The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1915-06-23
GARDEN ANTS DO LITTLE HARM
They Do Not Injure Plants and. if They Disfigure Lawns They
 May Be Easily ControaIed.

An unusual number of complaints have been received this year by, the Department of Agriculture from per- sons who say that ants are injuring their lawns and gardens. As a mat ter of fact. these ants do little harm and the injury that is attributed to them is usually caused by som ething else. In large numbers, however, the small sconical nests which they build on lawns are somewhat unsightlX and on this account it may be desirable in some eases to destroy them
 Where there is only a small area. to be covered the simplest method is to drench the nests with boiling wa ter. Another simple remedy is to spray the lawn with kerosene ernt1I- sion or with a very strong soap wash prepared by dissolvtng any common laundry soap in water at the rate of 1 pound or 1-2 pound to a gallon of water Such methods are particu- larly well adapted to small lawns and for the ordinary little lawn ant. For larger ant colonies of other species bisulphide of carbon, a chemi- l cal which can be purchased at any drug store, will be found effective. This substance can be placed in the nest by means of an oil. can or i small syringe, the quantity required varying from 1-2 ounce for a small nest to 2 or 3 ounces or more for a 1 large one. n oil can with 8 long spout is a convenient instrument as it can be inserted into the nests and the liquid injected without its being i brought close to the operators nose, for the fumes, of bisu1phide of car bon, although mot poisonous, are nauseating. To facilitate the en- trance into the nest of the chemical the ant hole can be enlarged with a I sharp stick or iron rod. After the l bisulphide of carbon has been inject ed, the opening should be closed by pressure of the foot in order to re- tain the bisulphide. This will pene- trate slowly throughout the under ground channels of the nest and kill I rem member/ that while bisuIphide is perfectly harmless if kept away from i all fire, it is very inflammabIe and 1 may, under certain circumstances 1 explode when ignited.
 1 Except for the unsigftly appear ance of their nests, however, the | lawn ants do no appreciab1e harm They are frequently noted on roses and on other ornamental and garder plants, and it is naturally supposed that they are doing harm to these l As a matter of fact, it is not the plants that attract the ants, but plan lice. These tiny creatures excrete 2 sweet liquid which ants are very font and which they collect without in. turing the plant lice. For this req.
 
 'ant cows.'' The analogy is em
 phasfzed by the fact that ants have been known to take plant lice into their nests, shelter them through the winter, and return them to suitabl, l plants in the spring very much a. men are accustomed to feed and shelter cows throughout the winter putting them on pasture with thu coming of the spring. This is tht only way in which ants can be saiC to injure plants. They enter houses very rarely and. on the whole, ma!
 be said to do no harm of any kf1inC except in so far as they lessen tht attractive appearance of the lawn On the other hand, it is quite possible that by bringing up from the 1ovve1 depths sand and earth they may dis tinctIy increase fertility by forming top dressing or soil mulch, and at tn, same time permit better aeration O
 the earth.