The Port Gibson reveille. [volume] (Port Gibson, Miss.) 1890-current, 1904-07-21
BOIL WEEvIL ANTS
Being Very Carefully Studied In
- Texas.

perimental Farm near Victoria are
convinced that they will do the
business. However, there is to be
no release Of these ants until next
spring and only then in guarded
numbers if at all. During the re
mainder of this summer and through
the winter, if the insects do not hi
bernate (though that is the custom
of the native ants) the ants will be
closely studied as to their habits
and tested in various ways as to
their liking for animal and vegeta-
bic food. 1t is claimed that they
will not attack vegetation but this
point is to be tested thoroughly in
case they may form a liking for
some Texas product.
1t has been ascertained that the
ants do not seek the boil weevils,
but will attack and kill them when
they encounter them, provided that
the weevil does not play possum.
The weevil has the possuming hab-
it strongly developed and when
they lie in a comatose condition the
ants simply walk over or around
them, but give them no special at
tention. If a weevil moves, an ant
will at once seize him, twist his
head until he can sting the weevil
on the tender flesh of the neck and
this kills him. The armor of the
weevil protects itat all other points.
1t has also been demonstrated that
when one ant isn't sufficient for the
task another will join him in a very
short while and they work in har-
mony until the weevil is dead, when
the ant first attacking takes the
prey to the nest, getting assistance
If it is needed.
The ants like the nectar produced
by the cotton plant and this is what
draws them. They attack the
weevil only incidentally, when en-
countered. This nectar also draws
the native red ant and to ascertain
If the natives were likely to over
come and kill the Gautemalans a
number of them were placed in one
of the colony receptacles. The ag-
ony was soon over and the natives
were carefully put away in the
storage bins by the imported speci-
mems, not lasting long enough to
make the battle worth seeing.
The ants are now confined In the
bottles in which they were brought
from Guatemala by Entomologist
Cook, but will be transferred to the
ground as soon as preparations can
be made. In the bottles they have
done we'll and there has been an in
crease of about SO per cent. in the
80 colonies which were brought
over, the original number being in
the neighborhood of 1000.
To study the insects at work it
has been decided to construct a
number of pens about twelve feet
square. Stakes will be set into the
ground and lined with tin to such
depth as will be certain to prevent
the ants boring through or burrow-
ing under. The stakes will be lined
with tin to prevent the ants climb
ing over, as it has been agreed that
every precaution will be taken to
prevent the ants establishing them
selves as Texans until their habits
are ascertained. Four colonies of
ants are to be put in each inclosure,
which will be established In the cot
ton field, and then the ants will be
tested with the weevils and. the 9TH
er insects which affect not only cot
ton, but other plants native ants
will be put in the enclosure and
there will also be experiments with
different grasses and plants to de-
termine If the insects prefer any
certain kind.
Experiments are also to be made
to determine point raised by Ross
L. Clark in his recent prayer for an
injunction to prevent the ants be-
ing brought In, this being that the
ants will attack the cotton pickers
and prevent the stuff being COTTON
out of the fields where the ants are
established. Just how the expert
ments are to be conducted along
this line has not yet been determ-
ined but It Is presumed that negroes
and barefooted boys will be used.
It is understood that in Guatemala