Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1884-08-15
Ants as Insect Destroyers.
From the New York Sun

Ants as Insect DeStr0yerS
From the New York Sun
Farmers or gardeners, in their con
tests with insects, have not as yet
called to their aid, as they should
other insects and birds the natural
enemies of insect hordes. Too gen
orally all insects are looked upon as
enemies, although it is we'll knowl
that many kind of insects are very
beneficial in protecting fruits and
grains from the ravages of other in
sects. The ants, although generally
regarded as an unmitigated nuisance,
have been found, by careful observa
ton. to be useful in several ways.
The canker worms, which are a most
destructive pest to orchards III some
sections, are sometimes destroyed IN
large numbers by them. The editor
of the Boston Journal of Chemistry,
in the number of August 1, 1882,
in regard to what he himself observed,
saws: cit IS new to US that ants
are great destroyers of canker worms,
and probably other worms or insects
of the smaller varieties. We watched
with great interest the work of large
colony Of black ants which attacked
the canker worms on an elm tree in
our grounds a few weeks ago, and
were delighted with the nature and
results of their labors Two process
sions of the ants were moving on the
trunk of the tree, one going up empty,
the other coming down, each bring
ing with him canker worm, which
he held fast in his mandibles, grasp
ing the worm firmly in the centre of
the body. Although the prey was
nearly the size of the destroyer, the
plucky little ant ran down the tree in
a lively way, depositing its booty IN
its nest in the ground and instantly
returned for further slaughter. There
were at one time as many as
forty coming down the tree.
each bringing along his victim
and doing the work with appar-
ent ease. Extending our observa-
tins we noticed that the ants ran up
the trunk and out on the limbs, and
from thence on to the leaves of the
tree, where the filthy worm was at
work, and, seizing HIM with a strong
grip at about the center of the body,
turned about with the squirming
worm and retraced his steps The
worm was dead by the time the ant
reached the ground. If this
move Of the ant is COM
mon they must prove valuable
friends to farmers and fruit raisers,
and should be protected in every way
possible. We do not believe that the
! birds that prey upon worms will do
the work in week in our orchards
which these ants were doing in an
| hour"
Some of our fruit growers regard
the ants as nuisance in the orchard,
and take pains to destroy the ant
hills wherever found. Orchardists
in Italy and Germany, however, re-
gard the ants as very beneficial, and
spondent CT the Philadelphia Satur-
day Evening Post of November 20,
1880, says: Many of the leading
orchard proprietors in northern Italy
and southern Germany are cultivators
of the common black ant, which in
sect they hold in high esteem as the
fruit growers best friend They es-
tablish ant hills in their orchards,
and leave the police service of their
fruit trees entirely to their tiny col
onists. which pass all their time in
climbing up the stems of the fruit
trees, cleansing the boughs and leaves
of malefactors, matured as we'll as
embryotic, and descending laden with
spells to the ground, where they com
| fortably consume or prudently store
away their booty. They never meddlc
with sound fruit, but only invade
such apples, peais and plums as have
already been penetrated by the can
ker, which they enorselessly pursue
To its fastness within the very heart of
the fruit. Nowhere are apple and
pear trees so free from blight aud de-
structive insects as in the immediate
neighborhood of large ant hill five
or SIX years DID,"
/ Ants have been used in China for
many years to protect orange trees
and other fruit trees from the depre-
dations of insects. DR.. G. T. Macgow-
an, in a communication to Prof. G..
Y. Riley, gives a curious account of
the us9 of ants in the
vicinity of Hong Kong. In many
parts of the province of Canton the
orange trees are injured by certain
worms, and to rid themselves of these
pests, the inhabitants import ants
from the neighooring hills. Two
species of ants-the red and yellow,
which build their nests suspended
from the branches of tree-are col
lected and sold to the owners of the
orange trees. The trees are colonized
by placing the ants oa their upper
branches; bamboo rods are stretched
between the different trees, so as to
give the ants easy access to the whole
orchard This remedy, it is said, has
been in constant use since 1640, and
probably from a much earlier period.
III view OF the facts adduced, ii
would seen that ants are worthy OF
considerable attention at the hands OF
fruit growers. II seems probable that
they may be made valuable servants
in aiding the orchardlst in protecting G
his trees and fruit from several very
Injurious insects. Those owning
orchards in districts ravaged by the
canker worms certainly should try
the ant IS an aid in protecting their
trees against that troublesome pest.
Possibly the ants could be made OF
service in protecting the apple crop
from the larvae of the codling moth.
The larva are hatched at the
blow end soon after the setting of
the fruit. and the young worm
could easily be destroyed at that time
before they enter the fruit Shower
ing the trees with saccharine solutions
as was practiced by Florida orange
grower. would attract the ants to the
trees, and. if they were disposed to de
stroy the Larvae, might secure the pro
lection of the trees. Experiments in
this direction are worthy of a trial.
More attention shoald be pad by every
farmer to the study and habit of In
sects. in order to learn what use may
be made of those which are useful.
and how best to destroy the injurious
ones
a Wisconsin Man Drowned
PORTLAND, Ore. Aug. 12--Adyices
from Kootenay, British Columbia, say
Judson Bartlett and James Bracken
were drowned on the 1st inst. In the
ran;dS IF the Ko0fegay river uhiI-