The Monmouth inquirer., 1924-01-17
KEEP WHITE: ANT
FROM timber

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Much serious Damage Done BY Ter
n,ifc in Large Cities Of North and
Throughcut tho Southern States
May ee Avoided BY Thorough Treat
mcat.
The ravages of the white ant, which
: because OF its insidious work in tim
Der and wood structures is one Of the
most destructive insects of North
America, can be limited by compare
lively simple measures, according to
the cntomologists Of the U. S. Depart
ment Of Agriculture This pest, known
scientifically as the termite, attacks
bridge timbers, wells, silos, telegraph
poles, bean poles, mine props, fence
posts and railroad ties, and the sud-
den crumbling of wharves, caving in
of mines and the settling in of floors
ere sometimes directly due to its hid
den borings. Such large cities as New
York, Cleveland, St Louis and Wash
ington have known such serious dep
rotations, and damage occasionally oc-
ours as far north as Massachusetts
and Michigan. Throhgi out the south
ern states the ternlitc5' ravages are
even more general.
Some Of the Communications Of the
Departments entomologists for deal
ing with this pest are as follows:
Forest products in contact with the
ground should be impregnated with
coal-tar creosote, which is a per1na-
nent preventive against attack by our
native terInitcs. Coal-tar creosote has
many properties which would recon-
mend its use in this respect, for it is
also a fungicide, and, being insoluole
in water, will not leach out in wet To-
cations. These requirements furnish
objections to many chemicals that 9TH
erwise are very effective insecticides.
The various methods Of superb
cially treating timber, as by charring,
by brushing or by dipping with var
ious 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 thor
oughly done termites enter through
the untreated or imperfectly treated
portions, especially through weather
ing checks and knots. Where the
bases of poles, mine props, etc, are
left untreated termites enter the tim
Der from below, and avoiding treated
portions come up through the interior
Charred timber is effective against
termite attack for a period less than
a 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
Nthe ground could not be treated, and it
is usually at this point that termite
attack occurs.
Before treating timber with chem
zeal preservatives, especially where
.the brush method is employed, it is
essential that the timber be thor
oughly seasoned, otherwise penetra-
ton by the preservatives 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 slight odor of oil OF cit
ronella has been impaired, or contain
simple poisons. For timber to be set
in the ground, brush coatings with lin
seed oil are not effective against ter
mites.
Impregnation with chlorinated naph-
thalene may prove effective against
termites, as a preseryative for wood
work in interior finish, where it is I'M
portant that the preservatives should
not sweat" out or stain the wood.
Treated wood blocks buried in the
ground with termite-infested logs were
not attacked after test of nearly six
months. importation with paraffin
wax was not effective in the Bureau
of Entomology's experiments. II the
wood is not in contact with the ground
impregnation treatments with BIZ
Chord of mercury and zinc Chord
are effective. The mercury and zinc
in this form are both, soluble in
water.
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