Losses Due to Mosquitoes and Biting Midges 
Mosquitoes are an important problem to the farmer, his family, 
and employees in many parts of the United States, but especially 
in the irrigated areas of the Western States. The large farm 
populations in the older irrigated areas in Oregon, Idaho, Utah, 
Montana, Nevada, Arizona, Colorade, and several midwestern and 
eastern States suffer from mosquitoes. 
Mosquitoes and related biting midges cost the farmer money. 
His employees are much less efficient during the mosquito season 
because of the annoyance of these pests. Some employees even 
leave the farm because of these biting insects. Moreover, the 
farmer and his family are prevented from enjoying their yard and 
outdoor living during the mosquito season. 
The problem is increasing because of the extensive change from 
crop production to irrigated pastures in the last few years. The 
acreage under irrigation in the United States increased h3.h per- 
cent from 1939 to 1919, 1/ end substantial parts of the newly 
irrigated areas are in pastures. Such pastures are ideal breeding 
areas for several species of mosquitoes. California has 235,000 
planted acres in irrigated pasture in 1940 and more than 730,000 
acres in 1952, Approximately 3,000,000 acres of cropland in 
this State produce mosquitoes. Over 1,000,000 new acres are 
being placed under irrigation in. the State of Washington by the 
use of water from behind the Grand Coulee Dan. 
There has also been a great increase in pasture acreage in the 
South. Georgia had 900,000 acres in grassland crops in 1925 
and 6,990,900 acres in 1952, Goals set up by county agricultural 
mobilization committees provided for the improvement of 
169,000,000 acres of grassland crops in various ways, including 
1/ Agricultural Census 1950. Vol. 3, Irrigation of Agricul- 
tural Lands, p. 35, Table 2. 
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