Knoxville journal. [volume] (Knoxville, Iowa) 1874-1986, 1875-10-28
White Ants.

These remarkable insects have little in
common with the small, black nuisances
~ m same name with which we are so
familiar. though they resemble them
slightIy in their social character and
habits. Scarcely less wonderful s.::;; the
bee In their social organization, they diner
from that insect, inasmuch as the iabors OF
the Iatter are attended with no evil 10
mankind. but are, on the contrary, pro-
ducfive of an eminently agreeable ana
useful article OF food, while the white ant,
so far as nafuralists have yet discovered, Is
productive of nothing but extensive anu
unmitigated mischief.
These insects live in societies, each OF
which consists of countless number OF
| individuals, the large majority OF winch
are wingless Two individuals only
| in each society, male and female, or,
according TO some, a king and a queen,
are winged, and these alone in the entire
society are specimens Of the perfect IN,
sect. The king and queen are privileged
| individuals, surrounded with all the re-
! spect and consideration, and receiving all
| the attendance and honors, due TO sover-
/ eigns Exempted from all participation
! in the common industry OF the society,
/ they are wholly devoted to increase
anu
| guished from the inferior members Of the
society by the possession OF organs OF vss.
| ion In the form of large and prominent
eyes, their subjects being all of them
| blind.
These latter are divided into two classes,
| the workers and the soldiers. The work
| ers are by far the more numerous members
| OF the society, being abouta hundred times
greater In number than the soldiers. Their
bodies also are smaller than those of the
soldiers. the latter being again smaller
I Than those of the sovereigns. The entire
! industrial business of the society is per
! formed by the workers. They erect the
| common habitation and keep il in repair.
They forage and collect provisions for
the society. They attend upon the soyer-
eigns. and carry away the eggs of the
u,ieen az fast as she deposits them, to
! chambers which they previously prepare
for them. They keep these chambers in
/ order, and when the eggs are Matched they
| perform the part Of nurses TO the young,
/ feeding them and waiting upon them until
| they have attained sufficient growth TO
| walt upon themselves. The soldiers are
| distin guished by their long and large
heads, armed with long, pointed mandi-
| bles. Their duty, rs their title implies, is
confined TO the defense of the society and
/ of their common habitation when attacked
/ by enemies.
/ A visitor 10 the tropics unacquainted
with the architectural skill of these small
| builders must pause in wonderment before
the habitations which they erect. The
| insect itself is scarcely quarter Of an
inch in length, and yet in the space of
three or four years they manage to build
a home for themselves that is twelve feet
in height These wonderful structures
are shaped like sugar-loaf or cone, and
when first erected consist of naked clay,
! but in the fertile climate where the white
| ant lives the seeds of heritage transported
by the wind are soon deposited upon
| them and they are speedily covered with
| the same vegetation as the surrounding
soil, and when in the dry and warm
! season this vegetation is scorched they as
sumo the appearance OF vast hay cocks.
The interior of these mounds themselves
| is of most curious and complicated
structure, consisting Of a variety OF cham
| bers and corridors formed with the most
consummate art and adapted in shape and
size TO the respective purposes to which
they are assigned in the general economy
OF the colony.
The royal chamber appropriated to the
sovereigns engrosses much OF the atten-
ton and skill of their industrious subjects.
It's generally placed about the center of
the base of the mound at the level of the
surrounding ground. II has the shape
that architects call surmounted dome
and its magnitude IL proportional to that
of the king and queen to whom it is APP
propristed. Its floor Is perfectly level and
formed of clay about an inch thick. The
roof is a solid, wellturned arch, increas
ing in thickness from quarter of an inch
at the sides where 1t rests upon the floor.
The ingenuity displayed by these in
sects In making arrangements for their
own comfort Is only equaled by the in.
dustry with which they destroy the prop
erty Of others. They will bore their way
through anything that happens to lie in
their path. They penetrate with the
greatest ease into trunks and boxes. even
| though made Of mahogany, and destroy
papers of anything else that is contained
in them. In the warmer parts OF equinOc-
, tial America ii is rare To find any papers
: that are at all old, so greedily are they de-
; voured by these marauders. In one night
they will devour all the boots and shoes
that are left in their way. Cloth, linen,
or books are equally TO their taste, but
they will not eat cotton. They entirely
consumed a collection of insects made in
India. In fact, scarcely anything comes
amiss with them but metal and stones.
: Ii Is even asserted that the superb resi-
dcnce of the Governor.General of Cal.
cutta, that cost the East India Company
such immense sums, was almost under
mined by the attacks Of these insects. But
/, not content with the dominions they have
, acquired and The buildings they have laid
:; low on terra Jirma, encouraged by their
/; success, the white ants have also aimed at
the sovereignty of the ocean, and once had
. the hardihood TO attack even British
ship of the line. In spite of the efforts Of
, the commander and his vigilant crew they
. boarded her, and having got possession
handled her so roughly that when brought
into port, no longer fit for service, she
was obliged to be broken up.
/; The attacks of these little animals are
so insidious that il is impossible to be too
much on guard against them. In attack
!, ing board they will sometimes, instead
OF perforating the surface, preserve it
|. quite whole and eat away all the inside
except few fibers which hold the sur
faces together, so that although 1t may ap.
Z / unl,1 60 q =