Pine Bluff daily graphic. (Pine Bluff, Ark.) 1893-1942, 1911-08-17
MOSQUITOES AND
HOW TO ESCAPE
THEIR BITES
BY PAUL HAYHURST.

even though III small uulHDeFSj LHey
make nights miserable and deprive
us of the slumbers that we need SO
much so as to have sufficient energy
for the next days work. -ss,
In addition to being annoying pests
certain species are known to be one
Of the necessary links in the transmits
sion of malaria, yellow fever ana
some other diseases. We cannot take
such diseases from the night air, and
in order to get them we must be bit
ten by one Of these disease carrying
mosquitoes.
Concerning this subject there are
many erroneous opinions which often
seem even popular; but the aim Of
the writer is to report only the &C.
tual facts as they have been care
fully verified by scientific men.
Mosquitoes are kind Of tWo-wing-
ed fly that pass the first stages OF
their life in the water. A brief &C
count of the life-history of the COM
mon house-mosquito will give the
reader the main facts he needs to
know to control the pests. The female
lays her eggs, $50 to 400 in number,
in a boat-shaped cluster on the sur
face of standing water. This boat OF
eggs, in which all of the eggs are laid
heads down, cannot be wet with the
water and cannot sink without using
some mechanical means to hold them
down. Even in The summer and under
the most favorable conditions, these
eggs will require fully sixteen hours
to hatch
The tiny larvae are the active wrig-
glers so often seen in barrels of rain
water or stagnant pools. 1t requires
five days for them to attain their
growth at which stage they can read
lily be SEEN The next five days are
spent as pupae floating at the sur
face of the water, except when dis.
turbed by an enemy, when they wrig-
gle down towards the bottom for
safety. 1t thus requires fully ten
days in the summer time for the
mosquito to pass all its stages from
the egg to the adult. This is contrary
to popular supposition that mos.
quitoes attain their growth in few
hours in a puddle of rain-water. The
fact is, they cannot breed to maturity
in water unless it stands at least ten
days. 1t can be seen from the above
that weeds cannot furnish breeding
places unless they are SO thick as te
keep puddles from drying up.
The best way to reduce mosquitoes
in vicinity is to put little kerosene
on the surface OF all stagnant pools
or vessels containing rain-water. The
cutting down of weeds in the back
yards Or along s. ewalks, although
undoubtedly civic duty, has almost
nothing to do with controlling the
mosquitoes. Cover over receptacles
out, as they may enter through the
tiniest cracks or holes. Cesspools OF
privy vaults may offer breeding places
if there are any crevices or open
ings through which the adults may
enter.
Goldfish and certain minnows are
very useful in keeping wrigglers out
of water that cannot be treated wit
oil. Screening rain-water with calico
if carefully done, may prove effective
in keeping out adults.
People are not generally situated
so that they can prevent the breeding
of mosquitoes in their neighborhood
by their own individual efforts. Some
methods of preventing mosquitoes
from biting people are therefore OF
prime Importance. Various oils as oil
of citronella, pennyroil, cedaroil and
others have been recommended by
many writer's. The author has found
from personal experience that these
oils never last all night and are there
fore of slight values. A mosquito tai
cum powder sold by various drug.
gists is of some Importance, if used
very freely on the exposed parts. A
mixture consisting Of oil Of citronella,
one ounce. and liquid vaseline or Ian.
e!!n, t t9gr sg2ess IS has . sssa used to
keep the oil from eVaporating.
The author has found where an
electric current is available that the
mosquitoes may be kept off all night
by directing the air Current OF an
electric fan SO that 1t will blow oveI
the subject While sleeping. This
method is Objectionable however, be-
cause of the fact that some people
would easily take cold in such a
draft. Taking cold may be partially
prevented by directing the air current
considerably above the person. Such
a method would be a luxury for the
we'll TODD and the robust.
1t is often necessary to depend en-
tirely upon squito-netting stretched
over the bed to keep the pest away
In this case the sleeper must stand
the discomfort caused by his personal
heat being confined to some extent
Cub your chicken flocks often.
.~T NC