The Waterbury Democrat., 1932-06-10
YOUR CHILDREN
WAR ON INSECT
By Olive Roberts Rsrton

DECLARE WAR ON INSECT ENEMIES was fin congress one day when a representative from the west in- troduced a bill about grashoppers. They are destroying crops every where and the governments aid is needed to exterminate them.
 There are other insects that are enemies of mankind in a different way, that spread disease among people--namely, the innocent fly and mosquito.
 The government has done won- ders in the tropics in keeping down mosquitoes, carriers of dead 1y, I do not know. All insects are strange things. Some of the obscure and most fatal of diseases whose cause has never been dis covered may some day be traced to mosquitoes.
 Since last summer look doubt fully at the picture of safety we have drawn. A member of our family was i'll to the point of death for months with 8 tropical fever that had undoubtedly been trans mitted by the bite or sting of an insect. And he had not been any where near the tropics. He had been, however, to a camp.
 Files Are Pcrilous
 We know that fiies-br suppose 'so-do not have this power, but we also know that a fly crawling over filth or coming out of sick room, can carry infection on its feet. If we were to examine each fly with microscope we should find almost everything there, I am ause. It would not be a pretty picture.
 The baby gets sick and we can- not imagine how 1t happened, we are 50 careful of his bottles and nipples and milk. Each thing boil- ed and covered and kept in clean cold refrigerator.
 No one ever thinks of the one window that lost it's screen. or the other one with big hole In it. No one bothers with q swatter when the kitchen door, opened, and closed every few minutes, lets n new batch of intruders. A few flies more or less, a mosquito or two, what do they matter? Just little bugs that doesn't bother any body, except that the mosquitoes make the children scratch. In some places mosquitoes are as common as flies.
 Fight for Safety
 The natives say you get inn mune' to them by and by, and laugh if you are fussy. After last summer I have had time to think that over.
 There is only one way to be safe and that is to war on any or all insects that are around. This IS the time of year to do it. A ny killed now means something like a million less by August. Mosqui- toes the same.
 Don't leave poisoned paper about where children can get it, but take any and every means or overcoming these pests In your home and neighborhood. Little ponds or pools that breed mosqui- toes should be covered with thin layer of oil. It kills the eggs for the eggs hatch on water.
 Wrap every bit of garbage in paper if your lifting company does not object (and they shouldn't befOre IL goes lnto the caH' put a newspaper over the top De- fore the lid goes on. That makes 1t fit tighter. Don't allow any garbage or crumbs or sugar or fruit to lie in the kitchen. They invariably draw flies.
 If you have no screens, netting tackled on the windows does very well. Baby carriages should pc covered with {, mosquito netting when outdoors. ,.
 Pacificism Is misplaced when 1t comes to life destroying insects of any kind. Let us all join in big campaign.