vi PREFACE 



men in charge of the work. They must know what methods are 

 best adapted to the particular problem they have in hand, or, in 

 other words, what is the cheapest way of accomplishing the 

 desired result. In anti-mosquito work, as in other branches of 

 engineering, the goal should be to get the best results for the 

 money available. If the cost of eradicating mosquitoes is to 

 amount to as much as the toll of the mosquito-borne diseases, 

 but little is gained. 



Although the importance of this matter is self-evident, there 

 seems to be an amazing paucity of books on mosquito control. 

 When the writer started in at anti-mosquito work, about the 

 only material he could find on the subject was stray references 

 to it in medical works, various pamphlets published by Federal 

 and State health and agricultural organizations and LePrince 

 and Orenstein's valuable volume. "Mosquito Control in 

 Panama," which, however, deals with work under somewhat 

 exceptional conditions. 



So far as the writer knows, this situation still obtains. Asked 

 repeatedly for the name of some text-book on mosquito control, 

 he has been unable to mention any one book, with the exception 

 of LePrince and Orenstein's, that deals adequately with the 

 subject. It is with a view to supply this deficiency that he has 

 prepared the present volume. 



A conscientious effort has been made to outline the best prac- 

 tice, both in the United States and abroad. It has been the 

 special aim of the writer to be concise, so as to avoid making the 

 volume too bulky, but to omit nothing of value. 



The writer takes pleasure in acknowledging here the kindness 

 of Dr. Harrison G. Dyar, Director of the U. S. National 

 Museum, in revising part of the chapter on mosquitoes; of 

 S. F. Hildebrand, Ichthyologist, in revising the chapter on fish 

 control; and of W. A. Hardenbergh, Sanitary Engineer, in 

 making many valuable suggestions regarding the book. Credit 

 is given writers, from whose works extracts have been used, 

 throughout the volume. 



W. E. Hardenburg. 

 San Diego, Calif., 

 June, 1922. 



