Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1926-07-08

trees included in the list subject to
ant depredations.
"Chroline gas. of the same kind
used in modern warfare, has been
tried by us and is not efficient, as 1t
is lighter than air and thus does not
reach down into the galleries and
passages under the nests. 1t kills the
ants in the top areas of the nests,
however. This comes in the form of
a liquid In steel tanks, and copper
tubes are used in piping it into the
nests, as the gas Is under heavy
pressure. The Federal Government
has also sent us quantity of Ger
man war gas, the formulal of which
is secret of the German Govern
ment. This comes in small steel
containers equipped with short
fuses, and the containers are insert
ed into holes punched in the mounds.
The gas is probably combination
Of Chlorine and Bromine, with ar
senical gases also present. 1t has
meen used with some success against
the armies of White Ants or ter
mites in the tropics, and the little
steel tubes are thus labelled 'Termit-
ocid.' Professor Pierson stated that
this gas also failed to score signally
against the Maine ants.
Our last experiment was with
Calcium Cyanide, one Of the most
dangerous poisons known to man" he
went on. This comes in the form
of powder closely resembling gun
powder, and is used by inserting IL
into holes punched into the nests. II
proves very successful"
A statement here made by Profess
sor Pierson SENS of the greatest in
terest. He said:
Upon examining the nests on
which this poison was used, several
days later it was found that q few
of the working ants who had been
outside the nest when the poison was
inserted had returned and dragged
out literally thousands of the dead
ants. Ordinarily this species of ants
bury their dead, but apparently the
wholesale nature of this catastrophe
was so overwhelming that the re-
naming survivors were utterly I'M
able to cope with the task of bury
ing the victims of this-to them-na-
tional calamity. The most they could
do was to bring out the dead ants
and pile them up, which was done
in their usual systematic manner"
This spring over 800 mounds were
treated with carbon biSulphide at Old
Town. The mounds were in a big
pine nursery which had been set out
by the town. The chemical used is in
liquid form, and becomes a heavy gas
when released, the gas penetrating
deeply into the galleries and Destroy
ing the ants instantly. This is by far
the most successful experiment SO
far performed by u.s." said Mr.. Pier
son.
"Sods are piled at the base of the
mound to prevent the gases from
escaping, and as an additional ex-
pertinent we tried exploding the gas
inside the mounds by inserting light
ed matches into holes punched in
the nests. Carbon bisulphide is high
ly explosive, and 1t was found that
from six to eight separate and dis
tinct explosions followed the first
one, small detonations occurring that
could be plainly heard and felt by
watchers standing near the mounds
These occurred over an interval OF
ten minutes or more. The above
treatment, which Is very effective
costs only about six to seven cents
per pound, and Is certain In It's re-
suits"
Professor Pierson also said that
one or the species of ants common
to Maine is also native to Switzer-
land, and added that a native Swiss
told him that in the days of his
youth the cocoons of these ants were
collected and sold to chemists, who
paid IS a pound for them, and uti-
liked them in the manufacture of one
form of camphor. AS camphor is
ordinarily obtained direct from cam
| phor gum, tree product, it seems
very probable that the ants were
feeding on something that contained
the wanted substance.