The Weiser semi-weekly signal. (Weiser, Washington Co., Idaho) 1904-1911, 1904-08-17
THE GUATEMALAN ANTS
Habits of Boil Weevil's Enemy
Being Studied.
FACTS DETERMINED

wceviIs only Attacked When They
ueve-Imported Colonies Are Multi
plying Rapidiy-Texas Ants Killed
by Foreign yariety-PIan to Estnb-
Iish Colonies Near Victoria, Tex.
There is great demand for the
Guatemalan 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
dispatch from Houston to the st. Louis
Globe Democrat.
| The ants are In the government lab
| oratory at Victoria under the direc-
ton of DIR. Hunter, in charge OF that
branch of the government work In
Texas; Entomologist Cook. who brought
the insects from Guatemala, and Pro-
lessor 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
| the lar. The colonies have multiplied
| greatly since the ants were put in the
bottles, and Entomologist Cook arrived
with about 5000 healthy specimens, d.
vided into eighty-nine 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 weevtl,
but that when they run across NOV
| ing insect they will at once attack The
weevil plays possum, and so long as II
stays perfectly still the ants crawl over
and around 1t without any attempt at
molestatlon. When weevil moves II
is at once seized and an effort made to
force back its head that the ant may
get its 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 II
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 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, a 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,
nuisance by the farmer, the Guate-
malans may prove relief from them
as well as from the weevils.
1t has been further ascertained that
the ants frequent the cotton plants for
the nectar thereof They appear to be
very fond of this secretion and so are
the boil weevils. The ants swarm over
the cotton plant and attack the weevil
as quickly as found, seeming to prefer
the insect food to the nectar
1t is proposed to establish colonies
of the ants on the farm near Victoria
controlled by the government for ex-
| perimental purposes. The plan is to
inclose space about twelve feet
square and TO establish colony at
each corner thereof The nests now
contained In the bottles will be taken
therefrom and set In the ground, 1t
being the hope that the ants will at
once resume their normal habits and
go to housekeeping without loss Of
time. Thick stakes and sheets Of tin
will be sunk into the ground to such
depth as will make 1t as certain as
may be that the ants cannot burrow
beneath them, and the tin will be ex-
tended upward to the stockade. Here
they will be fed on cotton plants with
in the inclosure so that the ants may
be at liberty TO attack them without
having the task forced upon them. The
study of the habits of the insects will
be maintained at all times and an ac-
curate log kept. They will be observed
at night as well as by day to determine
their nocturnal habits.
1t is expected that they will hibernate
during the. winter, as do the native va
rieties. but the latter have some bad
habits which will be looked for In the
visitors. Arrangements will be made
to so construct at least one of the colo
mics that portion Of it's interior may
be observed from time TO time.
There will be nothing further done
about the injunction asked by Ross
Clark. DIR. Hunter has given his per
sonal pledge that there shall be no
Liberation Of the ants until II has been
definitely determined that there IL nc
danger OF their becoming pest, and "a
that was the sole point IN Mr., clark's
contention he rests satisfied.
A large number OF applications ars
already On 6lQ from o..ffon nlanfa,,s