The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1894-09-10

Ants That Kill Cotton-Worms.
From the New York Wor d.
Uncle Sam has new bug man. The
post recently vacated by Prof. @. V.
Riley has been taken by his former as
sistant, Prof L. o. Howard, who is one
of the best-equipped entomologists. He
enters on his task with the advantage of
long experience in the work Of the bu-
reau, which lends more valuable aid to
American farmers than is given by any
other division of the department of agri-
culture.
1t is no longer considered possible for
one man to know all about insects. There
are at least 10000, 900 species in the world,
and the study of them has expanded to
such dimensions that experts divide it up.
One chooses flies for his subject of in
vestigatiOn, another selects beetles, and
so on. Thus Prof. Howard has for asSis-
tants beetle man, an ant man, a bee
man, hy man and other specialists.
Take the fly man for example. He
calls himself dipterologist, his speciality
being two-winged flies. This order in
cludes many enemies of mantle mos
quito, the buffalo gnat, the gadfy and the
Hessian fly, that iniure his crops. If
strange fly is sent to the department it
is referred to the fly man, who passes an
opinion on it.
The bureau of entomology receives 5000
letters every year, mostly from farmers
and fruit-growers. Nearly all of them
are accompanied by specimens of insects.
For instance, a man finds caterpillar
feeding on his cabbages. He sends the
worm with an iDprai1V tn nd
few days later he gets a reply telling
him the name of the parasite, its habits
and life history, and the best method of
destroying it.
The agricultural experiment stations
send in great many bugs. They inclose
them in little tin boxes, which keep fresh
any leaveSa0r other parts of plants that
may be included for the purpose of illus
trating an insects work. Now and then
an insect plague breaks out in one place
or another. An expert is promptly dis
patched to the afflicted locality. One
man Is now in Florida, studying the scale
insect which is doing damage there An
other is travelling through the cotton belt,
collecting all bugs that feed on the cotton
plant. Specimens are brought back alive
TO Washington and carefully studied
Some of them have to be Matched in
water For example, the buffalo gnat,
the larval form of which is aquatic This
insect kills great numbers of cattle and
mules in the south, flying in immense
swarms A new bug is made the subject
of bulletin, if important, with illustra-
tions drawn by Miss Lille Sullivan, who
is the most highly skilled chronological
artist in the country.
The beetle mans name is K. A Schwarz.
The order to which he gives attention
comprises more species than any other in
L ri oil 70
collectors are amateurs, with only such
an interest in bugs as they might have in
postage stamps. Entomology is becom-
ing steadily more popular, and people are
constantly writing to ask how to collect,
preserve and mount insects
Collectors of butterflies are most num-
erous, owing to the beauty of those in
sects. Next in point of number are col
leCtors of beetles Now and then speci-
mems of the rather scarce Hercules beetle
are sent in, with offers to sell them at
enormously high prices This species is
the largest of American beetles, attaining
length of four inches, including the
great horn. The Larvae live in decaying
timber. especially ash trees. They have
a peculiar SMELL somewhat like that of
Russia leather.
An entomologist in Florida investigated
by digging the burrows of kind of land
gopher" He found them occupied by
peculiar insect fauna entirely new to
science, including several species of
beetle hitherto unknown. There were
also wingless crickets and other bugs
with the characteristics of cave insects
that dwell in darkness. These creatures
feed on the excrement Of the turtle. An
other guest of the gopher was found to
be a sort of frog, which sits at the mouth
n TnpfnlGg'g W. a te
retreating into the burrow in case Of dan
ger.
Just at present the bureau is making
a study of the weevils which eat stored
grain and vegetables. There are about
twenty-five species. Specimens are shutup
in glass bottles with their favorite foods.
In one bottle is an ear of corn in process
of being devoured by a weevil; in another
bottle are beans, in third peas and soon
The ant man is Theodore Pergarde. He
is said to know more about ants than
any other person living. There rare seY-
eral species of ants which injure or bene-
fit mankind. In the southern states is a
very savage species, which attacks hui
man beings or animals.
This ant is in one way very beneficial.
It is found where cotton is grown Cot
ton-worms it attacks with ferocity. 1t
assails ali insects, especially caterpillars.
caterpillar to death and tear it to pieces
or carry it off bodily. They will 20 for
ants of other species ten times as big as
themselves and will conquer them by
force of numbers. InCalifornia this ANTI
has got into the houses and is making
itself a nuisance. IL is a plague in the
West Indies, infesting dwellings and car
rying everything eatable away
The driver" ants occur in Texas, but
do not make themselves conspicuous
there. In Mexico they drive people out
of their houses. They travel in armies.
eating up every living thing In few
days they VIII clear a house entirely of
rats, mice, spiders, reaches, etc
An ant that is useful to native Mex
leans makes honey and stores it in the
ground. The Indians dig for it. A small
ant that is very destructive in Texas and
Florida is the well-known leaf-cutting or
umbrella" ant. II cuts of the leaves of
the coffee and orange trees in a single
night. Regiments Of them cut off the
leaves while other regiments on the
ground pick them up and carry them
away.
one of the most injurious species of
ants is the tiny red ants. sometimes
called the Pharaoh" ant because IL was
originally brought from Egypt To get
rid Of colony that has once become es-
tablished is almost impossible Never
theless, red ants are useful in at least one
way; they devour bedbugs.
n Or. Frank Benton is the bee mans
name. A part of his business is TO an
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