The Washington herald., 1912-06-02

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to speak with caution. because we really
know very little about It. We do know
however, that the yellow fever mosquito
Is never found nowadays more than 9
quarter of mile from houses. II seems
to be practically dependent upon the con-
ditions Of civilization.
The yellow fever mosquito appears tc
have belonged originally TO the tree
hole tribe-being, that is to say, one OF
/ a number Of species which under nat
i ural conditions prefer to lay their eggs
in holes in trees. where rain water &C
eumulates. OF some OF the malaria-car-
rying mosquitoes II may likewise be said
that they are seldom found far from
human habitations.
1T is somewhat curious to observe
how civilization begins by doing away
with malaria, and then. later on, re-
introduces IT, In Illinois. Indiana, and
other parts Of the Middle West. the early
settlers suffered frightfully from this
malady-distributed, as We now know,
by mosquitoes. Many Of them died OF
IT, But. incidental to reducing the land
to cultivation. they drained IL; the mos
quitoes disappeared TO a great extent
In consequence, and there was compar-
atively little malaria. But the subse-
quent development OF civilized methods
Of living. with street cutters and sewer
AAaP1 70 nolQ ELdkudHL NaAEEH AaAAOaA1
(which afford similar facilitiss). and va
rious other conditions, not forgetting the
omnipresent tin can (Which holds enough
rain water to furnish a small but re-
liable crop Of mosquitoes), again grants
ample opportunities for the breeding Of
the insects. and malaria becomes rife.
I'VE may regard the malaria mosquito
and the yellow fever mosquito as para
sites on man in a sort OF casual way.
UnUWN F- Han4 11WT
lives ct his expense, depending upon him
habitually for both food and shelter.
This Is Culex pipiens, the common house
or 'rain-barreP mosquito, which Is as
much the companion Of human beings as
the rat II might almost be called a
household pet, inasmuch as people COM
monty. though without intention. furnish
It with breeding facilities on their own
premises.
Rain Barrel Variety.
TT is called the rain-barrel mosquito
because it's swrigglsrs' breed in such re-
ceptaeles in great numbers whenever an
opportunity is offered. That it considers
itself a domestic animal is proved by
its persistent and usually successful ef-
forts to get into dwelling houses and
stay there. or in their immediate neigh
boThood. II spends the winter by prefer
ence in cellars on damp. dark shelters
OF any kind-even upper rooms Of shut
up, unheated houses Often there are
thousands Of its kind alternating IN a
cellar unsuspected by the owner. These
are all females, and those Of them that
survive until the coming Of warm
weather Immediately look for a place to
lay their eggs. II a rain-barrel Il not at
hand. a pail half full Of water or
puddle will serve the purpose, the eggs.
about go in number, being set on end
and glued together in raft shape on the
surface OF the water, where they Eoat
until hatched.
"A Boston man once sent to Us a batch !
OF mosquitoes which he had collected In
his cellar where iiley had assembled in |
such numbers that when a kerosene lamp !
was held up the inside Of the glass |
was soon covered with them
to a thickness OF half an inch. The
cellar was very cold In one corner was
a small furnace ripe, but its warm neigh |
borhood was avoided. the insects gath |
ering IN the coolest places. The lower
the temperature, the better IL seems to
suit them for purposes OF Information.
no extreme cold will kill
them.
No Water Too FOul.
NO water is too foul. no receptacle too |
small TO serve as a breeding place for |
this household species. A street gutter. !
a cIogged roof gutter. a tin can. or an !
open sewer will suit the purposes oS |
Culex pipicns. The only requirement is (
that there shall be water enough to last +.
At least a week, and that it shall not !
be pure. This mosquito breeds as readily
indoors as out. DR.. John B. Smith says:
/ have found wrigglers in a jar Of water
forgotten in a pantry, in the water pan
II a letter press. in a clOgged sink partly
illed with water frym a dripping faucet.
md in FIRE buckets hanging along the hall
" a hotel
'As might be expected from its domes-
ic habits, the rain-baTTel mosquito is
ot much Of a traveller. 1t rarely goes
ar from the place where II was hatched
being in this respect OF an inclination
xactly contrary to the salt marsh mos
uitoes, whose migratory swarms pass
inland over such great distances. In
he heat of the middle and late summer,
hen their development is very rapid,
here commonly appears a brood or two
( undersiZed. very active, and vicious
which actually force the
Tindow and door screens, making their
ray through the meshes-more easily
trough wire than through cotton or linen
ct. because the latter is fuzzy and on
:
on to their passage.
1T is always worth while, by the way, :
hen buying mosquito net. to pick out /
he smallest mesh obtainable II varies |
good deal, and often IT is too large. ;
European investigator. DR.. Arnold. /
lade a rather interesting experiment
this line by covering a number Of
dless pifl-boXes with mosquito net of :
) many different brands In each box
E imprisoned two or three mosquitoes. | s
hen, when he went to bed, he put them I
4 a chair by the side OF his couch :
ie idea being to initiate the condiSSons '
nder which mosquitoes and a sleeping c
erson are separated by a net As a c
suit. some Of the pill boxes were found 4
npty in the morning, and DR.. Arnold /
Id several bites. y
MOsquItO-ProOf Houses.
"since the dangerous character of some
osquitoes has come to be known, manu- .
cturers have put on the market port c
Die 'canopies,' which, being folded up T
hen not in use, occupy hardly more ]
ace than a fishing rod. Also, II one {
ishes, he may purchase a mosquito
'oof house-most suitable for a traveller Il
malarious countries-which, when un- b
lded, affords room enough for occu- q
Incy by two persons.
I'VE are not accustomed to regard the 5
,use mosquito as anything worse than T
! annoyance; yet in the tropics II is
e proven carrier and distributor OF 4
at dread disease elephantiasis-this 8
alady being attributable to a minute
orm which the insect, infected by bit z
3 sufferer from the complaint, in !,
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