^February, '15] 



HEADLEE: MOSQUITO CONTROL 



45 



in 1912, 1913 and 1914; in County C, 27 per cent, 15 per cent and 19 

 per cent in 1912, 1913 and 1914. As a matter of fact, the writer 

 believes that the future will be likely to see a larger percentage go to 

 the salt marsh instead of a smaller. The control of salt marsh breed- 

 ing will continue to be a \^ery important phase of mosquito work in 

 counties A, B and C until the marshes are filled or brought under 

 cultivation. 



A Better Method of Determining the Efficiency of the Work 



The writer believes that the greatest weakness of the mosquito con- 

 trol work, as he has seen it, lies in the fact that the mosquito fighting 

 organizations are inclined to depend upon citizen complaints and a 

 little scattering collection of mosquitoes on the wing to determine 

 whether the work is efficient. The work of the past summer in col- 

 lecting mosquitoes on the wing, in w^hich Counties B and C cooperated 

 so fully, clearly showed that between the absence of mosquitoes and 

 citizen complaints there exists a considerable fauna of mosquitoes and 

 that so long as this fauna does not increase beyond a certain point the 

 householder does not recognize its presence. These collections further 

 showed that regular, systematic, and frequent collections in all parts 

 of the protected territory indicate the lack of local efficiency in time 

 to prevent the mosquito fauna from reaching the danger point. It is 

 the writer's belief that frequent, systematic, and regular night col- 

 lections of mosquitoes on the wing should be made throughout the 

 heavy breeding season, and that every mosquito fighting organization 

 should make arrangements to have the specimens, which are collected, 

 worked up and the results interpreted within 24 hours of the time the 

 specimens have been taken. 



Cost of Mosquito Control 



Table Showing Distribution of Expenditures 



CouQtj' A 



County B 



County C 



Tear 



Cost of Mos. Control 



Administration 



Inspection 



Elimination 



Equipment , 



Education, Rept. & Miscellaneou: 



Salt Marsh 



Per capita 



Per sq. mile of habitable area 



1913 



13% 

 18% 

 31% 

 5% 

 ■ 1% 

 32% 

 5.07ji 

 $461 



1914 



14% 

 20% 

 32% 

 4% 

 1% 

 29% 

 5.42(f 

 $512 



1912 

 (5-6 mos.) 



12% 

 45% 

 19%, 

 9% 

 ' 1% 

 14% 

 6.37fi 

 $249 



1913 



12% 

 31% 

 21% 

 5% 

 1% 

 30% 

 11.9fi 

 $375 



14% 

 24% 

 23% 

 7% 

 1%> 

 31% 



n.zii 



$357 



1912 

 (5-6 mos.) 



9% 

 24% 

 32% 



6% 



2% 

 27% 

 W.57i 

 $117 



