The Pleasantville press., 1912-11-20
SOME FACTS ABOUT MOSQUI-
TOES IN NEW JERSEY.


The Essex County Mosquito Exter-
mination Commission has issued a
card giving the following information
about mosquitoes:
Z There are over forty species Of mos
quitoes in New Jersey.
Mosquitoes breed only in water.
They may breed in any kind of quiet
water, clean or foul, fresh or salt, un-
stocked with fish or predatory insects.
Mosquitoes generally require from
one to three weeks to develop from
eggs to winged insects in warm wea-
ther, longer in cold weather. Fe-
males may begin to lay eggs three
days after full development, but as a
rule they do not start until at least a
week old. Males die in a few days;
females live until they have chance
to lay eggs and may live a month or
longer. Those that hibernate in the
adult stage may live from September
of one year to June of the next.
Some species lay in boat-shaped
masses, some singly on the surface of
the water, others in the mud of de-
pressions where water has recently
been. Each species Of mosquito has
some popularity of its own.
Mosquitoes do not breed in grass,
but rank growths of weeds or grass
may conceal small breeding puddles,
and form favorite harboring place
for adults. "A teacup full of water
standing ten days is enough for 25O
wrigglers. One species breeds exclu-
sivelv in the leaves of the pitcher
plants.
Different species of mosquitoes have
as well defined habits as different
kinds of birds or other animals and
are classified as follows: Domestic,
Migratory and Woodland.
The Domestic Species breed in fresh
water, fly comparatively short dis
tances, habitually enter houses, hiber-
nate in cellars. barns and out-houses
and some of them are conveyors of
malaria.
The Migratory Species breed on the
salt marshes, fly long distances, do
not habitually enter houses and are
not carriers of malaria or other dis
eases so far as known.
The Woodland Mosquito Certain
varieties breed only in woodland pools
appearing in the early spring, and
travel greater distance than the do
mestic species. They are not usually
troublesome indoors.
It has been proved by direct expert
ment that malaria is transmitted only
bv certain species of Anopheles, one
of which occurs everywhere in New
Jersey and is one of the domestic
mosquitoes. Eliminate this one spe-
cies Of mosquito and the disease will
disappear as a direct consequence.
Mosquitoes may bite every second
or third day during their life time,
except that when specimen becomes
winter dormant it rarely feeds. before
the. spring following.
Mosquitoes are a needless and dan
gerous pest Their propagation can
be prevented by draining or filling wet
areas by emptying or screening wa
ter receptacles and by spraying with
oil where other measures are not avail
liable. Oil should be sprinkled in
cesspools, sewer and catch basins, rain
barrels, watering troughs, roof gut
ters, old tin cans, marshes, swamps
and puddles. All ponds and large
bodies of water should have clean
sharp edges, because in shallow, gras-
sy edges larvae Of the malarial species
are commonly found Large ponds
with clean edges, inhabited by fish or
predatory insects are safe; smaller
ponds if wind swept, and all ponds in
the ripple area" are safe. All rain
pools, stagnant cutters, overgrown
edges Of large ponds and all recepta-
cles holding water not constantly re-
newed, are dangerous.
The breeding and protection of in
sectivorous birds, such as swallows
and martins, should be encouraged.
The English sparrow, which is the
greatest enemy of insect eating birds,
should be exterminated. The contin-
ued breeding of any kind of mosqui-
toes with the attendant menace to
public health and comfort is solely.
due to ignorance or neglect.
The foregoing embodies the results
obtained by studies, observations and
experiments during the last few
wears.