50 years ago, U.S. fell short on mosquito eradication
Excerpt from the May 20, 1967, issue of Science News
WAR ON BUGS Attempts 50 years ago to conquer disease-carrying Aedes aegypti mosquitoes (larvae shown) in the United States failed, largely due to dwindling resources and America’s resistance to pesticides in a post–Silent Spring world. Today, researchers are devising new battle plans to attack the pests from the inside out.
Dr. Pratt/CDC
Mosquitoes on the way out
By 1973, just nine years after the start of an antimosquito campaign, the Aedes aegypti will be eradicated from the United States.