The mosquito, at best is an insect we could do without. but some. kinds
of mosquitoes arc so dangerous that they may have changed the course of
history. Certain ancient Mediterranean civilizations are believed to hove fallen
because of epidemics of mosquito carried diseases. Early ill this century. the
building of the Panama Canal was almost given up because so many workers S
died of yellow fever and malaria These are diseases transmitted by mosquitoes,
The male mosquito feeds on nectar from flowers. but the female must
eat blood for the production of her eggs. When the female mosquito bites her
victim. she pumps saliva into the bitten spot in order to make the blood flow 10
more freely into her sucking tube. If the mosquito is one of the kinds which
carries yellow fever or malaria. the germs or those diseases are carried with
the saliva into the victim's bloodstream.
Fortunately, only a few of the more than 2,000 different kinds of
mosquitoes can carry these diseases. Even the carrying kinds arc harmless 15
until they have bitten someone infected with the diseases they can transmit.
Two years of hard work and many millions of dollars were required to
clean up the mosquito-breeding spots and free construction workers from the
diseases which plagued the Panama Canal Zone. Only are these were done
could the canal be finished.