Milford chronicle., 1932-03-04
STATE WIDE FIGHT
GETS STARTED
ON MOSQUITOES
[COatinned from FirIt PG0el

[CoafiHged from FirH Pa0el
plane as an aid in inspection and
survey work in mosquito control, as
applied to New Jersey conditions.
The Department of Entomology at
Newark, Del, through DR., L. A.
Stearns, is taking an active interest
in obtaining the basic information
about the density of mosquitoes and
kinds of mosquitoes in this State.
In Delaware, the department of
\ entomology of the University has ar
ranged for the full time services of
one many to engage in this prob
lem from April l to October l of
this year He will make an inten-
sive study of the breeding areas of
this State during that period.
Also, the same department has ar
ranged to purchase twelve mechani-
cal mosquitoes will be catalogued
and developed by the New Jersey
Agricultural Experimental Station
and have been used extensively i'll
that State. The device consists es-
sentially of a horizontal s inches
pipe about 2 feet long made of thin
metal, which is mounted on a verti-
cal post about 31s feet high. Inside
of the horizontal tube is a small mo-
tor with an inverted fan which will
create a suction into the tube. At
the front of the tube will be a small
electric bulb to attract the mos
QuitOes. The air current set up Will
suck in the mosquitoes and prOpel
them into the rear where they are
dropped through a funnel into a jar
containing cyanide. The fan and
bulb are turned on early i'll the even
ing and shut off the following morn
ing. Each day the collections taken
will be transferred to small cartons,
marked and then collected period
ically at ten-day intervals to be sent
to Newark to be classified and count
cd.
In this way, the various types of
mosquitoes will be catalogued and
also the density. AS different types
of mosquitoes freed under different
conditions, it is necessary to know
this Information before any state
wide program can be adequately de-
veloped.
1t was Frank w. Miller, associate
entomologist of the New Jersey Agri-
cultural Experiment Station who
brought to the Atlantic City cOnven-
zion the paper on THE use of the
aeroplane as an aid in inspection
and survey work" He pointed out
that the airplane offers speedy,
practical and economical inspection
and survey service.
With reference to marsh lands
which are hard to traverse, particu-
larly just after heavy rains when
inspections are especially important
for mosquito elimination work, MI.
Miller pointed out that airplaneS can
provide inspection of 355 acres per
minute as compared with one acre
per minute by ground inspection.
The cost of inspection of such an
area, supplemented by the cost OF
such ground inspection as may be
needed to follow up, covering the en-
tire cost of transportation, observer
and map equipment for the airplaue
totals $41S.50 as compared with ST.
1886 for ground inspection in cost in
favor of the plane is $917.5O. MI
Miller further pointed out:
Naturally the thought arises, Air
inspection does not give information
as to the breeding conditions in the
water areas located That is cor
rect. This information can only be
had from close up observation. How
ever, experience has shown that only
on rare occasions have more than
small portion of the total areas been
in fault at one time and so, instead
of sending an unwieldly number of
inspectors over the entire territory
to the neglect of other equally i'm
portant contral tasks,-as a result
of spotting from the air, a limited
number of men can visit the known
defective districts to survey and
make recommendations for remedial
measures"
Mr.. Miller also pointed out that as
air inspection requires no severe
manual labor no parts of the marsh |
es inspected need to be neglected
either from lack of inclination due to |
time or from lack of time.