches and rice neidz are
tnaini, responsible fof the abundance
Of the mosquitoes, They do breed 10
some extent In these places, but the
~rItar has found tho source Of mos.
aui,iss. even In the immediate vicinity
ot tafo patches aud rice fields 10 be