Willmar tribune., 1909-10-13
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HE scientists in the service
Of the United States and the
states which are waging war
on the mosquito have discov-
Il cred new method of exter-
m1nat1ng the pest. This
method consists In propagating and
distributing a parasitic worm whicE
lodges In the body of the mosquito
and kills 1t or checks its egg-laying
powers.
1t has for several years been recog-
n1zed that the mosquito is one of the
worse public enemies of the American
people. Upward of $4,000 deaths oc-
cur from malaria, which is spread by
the mosquito alone. This figure does
not count the vast number of people
whose systems are weakened by ma
laria and thus easily succumb to 9TH
er diseases. The discomfort caused
by the mosquito in many parts of the
country is also a grave injury to pros
perity. Therefore. anything which
tends to exterminate the mosquito Is
Of immense public benefit.
How greatly some regions are in
need OF relief from mosquitoes has
Just been shown by the dispatches
from Chenier au Tigre. a large and
fertile island in the Gulf. off New Or
leans. The mosquitoes there have bred
In such quantities that the inhabi-
tants have been forced to keep in
doors altogether, while the cattle have
been killed by the mosquitoes filling
king them.
The new worm which kill the mos
quito is known to science as agomer-
mis- culiois- meaning "roundworm Of
the mosquito" is recognized as a
destructive parasite of the wicked in
sect. It is also called the "hairworm"
In many places on account of its re-
semblance to small hair. 1t spends
at least part of its life in the belly Of
the mosquito, and, in the case of the
female. when 1t does not kill her, it
prevents her from reproducing her
species-a result equally satisfactory.
Very little is known of the life his
tory of the worm, or how it spends
the early stages of its existence. It is
a new discovery. 1t was first found
and identified, only short time ago
by DR.. John B. Smith, who. as ento
mologist attached to the New Jersey
agricultural experiment station, at
New Brunswick. has charge of the
mosquito survey of his state, which
has widespread reputation for pro
ducing remarkable crop of mosqui
toes.
There are, as is we'll known, many
species OF mosquitoes In New Jersey
But the worst Of them all, so far az
ability to annoy goes, is the brute
with striped legs. This is the real and
original Jersey mosquito" 1t breeds
in marshes, though it flies thence fol
great distances. and scientific mer
know it as 'culex solicitans."
Necessarily. this species cuts very
large figure in the problem which DR.
Smith is engaged in tackling. With
view to studying its life history ir
detail, he has built on marsh a cage
Of wire net. with framework of scant
ling, big enough for himself to occu
py. IN this cage he has reared thu
marsh mosquitoes, watching then
through all the stages of their de
velopment, in the midst Of their nat
ural surroundings. Incidentally. h,
has subjected many specimens to mi
croscopic examination. to find out hov
the egg-sacs of the females developed
and other such points.
On number Of occasions. Will,
thus studying the female insects, h,
noticed that their abdomens SCENE,
abnormally enlarged. Finally, hi
curiosity being aroused by this phe
non,enon, he tore open the belly O
one of the insects. and found insid,
Of It two-hair-like worms about thir,
Of an inch long. and nothing else
They were something new to him
and so he sent the worms to the GOV
arnment helminthologist - signifyin,
worm man"-in Washington.
The worm man, DR.. Charles Wardel
Stiles, promptly identified them a
''round worms" of the kind popularl
known as "hair worms" or "wir
worms" He also gave them the lon
Latin name already mentioned, an
said that they were undoubtedly pars
sites of the mosquito. But in tn