Abilene weekly reflector. [volume] (Abilene, Kan.) 1888-1935, 1910-07-21
sOU1H AFRICAN ANTS
ARE TERROR OF LIFE
Miss Frances Davidson Writes Of
Their Ravages.


mounds Of earth built up by them
selves and are called ant-hills. There
are several kinds of hills consequent
ly several kinds of white ants inhab-
iting them. One kind build only In
low swampy, black soil and their
hills are generally close together and
are broad and flat. varying from o.
foot to several feet in height. They
build very hard and substantial
stones as they build their wedge
shaped hill under it. Others build
very large hills, from ten to thirty
feet and even more, in height and
proportionately large in circumfer-
ence. These two kinds do not seem
to go far from their homes and are
mot considered very destructive. A
third kind of white ant prefer the
red or yellow clay, and build up
hills from foot or so to two or three
times the height of man.
The interior Of ant hill Is full OF
winding passages, all connected TO-
gether, and built Of a very hard ana
glutenous mortar SO that they can
not he eaaily destroyed. In the
very center Of these winding cham
hers is to be found an unwieldy, soft
inert. white mass from two to four
inches in length, and nearly an inch
in diameter in the center, tapering
at each end, but with scarcely per-
ceptible head. This ugly maggot-
like object is the queen, one OF when
at least Is to be found in every MILL
and "a the source of all the life In
the hill; destroy this and life grad
ually becomes extinct in that nil.
This probably explains one reason
WHY the ants have not troubled Ma
topa Mission as much as some otner
nIaces, There were only a few RED
ant hills near the huts and these
were dug down and the ground taken
10 plaster the huts, the queens no
doubt thus being destroyed.
In the chambers surrounding the
oueen. are small. white ants which
act as nurses or caretakers OF the
Young. Then there are large, fierce
looking ones, which seem to act as
soldiers: also other smaller ones re-
semhl,ng the soldiers somewhat
which serve as sentinels to the WORK
ers The workers themselves are
small, soft maggot-like insects gen
orally white. They can work only
under cover, and some, yes the ma
ioritv of them will die when exposed
to a strong light. During the rainy
season when the ground is soft and
especially in the evening great
swarms of winged ants come out Oh
The ground, fly short distance, then
drop their wings and re-enter tne
rrorud At other places. Just wha'
relation these sustain to the others
am unable to state. In some
places they are quite large and fleshy
The natives gather them and roas'
and eat them. They are by nc
means unpalatable.
All Africa, SO far as our OBSERVE
ton and knowledge extends, Is Gov
cred with multitudes Of these inde'
fatigable little workers, but the
number varies with the climate, SOIL
latitude. etc. Other things being
eoual they increase more and more
as one approaches the equator
North of the Zambezi and especiai
" in the vicinity Of Macha, they arr
as the sands Of the seashore' innu
merable. Every inch OF ground u
worked over and over again year ait
or year, and their tunnels are to d.
seen all over the surface OF thu
oround whenever there is sufticien
moisture to furnish water for tn
master. Indeed It is quite an enigm!!
j a. times to understand where tn
water which they use comes from
since they need water, they are al
vavs more active and destructive II
1.-The rainy than in the dry season.
working under cover means ina
thew build a little tunnel passage o
mortar, made Of clay and wate
within which they carry on thei
work. The little tunnels are form
ed under the ground as well as Of
Itop. AS an illustration, II a piece 0
furniture is standing on the groun'
or floor, they will build a clay pass
age up one of the legs, then sprea'
out the mortar over the surface Q
the wood under which they begin =
work, carrying small particles OF Tn
wood, back through the various tun
nels and winding passages under
ground TO the ant-hills as food 10
.Ahn~. Mako n breal