DEATH TO MOSQUITOES.

Te Aroha News, Volume VII, Issue 419, 19 October 1889, Page 3

DEATH TO MOSQUITOES.

Science to Find an Extebminator of the Pest. Robert JET. Lambobn, a wealthy New York gentleman, has offered $200 in prizes for ! the best three essays based on original observations and experiments on the destruction of mosquitoes and flies by other insects. Mr Lam born has placed the money in the hands of Morris K. Je3sup, President of the American Museum of Natural History in New York City, and the merits of the essays received are to be passed upon by Dr. Henry C. McCook and Dr. J.S. Newberry, President of the York Academy of Sciences. Mr Lamborn's idea is that the common dragon fly, which is known to be a voracious devourer of other insects, can be artificially hatched in large quantities and used to exterminate not alone the mosquito, but the common house- | fly and similar small pests. The idea of exterminating mosquitoes j with other insects was suggested to Mr Lamborn by the dragon -flies which he saw I gathering about his camp in Minnesota to | feed upon the mopquifcoes ; and not long ago he saw a dragon-fly that had devoured ] over thirty house - flies and still was hungry for "more. ' Professor Bairds success in producing millions of healthy fish in a few laboratory boxes and jars,' said Mr Lamborn, • the propagation of silkworms by scores of millions from eegs carried half round the •world to Italy; the success of the plan for breeding foreien bumble bees in Australasia to fertilise the red clover — these and many othet 3imilar facts seem to show that - sciencific methods have reached a stage • where it is reasonable' to hope that a plan may be devised whereby whole tribes of • noxious insects may be exterminated by the ■ artificial multiplication of their innoxious