The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1903-08-09
A CITY PLAGUED BY ANTS.
Even Houses Destroyed by Them in
New Orleans.


given place to another insect problem
of greater importance-the ant ques-
ton.
There have always been ants in New
Orleans and housekeepers have been
kept busy fighting them for genera
lions, but in the last few years the
pest has grown so much worse as 10
become a serious matter, not to mousse
holders alone, but also to grocers, re-
finers and dealers in all kinds of food
products. This year, and particularly
during the last two months, the ants
have become so troublesome as to make
even the mosquito seem innocent by
comparison.
Not food alone is destroyed by the
ants, but also the posts, balconies,
fences of houses and even the houses
themselves. The wood is perforated
and honeycombed by the ants, neces-
stating expensive repairs. Then, what
is to some persons a still greater evil,
is that they pursue you to your bed
and you awake with creepy sensa-
tion to feel a swarm of the insects
crawling over your face and neck.
The ants are ready to sting if you
attempt to brush them off.
A stranger, even before he feels the
little insect, will be made aware that
there is an ant problem here by the
advertisements of ant destroyers in the
shop windows. If ne takes a house, he
will find his bell as often rung by the
ant man as the vegetable or fruit man,
for there is a house-to house canvass
of pedlers selling ant poisOns.
People who have studied the subject
are generally of the opinion that the
drainage of New Orleans is RESPONSE
BILE for the increase of the ant. With
a damp soil, with water found two
meters under the surface, the ants were
unable of old to construct their sub
terranean nests and tunnels. With the
water drained off. the sandy soil of
New Orleans affords an ideal home for
them.
Agassiz has told of the insect wealth
of the tropics, and what IS true of that
zone around the equator is also true
of the sub-tropics, in which New Or
leans is situated. Southern Louis
lana boasts of eight more varieties of
mosquitoes than any other state IN
the Union, and boosted formerly of
greater variety of ants.
Fifteen or twenty years ago, it was
frequently afflicted with visitations of
sand fleas. such as are to be found
in Central American countries, and It
was formerly as badly afflicted with
reaches as other towns on the Gulf or
the Caribbean. These reaches were
brought here from the West Indian
ports by ships.
But the reaches have. to a large ex-
tent, disappeared. They are seldom
seen on the wharves and are a minor
and decreasing nuisance in the house
hold. Nor is the roach the only dis
appearing insect. Sand fieas are no
more and have not been heard Of for
years.
The so-called flying ants are scarcer
than formerly: so are most of the ant
tribes, including the "cow-killer" ant,
for which the negro had such respect
and fear. Leaving flying bugs out of
consideration, nearly all other insects
have disappeared or are disappearing,
and the little black or sugar ant is
master of the situation. There are
few yellow or red ants, but they are
by no means abundant.
The Oldest inhabitant insists that the
black ant has driven the other insects
out; and for once he is in accord with
| the entomologists and other scientists.
The black ant, which is a forager of
the worst type, dotes on the eggs of
| other insects. or on their pupae and
larvae. He ravages the nests of the
| reaches, and other insects. carries off
| their eggs and young, and is thus ex-
terminating them. So far, he has been
public blessing. but unfortunately, he
| does not stop at this war on insects.
| but is attacking man just now, and is
ravaging the household.
OF the increase in the number of
these ants so as to be a great nuis-
ance, there can be no question. The
explanation of the oldest inhabitant,
that this is due to the drainage of the
| city is also, strange to say, correct.
The climate of the city and other
conditions here are favorable to the
ant: but formerly when the soil was
supersaturated owing to a lack of
| drainage, and the ants could mot build
nests underground, any very great in
| crease in their numbers was impossi-
BILE.
These unfavorable conditions have
| recently been changed. The soil has
been dried out. Then. too. the grades
| of the streets and houses have been
raised two or every three feet, the filling
being done with river sand. Nothing
| could have been selected better suited
to the ant than this sand.
BY this process of filling, every lot
in New Orleans has been provided with
building material for the ants. This
| alone would account for the increase
in the ant population; but there are
other favorable conditions at work
| The immense amount of sugar at New
| Orleans encourages the sugar ant; and
| the fact that most of the houses are
| built of wood is another encourage
| ment, for next to burrowing in the
sand the black ant loves to burrow in
soft or old wood.
1t is this fact which has brought the
! insect into disfavor with the house
wife. 1t is a borer or destroyer OF
wood, not so bad as the South Amer
| lean white ant which it is said will
carry away an entire house in a day
but still a nuisance, destroying fences
posts and the galleries or porches
| most Louisiana houses boast of. The
amount of damage done in this way
has been considerable and repairs have
| become a serious item of expenditure
to the householder. A gentleman in
Carrollton, in the upper part of New
Orleans, was compelled to abandon his
| house altogether some time ago. The
ants had bored into and eaten the
wood until mere shell was left. II
! is becoming every day more necessary
to prepare the wood against these ant
ravages. A favorite treatment is a
bath of creosote, the chemical driving
out the sap and taking it's place and
serving as a protection both against
insects and rot from damp. There are
several of these creosoting works in
or around New Orleans.
Tar, pitch and other insect-proof ma.
terials are also being used in the lay
ing. of floors and roofs with good eff
feet in keeping off the ants. Bricl
houses are reasonably safe from tn,
ants, but they occasionally do harm t.
brick walls by cutting away the plaster
in their efforts 10 hOre holes