STUDY MAP. Dr. Maurice Provost outlines to biologist
R. Shepperd, left, problems to be faced in experiment.
"HOT." Mosquito larvae or* marked with a radioactive
tracer so that they might be tracked as part of study.
INCUBATOR BED. Marsh grass containing millions of mosquito ?ggs
is plocad in a special "incubator bad'' on Sartlbol Island.
? ?>? *? I
BUILDING TRAPS. Evwybody tok.s ? hond in helping to bwild traps to
tnat' mosquitoes mod* rodiooctivo (or tracing purposes.
Sonibel Island, off Florida's West Coast, has something new
in insect life this summer-atomic mosquifoes-a million and
o half of them. It's all part of an experiment staged by the
Florida State Board of Health to find out how far- and fast -a
salt-marsh mosquito will travel from the warm, slightly saline
puddle which hatched him to his final destination.
The mosquitoes are hatchcd from eggs in a specially-prepared
and carefully tended bed in a droinage ditch. During their larval
stage in the water, the mosquitoes are made radioactive by
material released especially for the experiment by the Atomic
Energy Commission ot Oak Ridge, Tenn. The material, radio
active phosphorus, is strong enough to leave an atomic trace on
the insects without hurting them.
?After the radioactive mosquitoes reach maturity and fly away,
?s many as possible are caught. They're readily identifiable by
the use of a Geiger counter. Devices for snaring the mosquitoes
include a number of "light traps" which have an electric bulb
to attract the night-flying insects, rotary net "scoop" traps and
box traps "baited" with live goats.
We are confident the experiment will add considerably to our
knowledge of the mosquito's travel habits, life-span and other
significant information to improve our mosquito control program "
says Dr. Maurice Provost, biologist with the Florida State Board
of Health Division of Entomology, ond director of the experiment.
Up to now the test has shown that mosquitoes can travel up to
at least 25 miles from the point of birth in search of food and
for mating purposes, he added.
Sanibel Island's "hot" mosquito experiment is pictured here.
DETECTION. Dr. Prove tt U?I Goigor count*# to spot "hot" mo$
quitoo at division director John Mulronnon look* on.
TRAP. Dr. Mauri c* Provost, director of th* "atomic" mosquito ex- :
periment, finds a mosquito "light" trap i* working satisfactorily^ \
REMOVE THREAT. Mosquito larvae-eating minnows, (re seined out
of incubation bed before start of experiment.
i dangerI
KEEP OUT,!
IRADIA
? __J rn
WARNING. A ditch where rodiooctive mo s quito?? ore being bred it.
worked "danger" to keep curious folks owoy.
n?? WhI.'. PlCTURS SHOW? AP N.w?f.o.ur?