Honolulu star-bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1912-2010, 1913-09-23
WOMAN ON TRAIL
OF JERSEY
SHELTERS

J.
summer why they have been free
from the mosquito pest. is due very
largely to a woman, Mrs. Elizabeth
.-ght, of this city. and Of the Water
witch Club. down at the Jersey High
lands.
The one woman in her field. she
has studied the subject Of extermina-
ton for ten years. After being almost
eaten alive in Summit, she determined
to get rid Of the pests, and began to
ly,k up all the information about
them she could find. The fact that a
member OF her family became seri-
ously iIi with malaria contracted
from a mosquito bite, caused Mrs.
Wright to redouble her efforts to get
a good working knowledge of their
characteristics, and the best way to
exterminate them.
In this study she was assisted by
the interest of John B. Smith, then
State entomologist, who felt the
great necessity for such work. He
had written extensively on the sub
ject.
There are forty varieties of mos
quitoes,' says Mrs. Wright, but only
fve of these live near human habita-
ticn. These are the common or house
mosquito, malarial, wood, salt marsh.
and yellow fever. The lastnamed
are found in southern climates, and
were lately brought into Florida from
cuba. Panama doctors say that the
lai.ure OF the French to build the Ca.
nal was due to this yellow-fever car
rier, which killed of an army OF
Frenchmen in five years.
Made Canal Zone Safe.
The United States sent down san
itary engineers, who put through
strenuous measures. personally inves-
tigating private houses. and COM
handing that sanitary laws be en-
forced. The dealns from yellow fever
were thus greatly diminished until
In the last year there were practical
" none.
xiii every mosquito you possibly
can. Only female mosquitoes bite
and some one has suggested that Kip
ling must have been suffering from
her onslaught when he wrote The
female of the species is more deadly
than the male The male is an alb
solute vegetarian, and lives but few
days. while his mate viii sting any
thing that has blood, even birds She
lays from 10 to 400 eggs and then
dies.
The malarial mosquito, from
which we suffer so much all over the
United States. breeds In fresh water
only. wish could make people rea-
lie that. But they see mosquitoes
around their shrnbbery or in some
damp nook, and seem to think this Is
their breeding place, So they stop
putting oil on stagnant water and the
trouble increases. Other people per-
sist In thinking am queer when de-
clare that mosquitoes bring malaria.
They prefer to blame the night air for
1t, and will not cooperate with me in,
my warfare.
TT takes ten to fifteen days for the
mosquito to develop from the egg to
the adult In spite of my hatred of
them, cant help thinking that the
emergence from the egg Is a pretty
sight. The newborn creature poises
for q minute on the edge of its out.
grown shell airing its tiny wings, then
skins lightly over the surface Of the
water and away. A small handful of
water breeds hundreds of them.
The TelI-Iale Spots.
5 with the help OF a microscope, I.
learned to distinguish all the different
varieties, and can now tell them at a
glance. The malarial type is distin-
guiEhed by its CHARACTERISTIC attitude
as Il lights at right angles to the sur
face Of the water, and by the black
and brown spots on its wings. The
wrigglers are one-third of an inch
long and about the size of thread.
The adult Of this species can fly a
quarter of q mile, while others travel
only few yards from their breeding
place.
.sThe salt marsh variety has white
banding on legs and beak In the fall
It deposits its eggs in the mud, and
they hatch out in the spring. This is
the commonest type of mosquito in
Jersey, comprising so per cent of the
whole number.
Il kept my house in Summit free
from mosquitoes, while my neighbors
we're oyerrun with them" Mrs.
Wright continued, "and it wasn't be-
cause wanted a monopoly on the ex-
trade. People are slow
TO take up new suggestions, especially
IRON q woman, and 1t took me several
years to win their confidence and CO.
operation. But now even real estate
agents are beginning to realize that
t pays to have their property mos
quito proof"
Mrs. Wright lectures in the interest
If this work through Jersey and Long
Island and is now contemplating q
our through the malarial districts of
Massachusetts,. The lectures, which
ire illustrated, show the necessity of
he work, and the right and wrong
ways to go about it.
Drain and ditch are my watch
words" she continued. @Oiling is
merely a makeshift which has to be
constantly repeated. The fact behind
he oiling process is that a mosquito
must come UP to the top of the water
o breathe every minute, and If the
Ill covers the surface it chokes him.