Essex County herald. [volume] (Guildhall, Vt.) 1873-1964, 1904-08-05
THE GUATEMALAH ANTS
Habits of Boil Weevil's Enemy
Being Studied.
sEVERAL FACTS DETERMINED.

wceviIs Only Attacked when They
Move-Imported Colonies Are Multi
plying Rapfdiy-Texas Ants killed
by Foreign variety-Plan To Estab-
lish Colonies Near Victoria, Tex.
There is great demand for the
Gustemalan ants from the cotton plant
ers of Texas, but the government ento-
mologists are to keep the imported col
onies carefully during the remainder
of the season and through the winter
TO see what their habits are, says a
dispatch from Houston to the st. Louis
Obe-Democrat.
The ants are in the government lab
oratory at Victoria under the direc-
ton Of DR.. Hunter, in charge of that
branch of the government work In
Texas; Entomologist Cook, who brought
the insects from Guatemala, and Pro-
fesaor Lowton, curator Of the civic
museum of Philadelphia, who Is at
present engaged in the government
work In Texas.
The ants were brought into Texas in
bottles, the heart of the nest with the
queen cell having been carefully in
cased and Guatemalan dirt placed In
tho lar. The colonies have multiplied
greatly since the ants were put in the
bottles, and Entomologist Cook arrived
with about 5000 healthy specimens, d.
yided into eighty colonies.
Several facts have already been de-
termined in the experiments which are
being conducted 1t has been found
that the ants will not seek the weevil,
but that when they run across NOV
| Ing insect they will at once attack. The
weevil plays possum, and so long as 1t
stays perfectly still the ants crawl over
and around it without any attempt at
molestation When a weevil moves 1t
is at once seized and an effort made to
force back its head that the ant may
get it's sting ON the exposed flesh of the
neck, the armor of the weevil protect
ing Its body elsewhere. If one ant is
not sufficiently strong for this work 1t
Ia assisted by fellow, there appearing
to be perfect harmony between them
and an understanding as to how to
work together. So far no weevil has
been found to escape when once at
tackled.
~ There being a fear that perhaps the
imported ant would not be able to hold
its own against the native red ants,
which are generally considered as be-
ing vicious number of them were
procured and placed in nest Of the
Guatemalans. The result was ascer-
tanned within a very few seconds, the
Texans being wiped out and put in
storage as food. Inasmuch as the
Texas ants are generally regarded as 8
nuisance by the farmer, the Guate
malans may prove relief from then
as we'll as from the weevils.
1t has been further ascertained thai
the ants frequent the cotton plants fol
the nectar thereof. They appear to b.
very fond of this secretion and so arr
the boil weevils. The ants swarm Ovel
the cotton plant and attack the weevi
as quickly as found, seeming to prefe
the insect food to the nectar
1t is proposed to establish colonies
Of the ants on the farm near Victori,
controlled by the government for ex
perimental purposes. The plan is t.
inclose space about twelve fee
square and to establish colony a
, L. III, Tho ctS
contained in the bottles will be takel
therefrom and set in the ground, l
: being the hope that the ants will a
once resume their normal habits ant
go to housekeeping without loss o
time Thick stakes and sheets Of til
, will be sunk into the ground to sue
depth as will make it as certain a
/ may be that the ants cannot burrov
beneath them, and the tin will be Ell
! tended upward to the stockade. Her
] they will be fed ON cotton plants with
: in the Enclosure, SO that the ants ma
= be at liberty to attack them withou
e having the task forced upon them. TIL
: study of the habits of the insects Wi
be maintained at all times and an &C
. curate log kept. They will be observes
E at night as well as by day to determin
4 their nocturnal habits.
! 1t is expected that they will hibernat
( during the winter, as do the native va
8 rieties, but the latter have some ba
4 habits which will be looked for in til
e visitors Arrangements will be mad
o to SO construct at least one of the cole
!. MES that portion Of its interior ma
be observed from time to time.
4 There will be nothing further dor
l. about the injunction asked by RIOS
q Clark. DR.. Hunter has given his pc
o sonal pledge that there shall be 4
q liberation of the ants until it has bee
q definitely determined that there Is r
. danger Of their becoming pest, and q
!. that was the sole point in Mr.. Clark
contention he rests satisfied.
A large number of applications al
already on file from cotton planter
asking for colonies Of the ants an
agreeing to take them on any conditio
d &hn< ,nou hn i,pnooo1 hu tho upyorJ