“By the time Little Citizens were running about these woods, playing, or digging by the creek, or making mud-pies from the soft mud in the little pools, thousands and thousands of nasty mosquitoes were flying and humming everywhere, while hundreds of thousands were being hatched from the wrigglers that had been the outcome of eggs laid by every mosquito in the place.
“Finally the Little Citizens had such itching red spots on their bodies, and so many of the younger children had to keep away from the fascinating little brook because of the pesky, stinging insects, that Uncle Ben said something must be done at once to rid Happy Hills of this menace.
“But what can we do to so many? If we have to catch every wriggler or mosquito about Happy Hills, it will take ten times the number of Little Citizens here to catch and kill them—and then there will be thousands of insects left to breed new pests.
“Ah, but there is a way that will smother all the young and kill the old mosquitoes! Now listen carefully!
“We will get kerosene or crude oil, and pour a little on the surface of the water wherever we think a mosquito has laid her eggs. While we are doing it, we will oil all the still waters so no mosquito will dare to settle anywhere and lay new eggs.
“You see the oil will spread out over the surface of the water and keep the wrigglers from getting air for their bodies—this will soon smother them and they will sink to the bottom of the pool, dead! The old mosquitoes that should come to visit the pond or pools, will light upon the glassy, oiled water and instantly find it impossible to remove their hairy legs; besides, their noses will be filled with the fumes and soon choke them so that they, too, will sink down to the bottom of the stagnant pool or float dead upon the oil.
“Happy Hills will then become a comfortable place at night and a more enjoyable camp for the children at day.”
Miss Martin concluded her first story and the children showed their interest by the many questions they asked. Among other things, she was asked if there was more than one kind of mosquito, and this brought up an explanation of the difference between the malarial mosquito and the simply poisonous, stinging kind.
“The mosquito that causes malaria by its bite can be detected if you see it sting, for it always stings with head pointed downward and its tail and hind legs held straight up in the air. The common mosquito stands with its body on a horizontal line when it stings, but both kinds are poisonous and are of no use whatever. The sooner the country is cleared of such plagues the better.”
“You have done a good work, Miss Martin, by telling us how to rid the camp of mosquitoes. I ordered several barrels of unrefined petroleum oil and Jones told me this morning that they are at the freight station. He is there now with a wagon to bring them back. When he comes, we will all start in with cans and anything we can find to hold oil, to hunt mosquitoes,” remarked Uncle Ben.