An Ernest F. Lyons Column published in the Last Cracker Barrel entitled “The ‘Good Old Days’ in our Small Town” tells us:

“The salt marsh mosquitos and sandflies were a plague all summer long. Inhabitants kept mosquito switches handy (made from shredded palm fronds) to slap at ankles, wrists and face as they walked abroad.

“When the townfolk went down to meet the mail train in the evening, the passengers were amazed to see them doing a sort of St. Vitas Dance in the street alongside the tracks. It was the famous East Coast of Florida Mosquito Dance, accompanied by slaps of the palm switches.

(“St. Vitus’ dance” is an old fashion name for rheumatic chorea a disorder characterized by rapid, uncoordinated jerking movements.)

The late Val Martin of Florida Classics Libraries, obtained rights to the Lyons books and republished them.

When 90 year old Eden pioneer Reginald Waters was interviewed by Debi Witaschek in 1977, he related: “The settlers employed many different methods to ward off the pests, including buring a ‘mosquito power’ in their homes which had a fairly strong odor. It was better than the mosquitos

“The main vehicle used to thwart the bugs was a switch made from the heart of a palmetto tree frond. Waters said it was almost impossible to describe how they were made. Part of the technique involved shredding the frond until it was about the same texture as hair. The switch, one of which everyone owned, was carried everywhere and in constant use swinging back and forth to keep the mosquitos off the owner.”

Of course, I wanted to learn how to make a mosquito switch. I did learn, about thirty years ago. I made several and used them to talk about  what it was like in pioneer times before mosquito control.

Recently, I realized I was not sure I remembered how I had made mosquito switches. I tried to recall and was successful.