The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1904-06-15
Wednesday, June Is, 1904.

There has been q great stir about a species
OF ant imported from South America 10 wage
war on the boil weevil. We don't profess TO
know anything about this particular species
OF the formicid tribe, but we know nothing
praise worthy Of any specimen OF ant, except
that his digeings are recommended to slug.
CARDS as an object Lesson. There are certain
species of this tribe that the sluggard or any
one else, should they desire 10 investigate had
better do so at a safe distance, unless they
want to be dissected. Bill Arp says, that he
could never see why the ant should have
been selected as a paragon of wisdom any
way; that of all fool insects the ant is the
biggest" AS one illustration of his folly, he
said that ar ant would pick up a load several
times heavier than himself and If he came
to a bush several thousand times higher than
himself he would 20 up one side and come
down on the other not observing that he
might have walked around.
We remember once passing through &
meadow In the Philippines where these pes
tiferous insects held complete sway. The
meadow was grown up in bushes which had
been denuded OF every leaf Of their foliage.
Immense. nests, some as large as a busheI
measure, were made among the branches OF
the trees. Curious TO know what it was We
approached one Of these nests which was
covered with large black ants. On going q
little nearer, a Filipino boy Accompanying
US gave an unmistakable yell OF terror and
he speedily informed US In his broken lingo
that We we're on dangerous ground, and We
retreated. There are certain kinds Of trop-
ical ants thai frequently attack animals and
some times men.
There are the small black ants that enter
your house in the tropics where they parade
by the million. Twenty -four hours a day
they march In rows and columns and batall.
ions and regiments and divisions; you may
be :ome desperate and spend a day wreaking
dire vengeance and killing a million or SO
but The next morning, there he is, as large as
life, on his everlasting forward march.
There is the wonderful little wood ant, or
carpenter ant, as we find it in our Little Ma.
ture Studies. 1t is alright TO read about in
books. but when 1t comes 10 dealing with
him, he makes you wish insect powder was
worth 2-cts q barrel so you could buy d
plantation of 1t. This little ant IL a great
carpenter, but he likes TO work on finished
material too well. He delights to use his
little saw on choice pieces of furniture but ii
he can't reach this he will saw the flooring
out OF your house, or saw the corner OF the
house into saw-dust. The lives of the Pa.
: triarchs ant Prophets says that this little ami
Is white on account Of a signal service rem
dered the Isrealites. This book says Solomon
was wont 10 60 TO the temple and worship
in his old age, and sometimes remained
days at a time leaning upon his staff in thu
temple; as he was king no one dared TO ap
proach or modest him. So 1t was Solomon
died in this attitude and these little ants ate
up his staff and Solomon fell and the PEG.
pie knew he vas dead. Somehow we don
believe this, but II these ants did perform q
good deed 1t Is the first time we ever heard
OF 1t.
Again There is the little red ant that lives
in the garden in the tropics. II we call the
carpenter ant we might call this one the
gardener ant. he is a great gardener at any
rate. AS fast as you put your seed in the
ground he manages to take them out. We
planted some lettuce seed in the garden and
the little red fellows dug them up and carried
them of, then We planted in a box and the
innocent little red things promptly went to
work and cleaned away every vestige OF
seed. We planted a third time and scattered
insect powder, carbolic acid, etc. over the box
In order 10 stop the little ~rascals, but they
continued gardeniDg-we discontinued It.
Wonderful little fellow he Is, Lice Som
times get on grape vines. You may have
seen ants visiting them. Do the ants kill
them ? Watch and see. The greatest harm
he does Is 10 bring the louise a lively whack
ON one side aud then on the other until the
louise gives up a drop Of Sacharine Matter
which the ants devours. 1t is said that they
even protect the eggs Of the lice as they
would their own.
1t is a dangerous thing to bring into this
country animals and insects unless we know
all about them.
You recall how the mongoose was brought
into the West Indies to exterminate a pest
and the mongoose turned out The worst pest
or the two. Now in regard to this little
weevn fighting ant: We know nothing
about him but we do know that d reward OF
$4,000 was offered to exterminate an ant
that held sway In the one of the G%renadine
Islands this ant seemed to be a kind OF
gardener ant too, for Its home wrs at the
roots OF cane and 9th er plants which they
80 undermined and sapped as to destroy the
plants.
We would suggest that the Department OF
Agriculture carry on their experiment with
ants in Jamaica.