The Wilmington morning star., 1945-08-20
Proves
DDTNot Wonder Killer
By DIR. ZENO p. METCALF
N. G.. STATE COLLEGE


N. C. STATE COLLEGE
The recent announce cement by the
WPB that small amounts of DOT
would be released for use by CT
villains, leads the Department OF
Entomology of State ollege to IS
sue the following statement based
on experiments by entomologlsts IN
the Experiment Station, on observa
tons by members of the staff, and
the experiences of other entonolo-
gists.
First of all DOT is not a woner
insecticide that will kill all lnJur-
ious insects Many insects seem 10
be highly resistant to DDT. Inc
earlier use of DOT against body
lice and it's almost complete con-
troll of these pests not only in the
army but also for the civilian pop
ulation in certain occupied coln-
tries has led the public to believe
that at last the perfect insectlclde
has been developed. This is not rue
and any hopes based on this as
sumption are bound to prove dlsap-
pointing.
In the second place. if we had
an insecticide that would kill all
the insectsx in the world, no real
scientist would sanction its use. The
damage caused by insects is so
apparent to every gardener, farm
er, orchardist and livestock raiser.
and the public has been educated
to appreciate the necessity OF IN
sect control, that most people are
totally unaware of the beneficial
insects.
Insects are so important to man
in so many different ways that
to destroy all insects would be to
invite disaster to mankind. Ento-
mologists know about the insect
friends of man that help to keep
insect pests in control but the gen
eral public seems to miss the fact
that without the aid of these friends
it is doubtful whether man With
all his abilities and insecticides
could keep injurious insects in con-
troll.
The work of insects as pollina-
tors of plants is done so quietly
and effectively that it largely pas
ses unnoticed; but little reflection
on what the world would be like
without the fruits, seeds and vege-
tables which are pollinated by ir-
sects should clear up all doubt in
any ones mind on this score. Last
ly the importance of insects in the
general scheme of things as food
for birds and fishes should not be
overlooked
Mans insistence upon upset.
ing this balance in nature is large
ly responsible for his troubles with
destructive insects. When all these
facts are taken into consideration
it is no Wondef that entomofogists
are disturbed about the general
and indiscrininate use of DOT
which may not kill all obstructive
insects. but might very well kill
a sufficient number of the benefi.
cial insects to upset the balance
of nature.
DOT is recommended, with GER
tain reservations. for the general
control of household insects, such
as flies, mosquitoes, fleas. and bed
bugs. It is recommended for the
control of house flies and stable
flies in milk house, and dairy
barns.
Here certain precautions must
be observed. Care must be taken
not to get this material into foods
or on the cooking utensils. Per-
sons handling DOT as a spray or
dust should wear a respirator of
approved design to avoid breathing
large amounts of the dust or spray.
Rubber gloves should be worn to
avoid getting large amounts of the
material on the hands. DOT should
not be busted or sprayed on ami
mails.
DOT is not recommended for
general spraying or busting of
crops. While it seems to be very
effective against certain crop in
sects, there are other effective
methods for the control of most
crop insects. In addition, we have
not conducted enough experiments
to be sure of the total effect of
the general use of this material
The public should be especially
warned about general and indis-
criminate airplane busting aimed
at the complete destruction of all
insects. Such practices. m 6 h
cause irresparable damage.