Smyrna times., 1936-05-28
EXTERMINATE
THE MOSQUITO
Good Work Done by Direction
of w. S. COrkran and
CCC Camps
RESULTS ARE ATTAINED

doleful prediction of DR.. Alfred
Weed, prominent entomologist,
speaking before the American In
stitute of Sanitation, that the COM
ing summer may give the eastern
United States the mos severe inva-
sion of mosquitoes in thirty years,
it was stated today by the execu-
tive head of the mosquito control
organization, w. S. Corkran. DR..
Weed based his prediction on the
statement that large amounts of
surface water have made breeding
conditions unusually favorable. 1t
is exactly this condition that the
Delaware Mosquito Control Com
mission, utilizing the labor of four
CCC camps, has been rapidly re-
ducing to a minimum since the be-
ginning of the program, October 2,
1888. The majority of Delaware
mosquitoes come from the broad
salt marshes edging the Delaware
Bay and the Atlantic Ocean, and
the major attention of the CCC
laborers has been devoted to scien-
tifically installing bitches in these
lowlands, that tides may ebb and
flow therein, and mosquito-breed-
ing surface water be prevented
from accumulating on the marsh
es. To date, 81a million feet, OF
over 1900 miles of bitches of var
ious widths have been installed to
practically eliminate breeding
from 45,3OO acres of marshland
The installation of this amount OF
bitches in such a short time, en-
ploying solely CCC labor, and util-
izlng no machinery, was looked
upon at the recent Mosquito Elk.
termination Conference at Atlantic
City as an outstanding record. II
each of the two past summer;
since starting extensive contro
work in Delaware, mosquitoes have
been appreciably reduced; despite
unusually rainy weather during
the spring and summer of 1885
the daily MOSQUITO census" BY
electric traps showed practica
elimination of the pests. The traps
located at strategic positions thru
out the state, nightly attractet
and drew their death in cyanid
chambers an average cross section
of the mosquito population of tn
area. Each nights catch was clas
sifed and counted by the Entomol
ogist of the University of Della
ware Agriculture Department
thereby ascertaining, by identify
ing the species, where the majo
breeding occurred, for the breeding
habits of each specie are known.
Enjoyment to Homes and Camps
Many home owners reported tha
since the control program had be
come effective they found them
selves able to get new enjoymen
out of their lawns. flower garden.
, and summer houses, and were abl
to spend time out-of-doors withou
being molested by single me
: squito; one house owner even stat
ed that she had not bothered to re
, place porch screens which ha
been damaged by the previou
, winter storms, and had suffered n
: discomforts as a result Mosquito
: less military maneuvers were e,
: perienced last summer for the FIR:
! time byDelaware National Guard.
men at their encampment at Beti
: any Beach, which is surrounded b
: broad salt marshes. According
} Colonel George ]. Schultz, Cam
] Commander, they saw only one {
= two of the pests during their tw
E weeks stay. 1t has been the polio
: of the mosquito control workers
2 install bitches in lowlying areas s
Y that the tides may ebb and flo
: therein, thusly preventing stas
nant water, drawing off surfac'
!, accumulated water, and allowin
r the fish to swim into the ditchs
Y and devour the larvoe. Only
! the rarest instances have they r.
Y sorted to spraying. While IL
major purpose of the mosqui'
: control campaign has been to il
: crease the comfort of the citizer
: and summer visitors of Delawar
: there have been numerous 9th,
f beneficial, and not wholly antie
pated, results. Dairymen in IL
Broadkill River section, near Lev
es, attributed a considerable il
crease in milk production direct
8 to the fact that their cows WEI
g able to Craze contentedly in Il
|, meadows, ,unmolested by mosquit
e les, whereas before the control pr
o gram the animals used TO NAL
d the nights and days hideous wit
r their panied lowing and the
!, frenzied rubbing against the bal
f and pasture gates to try to r
e themselves of the pests. Tomai
: growers credited 20 per cent il
y crease in tomato yield to the ia
k that pickers were no longer drive
y from the field by the pests Will
e iunjicked, ripe tomatoes passt