Scientist’s Check On Insects In Plane

Press, Volume CI, Issue 29910, 25 August 1962, Page 17

Scientist’s Check On Insects In Plane

AUCKLAND. August 23. Scientists are not tied to their laboratories. In an Auckland hotel room tomorrow morning an American entomologist will run a hot tap on two wire-mesh cages of insects. He will •..ten sit down and classify the sex of 400 dead mosquitoes. The scientist. Dr W N Sullivan, arrived in Auck- '. .-.d today from Fiji, bringing his mosquitoes with him He is making an a round-•he-world trip testing insectic.des and spraying methods used on international aircraft fl ghts for the World Health Organisation The mosquitoes Dr. Sulkvan brought to Auckland were b.cd in Fiji and given tj him just before he boarded an aircraft from Auckland today ) Two of the 12 cages were sealed in a plastic bag and the remainder stowed in vari-

ih'ew Z eala "a Press Association)

ous parts of the passenger cabin, under seats, in the luggage rack a<nd in the galley.

As soon as the cabin door was closed and before the aircraft became airborne, the hostess sprayed the cabin with a standard insecticide chemical.

At Dr Sullivans bidding/ she then asked passengers if they objected to the spraying' ar.d noted their comments At Whenuapai later, no further spraying was carried out Dr Sullivan was met by Dr. . D P Kennedy, of the Health Department, and together they retr.eved the cages. The mosquitoes were alive, but barely kicking They were alive still whenl Dr Sullivan checked into his hotel this afternoon, but the scientist was cheerfully con-' fident that they would be dead by tomorrow morning The “knock-down" strength cf the insecticide spray had; been most effective

The mosquitoes in the plastic-protected cages buzzed angrily—proof that insects | can be transported by air-1 craft for long distances at i high altitudes and remain. alive in pressurised and air- ; conditioned cabins.

These will be dispatched tomorrow morning in Dr Sullivan’s wash basin. Dr Sullivan will test three more consignments of mosquitoes flown from Fiji before leaving for Singapore and New Delhi where he will write his report for WHO.

The outcome will probably be an international regulation laying down standard procedure for fumigating aircraft effectively and with a minimum of inconvenience to passengers