The gazette-times. [volume] (Heppner, Or.) 1912-1925, 1915-02-26
Remedies for Keeping
White Ant From Timber


4 which, because of its insidious
work in timber and wood structures,
is one of the most destructive insects
of North America, can be limited by
comparatively simple measures, ac-
cording to the entomologsts of the
United States Department of Agricul-
ture. This pest, known scientifically
as the termite, attacks bridge tim
bers. wells, silos, telegraph poles,
bean poles, mine props, fence posts
and railroad ties, and the sudden
crumbling of wharves, caving in of
mines, and the settling in of floors
are sometimes directly due to its hid
den borings.
Some of the recommendations Of
the Departments entomologist for
dealing with this pest are as follows:
Forest products in contact with the
ground should be impregnated with
coal-tar creosote, which is a perma-
nent preventive against attacks by
our native termites. Coal-tar creo-
sote has many properties which would
recommend its use in this respect,
for it is also fungicide, and, being
1nsoluble in water, will not leach out
in wet locations. These require
ments furnish objections to many
chemicals that otherwise are very
effective insecticides.
The various methods of superficial
ly treating timber, as by charring, by
brushing, or by dipping with various
chemical preservatives, among which
are creosotes, carbolineums, ETC., have
proven to be temporarily effective, in
preventing attack, if the work is
thoroughly done. If not thoroughly
done, termites enter through the un-
treated or imperfectly treated por-
tions, especially through weathering
checks and knots. Where the bases
OF poles, mine props, ETC., are left
untreated, termites enter the timber
from below, and, avoiding the treated
portions, come up through the inter-
ior.
Charred timber Is effective against
termite attack for a period less than
year, although it is not seriously
damaged at the end of one year. 1t
will readily be seen that neither
brushing nor spraying the exterior
after placement, as is sometimes prac-
ticed, is effective in keeping out ter
mites, since the portion that sets in
the ground could not be treated, and
it is usually at this point that ter
mite attack occurs.
Before treating timber with chem
ical preservatives, especially where
the brush method is employed, it is
essential that the timber be thor
oughly seasoned, otherwise penetra-
tion by the preservative will be re-
tarded.
Many patented wood preservatives
advertised as effective against wood
borers, often merely contain simple
preservatives, as for instance, linseed
oil, to which a slight odor of oil oi
citronela has been impaired, or con
tain simple poisons. For timber tc
be set in the ground, brush coatings
with linseed oil are not effective
against termites.
Impregnation with chlorinated
napthalene may prove effectiv {
against termites, as a preservativt
for woodwork, in interior finish
where it is important that the pre-
servative should not sweat" out, OF
stain the wood. Treated wood blocks
buried in the ground with termite-in
tested logs were not attacked after E
test of nearly six months. Impreg
nation with paraffin wax was mo-
effective in the bureau of Entomol
ogy's experiments. If the wood il
not in contact with the ground, i'm
pregnation treatments with bichloridt
of mercury and zinc chloride are eff
fective. The mercury and zinc II
this form are both soluble in water