The daily Gate City and constitution-Democrat. (Keokuk, Iowa) 1916-1922, 1920-06-18
lime of Year Has Come When Little
Pests Make Their Annual APP
pearance-River Towns Fa-
vorite Homes for Them,
DOCTOR GIVES HISTORY
Fort Madison Man Tells About Their
Haunts and of Effective Means
of Getting Rid of MUS
ance.

Summer has come and the "skee-
tiers will get you if you don't watch
ont This is what the city health
musician of Fort Madison has told
the people Of his city, but Keokukians
are not immune from the bites OF
the little pest
.sBeware of the mosquitoes bite,
saws DR.. George P. Neal, city health
officer of Fort Madison. The season
os the wear has arrived when 1t IS
time for the mosquito to make IT'S
annual appearance, and inasmuch as
Fort Madison is a river town, when
reason makes this a much more at
tractiye place for the disease carry
ing insects to breed, officers of the
city board of health are anxious that
all stagnant alley pools, and in fact
all places in the city Where the
MOSQUITO is given opportunity TO
breed, be done away with lmmedf
ately.
about this time of the year mos
ouitoes begin breeding in swamps,
sheltered pools, standing water Id Ola
tin cans, barrels and boxes or other
suitable places The eggs are usual
" laid on the surface of the water,
and, after about week, hatcn out
into wiggletails, which swim around
in the water.
.Tn the south this mosquito breed
ing Is now we'll under way; In the
north it is just beginning
III you have never studied how
mosquitoes breed, just hunt around
until you find some standing water
in which there are wiggletails. You
hny ma n
at the surface Of the water, appar-
emily suspended by tiny tail. They
remind one of submarine using a
periscope. This 'periscope,' how
ever. is really breathing tube, for
the wiggIetails are compelled to come
to the surface to breathe.
scientists have discovered that
these breeding mosquitoes can be
drowned, Or choked to death, by COW
ering the surface of the water with
a thin film of kerosene or fuel Oil
and toiIing' is therefore one OF the
important methods Of fighting the
mosquito nuisance.
when the wiggletails are not mo-
Tested, they change, after few days,
into 'tumblers, curious looking ami
mails with a large head surmounted
by one or more horns. These horns
are the breathing tubes of the tum-
blers. The tumblers continue to live
in the water very much like the
wiggletails, swimming about and
coming up TO the surface for air.
After a few days more the tunbler
comes to the surface, splits open, and
out comes the living mosquito with
which you are familiar.
"Since mosquito breeding goes on
only in water, an effective way to
fight mosquitoes is to get rid OF
standing water by filling, draining or
ditching. or by covering such water
with film Of oil.
IN dealing with the pesky house
mosquito, the one with that tantaliz-
ing song, it is we'll TO look around in
the back yard for old tin cans, bot
ties, barrels, boxes and other trash
in which rainwater has collected, for
these are favorite breeding places Of
this variety In cities an INSTRUCTED
roof gutter is often to blame for
mosquito breeding.
THE United States public health
service has published an instructive
bulletin on mosquitoes. You can OBJ
tain a copy free of charge by writing
10 the information editor, United
States public health service, Wash
ington, D. c., asking for supplement
No. IS.
Three Kinds.
There are three kinds of mosQui-
toes that make most Of the skeeter
trouble for man. The only really
dangerous skeeter lin the United
States is Anopheles. This is the
malarial mosquito, carrying malarial
germs, and is the only cause for ma
larial fevers, especially deadly in low
countries, along rivers and the sea
board.
This mosquito (only the female
bitesD acquires maIariaI germs by
biting a person having malarial para
sites in the blood. These parasites
are thus conveyed to another person
by biting that person.
hedes Numerous.
"The Aedes mosquito is the most
numerous in the United States. espe-
cially in the south. It is a day work
er. while the Anophelcs seldom comes
hear person by day. The Aedes,
though. doesn't go to sleep early, and
will bite as long as there's anything
10 bite around. This is the yellow
e. N q ELS -