The evening times. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1906-1914, 1912-11-09
(Scientihc Ameriran.N

(SClenIlnC Anerlcan.J
OF the African ant. the best known
Then we have the driver ant. and also
the red ant. and the lion ant. AL
though the majority OF them are re-
garded as pests of men, they. never.
theless, fulfill a useful purpose In ma
ture, acting as sections and sanitary
inspectors. checking the spread of dis
ease in the animal and vegetable king
doms. and adding enormously to the
Improvement Of the soil.
Strictly speaking. the white ants or
termites r not true ants. although
they resemble them in appearance and
in their mode. Of life. They belong
TO the order Neuroptera, and are thus
allied to the dragon-ties, may-fies,
grasshoppers. etc., whereas h real
ants belong to h order of Hymenop-
terra, in which bees and wasps are in
Guided. The abdomen in the white
ant is not Joined to the body by n
or two knots. as in the ants proper.
Their mouth has an upper and lower
lip and two strong mandibles. Their
wings are very long and narrow. They
have no sting.
In the matter of nests these white
or false ants excel all the r species.
nests are built above. instead of be-
low, the ground, and attain such a
size and rise to such a height. that
they form a marked feature Of the
landscape. and may almost he said to
turn a fiat country into a hilly one.
They rise from twenty to sixty feet In
height. while the base of the struc-
ture varies from 100 to 200 yards in
circumference. They are very solid
buffaloes may be see grazing upon
them. Again. n often detects bam-
boo trees growing upon them. while
their sides are often covered with the
choicest Of tropical ferns. delicate
orchids and other rare plants. They
are invariably found in groups. as
many as 20 nests or more covering
a comparatively small area.
When the builders of the Cape to
Cairo railroad reached the Congo they
entered a region where these creatures
abound. and hundreds Of ant heaps
had to be demolished to make way for
the iron road. The speed with which
these ants worked was a revelation to
many of the engineers. They would
clear a track in the forest and when
they returned three or four days later
were surprised to FIND that the ants
had reared n Of their structures in
the center of their path. Near Brok-
en- Hill a number Of ant heaps were
partially cut down to allow the train
to pass. About a week or SO later
the driver experienced great difficulty
In getting by because the ants. in en-
~deaVoring to repair the damage done
to their homes had built outwards
huge carbuncles which projected out
over the track. They were SO solidly
bound TO the main heap that they had
to be removed with pickaxes.
The nest OF the white ant is really
a wonderful structure. built Of earth.
stones and wood. glued together by
saliva. the whole being protected by a
cement. and is used by the settlers
and natives in the erection Of their
houses. The nest is so constructed
that all rain is Immediately carried
off. The whole mound 10 dotted with
little holes which are the orifices to
so many passages. leading into the
interior. while the interior itself pre-
OF galleries. halls. nurseries. and sc
forth. h a exist in the insect world.
In the middle Of the nest Is the palace
OF the king n queen. The queen
spends all her time in laying eggs.
AS the eggs are laid they are carried
on to h nurseries by the attendant
workers. The nurseries for eggs and
larvae are built around the palace.
There are cells. too. for the royal
b~odyguard, and for the royal servants.
Besides these there are storerooms
hlled with such supplies as gum and
resins; with meal, seeds. dried plant
juice. fruits and wood pulp.
These ants are very destructive. de-
stroying everything except iron and
steel. Railroad engineers know this.
with the result that when they enter
a region where these creatures exist
they have to either use steel or cover
wooden structures with sheet iron.
The ants bore into m solid substance.
and eat out its interior. leaving 1t hol-
low. with it's outer surface represented
by a thin shell. intact. The rapidly
with which they work is remarkable.
and In a single night they have been
known to burrow all through the leg
OF O table. then across the table. stop
ping on the way to devour the articles
lying upon 1t. and down through an
other leg into the floor again. The
wooden pillars that support the root
Of a dwelling. the woodwork Of the
roof itself. may he d%estroyed by these
insects. before the Inhabitants are
even aware of their presence.
The ter1nites have many enemies.