The wageworker., 1909-10-09

on the mosquito have discov-
II cred a new method Of exter-
minating the pest. This |
method consists in propagating and |
distributing a parasitic worm which
lodges in the body of the mosquito |
and kills it or checks it's egg-laying |
powers.
It has for several years been recog- |
nized 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 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
up their nostrils and throats and cho-
king them.
The new worm which kill the mos
quito is known to science as agomer-
mis- culiois-meaning "roundworm of
the mosquito'-and is recognized as
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 it does not kill her, 1t
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. 1t Is
a new discovery. It 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 a widespread reputation for pro-
ducing a remarkable crop of mosQui-
toes.
There are, as is well known, many
species of mosquitoes in New Jersey.
But the worst of them all, SO far as
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 for
great distances, and scientific men
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 in
detail. he has built on a marsh cage
of wire net, with framework of scant
ling. big enough for himself to occu
py. In this cage he has reared the
marsh mosquitoes, watching them
through all the stages of their de
velopment, in the midst Of their nat
ural surroundings. Incidentally, he
has subjected many specimens to mi
croscopic examination, to find out how
the egg-sacs of the females developed
and other such points.
On a number of occasions. while
thus studying the female insects. h'
noticed that their abdomens seemed
,, abnormally enlarged. Finally. hi
curiosity being aroused by this phe
nomenon, he tore open the belly o
one of the insects, and found insid
of it two-hair-like worms about a thir'
of an inch long, and nothing else
They were something new to him
and so he sent the worms to the GOV
. Eernment helminthologist - signifyin
worn man"-in Washington.
The worm maj, 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 par;
; sites of the mosquito. But in th
I meantime DR.. Smith had started in I
l' examine large numbers of marsh mo
uuitoes for worms. In lot that we
u sent in from Barnegat bay he foun
many infested. In fact, every cole
8 ton received at the experiment st
y ton from Raritan river to Cape Ma
u yielded numerous worms.
9 He thinks it beyond doubt that IL
y parasite shortens the life of the mo
g quito it infects-though this,
q course, is a matter unimportant col
e pared to the prevention of reprodu
It ton. Apparently. the worm does n
IS diminish the insects appetite at a