Arizona republican., 1907-07-12
4 STUDY OF Tilt ANT
 / THE ARIZONA KIND

The following is an essay bv Will F. Campbell. a. Salt River Valley boy on a subject in which at times the keenest interest is felt:
 Probably TO other form of insect fife ix as well known and as widely distributed throughout the world as the ant.
 Naturalists, scientists and people in general, even ages ago. looked upon the ant just as the people of today do, as being singularly intelligent and in dustrious and as possessing a degree of strength that in proportion to her siEe is nothing short of prodigious.
 if we combine all of these propensi- lies in q species of exceptionally large size and with an unsuitable appetite an appetite that is essentially vegetar- ian. we have, in a feeble tone the de- HcYiption of that particular species of ant that is so common throughout the desert portion of the southwest, and incidentally in the Salt River Valley of Arizona. Too much stress cannot ise placed on the proclivity of these ants as destroyers of vegetation.
 They seem to multiply very rapidly and even now one can scarcely get tsuttlOt OA lIle DOIIluS oL Nllt NllA bi Phoenix without noting the numerous hare spots that may be seen in the fields adjoining any road and one is invariably imoresseS with the close proximity in which these naked places tWhIch are indicative of the presence ot the ant dens) occur.
 These round spots. so utterly devoid cf vegetation of any kind. are very familiar objects to those who frequent fh- countr.. and indeed. so common are the.- that we are wont to overlook fhe destruction that they signify. Very well many the farmers and gard eners es the valley begin to be con- cerned about this formidable little fest
 t;ct in line everybody and keep mp the crusade aeainst our common en- cfny. < tew words about the ver-- in teresting family of ''heterogyna" and W. eil tr-- Co outline a plan by which the already named pest may be dealt with after an approved fashion.
 From our earliest recollection we hare all 70 doubt been taught to re- gard the ant family with a peculiar kind os respect
 There aye rot manE of us who can- n"i recall the many comments made hy our teachers with reference to the an, as a1 example of industry and application which We might do well to isultate.-And our Sunday school teach CTS well as our more familiar peda- g"gues, if you remember. were fond of putting before us as examples the many enviable virtues of our little ac- quasltances, often quoting King Solo mons proverbs as we all most likely know contains a 2rofusion of favor able comments !n regard to the ant and well this sage might use her as an example when we consider the al- most human skill and apparent reas- oning ooWer that she possesses. A notable example of this latter attain ment is wei illustrated in the conduct of one of the species with reference to the aphis family Cplant louse) when t is brought out that they tend the Rphides much as we would COWS their object being to utilize the nour- i-hing plant secretion which is char acteristic of the plant louse. It is a proven fact that they take the aphides up bodily and carry them from place te place. apparently in order to at all times keep them on the best pasture. Ants live il society much as does the bee. The polity consists of a queen drones and worker ants.
 The workers are supposed to be ab- ertively formed females, in the same aay that worker bees are given credit fos being undeveloped queens. The drones are numerous and are distin-