The Ohio Democrat. (Logan, O. [Ohio]) 1886-1906, 1886-07-17
ALL A6OU1 ANTS.


Some curious stories About the Inhabi-
tants of Their Nests.
Mr. John b. Smith. assistant curator
of insects at the National Museum, read
before the Biological Society at It's last
meeting an interesting paper on "Ants'
Nests and Their Inhabitants" Ants
nests. the paper said, are found every
where in the woods. in the fields. under
the stone walls of cities and in houses;
not only on the ground, but in the trees,
and not only in the trunks, but among
the leaves. They are as varied in design |
and general structure as are the locali-
ties inhabited. and while some species are
content to take advantage of simple
cavity under stone where they rear
their young, others build great hills
full of intricate galleries, extending long
distances into and under the ground
MIR. Smith said that his object was not
to speak of the nests of the ants so much
as of their inhabitants. These are, of
course, primarily the ants themselves,
and by disturbing modcrate-sized nest
of any of the larger species the observer
will become speedily convinced that
| the population is not small
one. But not ants alone are found
in these ncsts-there is very distinct
fauna that lives with, and, perhaps.
partly on the ants. and the species of
which are never. found elsewhere. In
Europe nests have been found where
the intruders or guests exceeded in num-
bers the ants themselves. The number
! IS 10. ,,L
in Europe reaches well into the hun
dreds. over hundred species having
been found in single nest, while in
America comparatively few species have
been found.
In one interesting group described by
Mr.. Smith-insects which the ants col
plant lice. he said, played an important
the ants seek the plant lice and lick the
perhaps, that they also collect and rear
some species, providing homes for
them. A yellow species of lasius, oc-
curing commonly around Washington
and around New York, well illustrates
this group. The ants make their nests
under large stones and close to the roots
|
vate galleries around q root, or series of
of Pemphigus in large numbers, not by
J no entomologist has yet succeeded in
| suitable situations around the cleaned
root, and the Pcmphigus, when hatched,
find their food supply ready at hand and
I -, rs r.,
B to the ants. The winged form of this
species leaves the nest and provides for
, n continuation of the race, and the ants
are then compelled to lay in new sup
7 ply of eggs.
would be very careful to keep out all
but there is one species that gets in and
, of q common ''lady-bird" rd"-Brachya-
stance that eXudes in long strings,
ance of being covered with cot.
+, seems to be much more palatable to the
: they unconcerncdly see the ''lady-bird'
.
Q concluding that the flavor is improved
. by passing through the latter. Some.
= times it happens that desired species
Q of aphid will not live underground, and
t this compels the ants to adopt another
!, method. They construct roads to the
l trees inhabited by the aphids. and builC
r galleries around the plant lice, effect
Q ually protecting and demonstrating
t them.
Q Another group, the third mentioned
by Mr.. Smith, contains insects that arc
o found in the ants nest in the perfec
n comprises species of many orders ant
$ OF widely divergent families. Most Of
r the species are known in the image
9 still, puzzle to entomologists, wher,
9 the immature states of these insects ar,
Q passed. A species does not, except il
o than one species of ant. Or
IS its own peculiar fauna of guests, so tina
l. it is impossible, with series of guest
o at hand, to tell exactly from what ant
IS nest they were obtained. The only ben
10 eft that is known to be derived by tn,
- anus lroul any VI tne SPecieS Is III tn'
d shape of (probably) sweet secretion
h Prominent among these are the specie
of Cremastochiluo, most of them specie
Q of immense size, as compared with tina
% of the ants with which they live. Thes'
n insects have glandiferous surface a
d the hind angle of the thorax, covered
: with thin plate, and several speci
mems have been observed where thi
plate has been gnawed off by the ants t.
r facilitate the getting at the secretion O
n the glands. These species are of larg
" size, and whole squads of ants hav
). been observed in the task of preventing
Is the escape of an individual that had ap
paNntly become tired of its quarters.
HaSIiNqtOn Star.