Fitzgerald enterprise. (Fitzgerald, Ga.) 1895-1912, 1911-06-27
Mosquito Preyentatiyes.

| toes are not only lulSduCSS, Dul die
also conveyors Of malaria, yellow
fever and other diseases, a great
deal of remedial work has been
done by individuals and communi-
ties, many remedies and plans of
action having been tested on a large
scale.
Mosquitoes breed in all sorts Of
places where is to be found the
least standing water. In pools,
springs, marshy lands, rain barrels,
water tanks. old wells, fountains
and ornamental ponds and every
conceivable place. The writer
knows of one instance where
veritable plague of mosquitoes was
traced to case Of empty beer
bottles allowed to remain in back
ward for some weeks in midsummer
search carefully for all such places
and either abolish the standing
water by carting away chance re-
ceptacles. by turning over vessels,
by filing in excavations, or by treat
ine other receptacies with a film Of
kerosene, or by introducing fish
into fountains and artificial ponds,
The common gold fish and silver fish
destroy mosquito larvae and should
be placed in park lakes and ponds.
Drainage Of all swampy or low
areas needs no argument. This is
a very important consideration in
the treatment of breeding places of
mosquitoes.
While it is obviously best to
abolish breeding places in the ways
mentioned, it often happens that it
is not possible to drain, and at least
as a temporary expedient it becomes
desirable to treat the water so as to
kill the mosquito larvae. Many
substances have been tried, and,
! aside from certain proprietary mix
lures, nothing has given such good
results as the use of oils. Efforts
to find oils that can be used to better
advantage than petroleum have
failed. Common kerosene of low
grade, or Of the grade known as fuel
oil, is the most satisfactory as re-
CARDS efficiency and price.
In choosing the grade of oil two
factors are to be considered: First,
it should spread rapidly; second it
should not evaporate too quickly.
The heavier grades of oil will not
spread readily over the surface of
the water, but will cling together in
spots and the coating will be I'M
necessarily thick. The rapidity of
ST spread of the film is also impor-
tant. AS to quantity, under still
conditions, and ounce Of kerosene to
IS square feet of surface space is
about the right proportion, and in
the absence of wind such a film will
remain persistent for ten days or
slightly longer. Even after the
iridescentscum apparently disaD-
pears there is still an odOr of kerosene
about the water. In a wind the
film of kerosene is frequently blown
to the side, but with a change of
wind will 90 back again, so that
larvae are destroyed. Not only are
larvae and pupae destroyed by the
kerosene film, but many adult mos
quitoes alighting on the surface of
the water to drink or lay their eggs
are killed by it.
A common spray pump is very
useful in applying the oil. Small
ponds can be sprinkled out of an
ordinary watering pot with rose
nozzle, or for that matter pouring it
out of a dipper or cup will be salts
factory. In larger ponds pumps
with straight nozzle may be used.
A straight stream will sink and then
rise and spread until the whole sur
face of the pond can be covered
without waste. The English workers
in Africa advise hopping the kero-
sene upon the surface of the water
by means of cloths tied to the end
of a long stick and saturated with
kerosene.
Many large cities are planning
active campaigns against the mos
quito pest, some on very large
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