The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1923-05-02
KINDS FINDS
TIN CANS ARE.
DOING WORK.
State EntomoIogist Makes
Inspection Of Progress OF
Campaign To Rid City OF
PeSt-ThOuSandS OF
Cans Placed

w. L. Kinds, state ertom ologist. of
Auburn says Birminghams Argentine
ants are feeding eagerly on the
Knockout syrup which is contained
in the thousands of little cans fas-
tened to trees all over the city,
Queens and young ants die about a
week after feeding on the syrup, but
it takes two or three weeks TO kill
the workers. DR.. Kinds was in Bir-
mingham Tuesday and made inspec-
lions in various parts of the city. as
we'll as interviewing many house.
keepers, wherethe ants had pre-
viously been abundant. The cam
paign was supervised by the Auburn
authorities. assisted financially by
the city.
The results of the control cam
paign already apparent indicate Il
very satisfactory degree of effec-
tiveness," said DR.. Kinds. The
syrup is in perfect condition. and
ants were found working abundantly
in the cans at this time. The effec-
tiveness of the work is therefore con-
tinuine steadily, and still further
may be expected throughout the
treated area AS a rule, queens and
young ants are killed within about
week after the ants begin feeding
on the syrup, but the workers them
selves may live for two or three
therefore too soon to have secured
the full effectiveness of the work.
No Trouble in Houses.
"All housekeepers interviewed
without exception, stated that they
had had no trouble with the ants in
the houses. OF course. this condition
cannot be expected to hold true for
all houses within the treated area
Undoubtedly ants will be found in a
good many houses where for some
reason control was not secured in as
full degree as in the cash in/ssti
gated. There Is reason to beIieve,
however, that even though ants may
become fairly common in many
houses before the end of the season.
their numbers have already been de-
creased. and the pest will be less seri-
Gus by far than it would have been
without the control campaign.
I'm a few cases noticed, cans had
heen removed apparently from trees
where they had been placed. This
may have happened from the
thoughtless acts of children. or in
some cases. probably cans We're re-
moved deliberately by people who
thought it an easy way to secure an
additional supply FOR their own
premises. Some complaints of omis-
sion in the distribution of cans have
been received. So far as possible.
gated, In many cases the COM
plants came from houses located
outside of ant infestation. FIRE.
quently, parties living on the oppo-
site side of a street which was the
boundary of the treated area would
think that they needed cans just as
much as the neighbors on the treated
side of the street. but as rule this
was not the case. The street is the
most natural barrier and the definite
limit for treatment in carrying on the
campaign in infested areas.
O O o
Commission Deserves Praise.
The city commission certainly de-
serves, and should receive, the hearty
appreciation and commenda ton from
the citizens of Birmingham, whether
located within. or outside of an in
Tested area. The primary purpose in
putting on the campaign this spring
was to reduce the infestation and
keep the pest out of homes, so far as
might be possible during this sum-
mer, and. at the same time, to reduce
the spread into new territory from
the more than 40 infested areas
which have been treated A rea-
sonable degree of success in both of
these detectives seems already Sc
cured
81 I'm any control campaign follow-up
work is necessary. Wherever the
AUS become nuisance, therefore,
through the summer, owners of
premises may distribute additional
cans of the poisoned syrup on their
own account at slight expense, Sc
curing for themselves the relief de-
sired. 1t is impossible for the extern
sion service now to give attention to
further scattered complaints. A sin
cere effort has been made to cover
the known areas of infestation thor
oughly. 1t is expected that a fol
low-up' campaign may be needed
during the early fall months"