The adult is too common an insect to need description.
Its habits, however, are unknown to many, while its larval
and pupal forms are seldom seen or recognized as such by
any but the student. The adult mosquito is a land insect,
feeding only upon liquid food which it sucks up through its
proboscis or tubular tongue. It lays its eggs, however, upon
the svirface of water, because its larva and pupa live only
in water. They require atmospheric oxygen for respiration.
This they get just at the surface of their watery home, and
take it in through a special tube called a respiratory siphon.
The long slender abdomen is so supple and the movements
so jerky that the mosquito larvae are familiarly called
'< wrigglers."
The natural food of mosquitoes is no doubt the juices of
plants, and blood only a luxury; indeed, the male often lives
his little span of life without any nourishment, and the
female does not necessarily take human or other warm blood
at any time.
Although there are upwards of thirty species recorded in
the United States, to most persons a mosquito is a mosquito,
and scientific differences have no interest.
It is supposed that the eggs are laid early in the morning
before daylight. They are fastened together in masses of
various shapes, in rows, with three to forty eggs in a row,
so that in one egg mass there may be over four hundred
eggs. The individual eggs are minute, a little broader at
the bottom than at the top, whitish in color except at the
tip, where they are a dark gray-brown.
The changes from egg to adult may be passed through in
ten days under favorable conditions, but in cold weather
or cold places this time may be greatly prolonged. The
eggs, however, often hatch in less than sixteen hours.
HOUSEHOLD PESTS 331
The larvae leave the eggs from the under side, and are thus
in the water immediately, where they live until the adult
stage.
These two facts in the life history of Calex lead us to the
most important preventive measures. Because they hatch
so quickly, and in such numbers, great precaution must be
taken to promptly abolish all favorable breeding places.
Because they live in the water and still must breathe our
atmosphere just at the surface, if we can make it impossible
for them to get this air we shall kill the larvae. If we can
prevent their breeding or kill the larvae, we shall rid our-
selves of the adult pest.
Any quiet stretch of water may invite the mother insect
to deposit her eggs. An uncovered tub of rainwater, a
forgotten pail of water left out-of-doors over night, a stag-
nant dooryard or barnyard pool, a water tank, a sink drain
emptying upon saturated ground, or the privy vault where
liquid sewage stands, — all of these and similar places, to
say nothing of swamps and brackish marshes, still ponds or
lakes, may become stocked with mosquito larvae. They
lay their eggs only on still water. Eunning water or tanks
which are kept agitated by any means are exempt from
mosquitoes.
Complete drainage and care that no available breeding
place be carelessly left about the house or in the vicinity
is of greatest importance.
Page 161
Presented as published in 1900. Historical recipes may not meet modern food-safety standards. Cook from the modern interpretation, not the original instructions.
AI-modernized reading of the original text
The adult is too common an insect to need description. Its habits, however, are unknown to many, while its larval and pupal forms are seldom seen or recognized as such by any but the student. The adult mosquito is a land insect, feeding only upon liquid food which it sucks up through its proboscis or tubular tongue. It lays its eggs, however, upon the surface of water, because its larva and pupa live only in water. They require atmospheric oxygen for respiration. This they get just at the surface of their watery home, and take it in through a special tube called a respiratory siphon. The long slender abdomen is so supple and the movements so jerky that the mosquito larvae are familiarly called '< wrigglers."
The natural food of mosquitoes is no doubt the juices of plants, and blood only a luxury; indeed, the male often lives his little span of life without any nourishment, and the female does not necessarily take human or other warm blood at any time.
Although there are upwards of thirty species recorded in the United States, to most persons a mosquito is a mosquito, and scientific differences have no interest.
It is supposed that the eggs are laid early in the morning before daylight. They are fastened together in masses of various shapes, in rows, with three to forty eggs in a row, so that in one egg mass there may be over four hundred eggs. The individual eggs are minute, a little broader at the bottom than at the top, whitish in color except at the tip, where they are a dark gray-brown.
The changes from egg to adult may be passed through in ten days under favorable conditions, but in cold weather or cold places this time may be greatly prolonged. The eggs, however, often hatch in less than sixteen hours.
The larvae leave the eggs from the under side, and are thus in the water immediately, where they live until the adult stage.
These two facts in the life history of Calex lead us to the most important preventive measures. Because they hatch so quickly, and in such numbers, great precaution must be taken to promptly abolish all favorable breeding places. Because they live in the water and still must breathe our atmosphere just at the surface, if we can make it impossible for them to get this air we shall kill the larvae. If we can prevent their breeding or kill the larvae, we shall rid ourselves of the adult pest.
Any quiet stretch of water may invite the mother insect to deposit her eggs. An uncovered tub of rainwater, a forgotten pail of water left out-of-doors over night, a stagnant dooryard or barnyard pool, a water tank, a sink drain emptying upon saturated ground, or the privy vault where liquid sewage stands, — all of these and similar places, to say nothing of swamps and brackish marshes, still ponds or lakes, may become stocked with mosquito larvae. They lay their eggs only on still water. Eunning water or tanks which are kept agitated by any means are exempt from mosquitoes.
Complete drainage and care that no available breeding place be carelessly left about the house or in the vicinity is of greatest importance.