Chapter Seven 



The End of the Story 



What Next? 



A.ND there it is — DDT — one of the new- 

 est, and certainly one of the most important of the insect kill- 

 ers that man has developed for use against his insect enemies. 

 Is it the final weapon — the weapon that will win the war for 

 mankind? Certainly not! No one claims that it is! 

 Against many insects it is ineffective. Against many others 

 it is less effective than other insecticides already in use. But 

 against many of our obnoxious insea enemies it is the most 

 effective substance yet developed. When properly formu- 

 lated and applied, DDT will protect man against lice, his dog 

 against fleas and ticks, his cattle against flies, and his crops 

 and trees against a variety of insects that crawl and fly; it 

 will rid his home of flies and mosquitoes; and it will keep his 

 bed free from bedbugs. Yes, it will do all of these things — 

 and it will do many more. 



But, does this mean that with the advent of DDT these 

 insects are doomed to extinction? Can man look forward 

 to an insect-free world? Hardly! Insects have existed for 

 millions of years, and they have shown remarkable ability to 

 adjust themselves to new conditions. Otherwise they could 

 not have survived. The development of new poisons for the 

 control of insects is usually followed shortly thereafter by 

 the appearance of more resistant strains. And when certain 



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