The Washington herald., 1922-01-31
"MAN-EATING- ANTS oy
MARCH IN TEXAS.


A destructive invading army, OF
"man-eating' Argentine ants IS
! marching on the capital Of Texas.
according 70 reports from Austin.
Ohicials OF the Texas State DEPART
ment OF agriculture report a plan
for extending warfare against the
westward advance Of this persistent
and costly pest.
Entomologists declare the Arsen-
tine ant. a pest in a class by itself.
menace not only to horticultural
interests because IL destroys buds.
blossoms and fruit. but also a
source OF great damage TO certain
held crops and even a menace 10
homsn life.
by hordes of these ants. Federal
investigators have found Iocslitle.
overrun by their hosts until homes
and fields were deserted huma,
tenants driven out by insect in
Vaders
Introduced into the United Sts.,s
probably at New Orleans. by ships
from South America. this highly nm
desirable immigrant. a native q
Brazil and Argentina, now infes;.
other sections OF the country. The
Federal department OF agriculture
recently placed its northern limit Of
invasion at Nashville, Tenn. N,
eastern advance armies at Whining
Ton, y. c. and a western croup
IN California. Freight sh.pmer-s
originating In infested areas are
responsible for the widespread ap-
pesrance OF the insect. which ha.
story that reads like fiction.
Building everywhere. beneath
houses or between the walls. n
trees. under stones. in corros,
heaps and many other places N.
ant increases with great raridiiv
Most persistent OF all. IL DESTROYS -
drives out, the native species and
penetrates TO every crack and cram
ry Of a dwelling
The worker ants are dark hrawr
small in size. and almost ornnivo--
Gus. They will even enter ico-
boxes and refrigerators in ssar,h q.
food. deferred not az all by low
temperatures Poult-v raising is
attended by great din6cult,cs in To-
cslities they intest because the ants
eat young chicks
The worker ants arc fond OF sweet
stuff For this reason the orchard
destroying aphid. and scale insects
which excrete honcy-dev are ciycn
tender protection. Frequently a.,
ants build projecting shelters o,,r
the fruit destroying pests. and ofteu
the workers carry the sphids and
scale insects TO the Young tender
srovth OF fruit trees so that thcy
may more easily get the frui:
juices
9 Mi1lin,. - zzn - -
spent in Louisiana combating thls
ant In the orange belt OF TeNas
, systematic campaign was wSgel
ehectively by the State in co-opcra-
ton with citizens Of Orange ai.d
Port Arthur. The towns were laid
on IN districts and the ant routed
a district at a time.
corn, sugar-csne. and cotton are
among the field crops suffering
from the ravages Of the pest Tha
workers are said to attend con-
stantly the aphids and mealy-bugs
attacking these crops.
Trapping with a mixture Of sugar
syrup and arsenic; a banding
mixture OF one part OF hoWe-s 81
sulphur 10 six parts OF commercial
tree-banding sticky material: and
tape soaked in a saturated Solu-
ton OF bichloride OF mercury ard
hung UP 10 dry. are some OF the
F., weapons recommended in the war
fare against the ant armies.
The phosphorescent glow ~
punk wood" sometimes found in
damp places is due 20 the presence
OF vast numbers of luminous hac-
terra and other lower organisms
The flowers" of the poinsettis
( arc not true flowers at all. but
I rosettes Of colored leaves The
/ real flowers are she small. yellow
ish-green objects at the center.
The teredo. or shipworm. SO de-
structive to whsrves and piling. IL
not nroperly a worm at all. but
a mollusk and thus a relative OF
the clam and the oyster.
Most bacteria are little affected
by cold. The germs of typhoid
fever. for example. can be frozen
into a solid block of ice and still
be capable Of mischief whe1 they
are thawed out.
Plants utilize in their food max
1 ing processes less than l per cent
Jt the sInlight they receive.
w.D.