MOSQUITO MENACE.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXIX, Issue 21114, 23 February 1932, Page 6

MOSQUITO MENACE.

WAR ON BREEDING AREAS,

SUCCESSFUL METHODS USED.

NEED FOR VIGOROUS CAMPAIGN.

A southern visitor who attended the Press Conference stated that among his most vivid impressions of Auckland was an intimate association with the industry and voracity of the local mosquitoes. He said that although the impressions were somewhat deep, they were not lasting ones. Mosquitoes, or culicidae, are insects for which humanity has little use and their control is a community problem requiring the co-operation of every householder and landowner. In New Zealand the adult mosquitoes become troublesome between October and April, but variation occurs according to whether the climate is colder or warmer. In warm weather they appear in large numbers, particularly when the atmosphere is humid. The breeding grounds most favoured are slow-flowing streams, bogs and swamps, also artificial locations, such as choked roof-gutters and water contained in old tins and bottles. In large rivers or in expansive sheets oi water mosquitoes as a rule cannot breed, since they are exposed to the attack of many natural enemies.

From the number of general complaints about mosquitoes in Auckland it has been discovered that there are specific areas where very little trouble has been experienced. This is due to the fact that the conditions encouraging breeding have been removed. In certain areas of Mount Eden and Mount Albert investigations have proved this to be so, mainly owing to the energy of the borough councils, which have carried on campaigns resulting in the removal of the pests.

Creeks into which sewage overflow is discharged are well-known as breeding places and millions of larvae may be seen, especially in stagnant waters. The Auckland Drainage Board undertakes to clean out the creeks periodically, but irregularities of the Surface of the ground leave pools from which thousands of mosquitoes emanate. It is intended to have these places filled in, and already one of the worst areas in Archhill is being dealt with. In some of the other gullies, such as Grafton and the Domain, the undergrowth is troublesome in clearing the creeks, and the pests find sanctuary in the slow-moving waters. The results of mosquito bites may, in certain instances, be rather severe, and irritation and swelling of the parts affected are not uncommon. In severer cases sepsis may follow bites. Fatigue is the common complaini of many people in Auckland who lose hours of sleep owing to the fact that the bites set up a constant irritation, preventing the sufferer from securing any rest. A final report by the Auckland Mosquito Research Committee on the investigations carried out by Mr. D. H. Graham from 1927-1929 will shortly be completed. Mr. Graham has carried out extensive studies of the mosquitoes in the Auckland district.