The Sunday telegram. [volume] (Clarksburg, W. Va.) 1914-1927, 1916-02-20
WHITE ANTS
A MENACE
no Buildings, Trees and Crops,
Say Department Of Agri-
culture Experts.

mites, or white ants" are frequent-
ly the cSuse Of serious damage 10
y buildings and occasionally to trees
and. crops. They are not really ants,
but their appearance, which. ex-
cept in color, specifically resembles
that Of ants. Like ants, too. they
live ii, large colonies usually located
in dead trees, In the foundation tim
beers OF buildings, in wood that is In
contact with the ground or IN under
ground passages In the earth.
In the eastern and solthern por-
tions Of the country, damage from
these Insects to Foundation tnhers,
flooring in easements, and other
woodwork is common and sometimes
serious. It is only occasionally, how
ever, that living
Vegetation is Attacked.
and then principally ON recently
cleared land where there Is much de-
caying wood and humus In the soil.
An infcstation Of corn in the prairie
region OF Kansas Is reported to have
been due TO the presence of enormous
numbers of the insects in the heavily
sodded soil, but, says Bulletin No. $50
OF the United States Department OF
Agriculture, professional paper 3y
Thomas b. Snyder, which reports IN
detail on the economic Importance OF
termites in the United States. 1T
should be borne in mind that such
damage to living plants is usually
occasional and then only local, and
not In general a serious problem"
The damage that termites do to
buildings Is more important. Many
OF the buildings in New Orleans re-
Gently demolished by hurricane
were found to have been mined by In
sects, probably by termites and thus
seriously weakened. The termites
frequently honeycomb beams, floor
Ing walls and other woodwork, even
as high up ms the second and third
floors of buildings. They obtain an
entrance through underground pas
sages, extending their subterranean
galleries for comparatively long dis
tances. Frequently the damage Is
not discovered until the floors have
settled or the jeists collapsed. In
such cases
Extensive Repairs.
and the removal of the damaged tim
Der are often necessary. All wooden
farm buildings are liable to infesta-
ton as, In fact, is any timber that
comes in contact with the ground.
Bridges, telephone and telegraph
poles, mine props. fences, woodwork
In wells, wooden silos. beehlves and
lumber piled on the ground have all
been seriously damaged in this way.
Once they have gained entrance to a
building, the termites frequently
proye very destructive to many kinds
Of material stored in it. In houses
they destroy furniture, wall paper,
books, fabrics, clothing. shoes, leather
goods and food that is stored In dark
damp Easements.
TO prevent their attacks the foun-
dations OF buildings and the basement
floor should be made entirely of
brick, stone, or concrete. and no
woodwork should be in contact with
the ground. Tis precautlon is rec
commended particularly for the
southern states. Beams or joists
should not be imbedded in concrete.
as a crack will provide means OF
ingress for the Insects. Books. docu-
ments, and other material suscepti-
BILE to attack should not be stored in
unyentilated rooms where they may
become moist or moldy. When
building has already become infest-
ed. the only effective remedy Is to
tear out that part which harbors the
insect and to rebuild 1t in such a
way as to prevent future invasions,
that is by substituting rock founda-
ton or foundation timbers impreS-
mated with coal-tar creosotes.
Certain woods, however, are known
to be resistant to termites, Black wal
nut and persimmon, for Instance.
among the cabinet woods, have this
quality and several of the cedars and
the southern bald cypress are both
Resistant and Durable.
in contact with the ground In other
words resistance for varying periods.
depending upon the method of treat
ment, may be obtained by the 1sc OF
chemical preservatives, the most eff
fectiye Of which are coal tar creo-
sotes..
In nurseries and orchards, white
ants" have frequently proved trouble
some. In orange groves they have
been known to eat away the bark
from the base of the tree and have
done similar damage to deciduous
fruit trees in the southern states and
in California. Cases are on record
also in which they have been trou-
blesome in vineyards and have in
jured pecan. chestnut and walnut
trees. Dead timber in forests rapid
" become understandable when at
tackled by the insects. Injured trees,
especially the oak and chestnut, suf-
! fer from attacks upon their roots and
the lower part of their trunks.
Because the termites are found
chiefly in recently cleared ground,
this should be avoided in planting
nursey stock. Rotation of crops WIFI
prevent serious damage on the farm
In green houses, iron frames and con-
crete work should replace wood as
much as possible, and what wood
work is used should be impregnated
with bichloride Of mercury.