The Montgomery advertiser., 1903-08-08
CITY PLAGUED BY ANTS
EVEN HOUSES DESTROYED BY
 THEM IN NEW ORLEANS.
Food Destroyed and Life Generally Made Uncomfortable by Black .Ants-others Driven Outline Pest Attributed to New
 Drainage System.

New York Sun.
 New. Orleans, Aug. 1.-The mosquito question, which recently came to the front here has given place to another insect problem, of greater importance-the ant question.
 There have always been ants in New Orleans and housekeepers have been kept busy fighting them for generations, but in the last few years the pest has grown so much worse as to become serious mat ter, not to householders alone, but also to grocers, refners and dealers in all kinds of food products. This year, and particular ly during the last two months. the ants have become 50 troublesome as to make even the mosquito seem innocent by com parison.
 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, necesaitating expensive re- pairs. Then, what is to some persons a still greater evil, is that they pursue you to your bed and you awake with creepy sensation 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 ia an ant problem here by the advertise ments of ant destroyers in the shop win dowS. If he takes 6 house, he will lind his bell as often rung by the ant man as the vegetable or fruit man for there is a house-to-house canvass of peddIers selling ant poisons.
 People who have studied the subject are generally of the opinion that the drainage of New Orleans Is responsible for the increase of the ant With a damp soil, with water found two metres under the surface, the ants were unable of old to construct their subterranean nests and tunnels. With the water drained of. the sandy soil of New Or leans 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 Orleans Is sit- uated. Southern Louisiana boasts of eight more varieties of mosquitoes than any other State in the Union, and boasted formerly of a greater variety of ants.
 Fifteen or twenty years ago. 1t was ire Quently afflicted with visitations of sand heas, 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 extent, disappeared. They are seldom seen on the wharves and are minor and decreas- ing nuisance in the household. Nor is the roach the only disappearing insect. Sand fieas are no more and have not been heard of for years.
 The so-alled flying ants are scarceY than formerly; so are most of the ant tribe, including the ''cow-kilIer" ant, for which the negro had such respect and fear. Leaving flying bugs out of consid- eration. nearly all other insects have dis appeared or are disappearing, and the little black or sugar ant Is master of the situation. There are a 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 in- sects, carries off their eggs and young and Is thus exterminating them So far, he has been a public blessing, but unfor- tunately, 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 nuisance, there can be no question. The explanation of the oldest inhabltant, that this Is due to the drainage of the city is also, strange to say, correct.
 The climate of the city and other con ditions here are favorable to the ant; but formerly when the soil was super saturated owing to a lack of drainage, and ] the ants could not build nest1 under