Evening star., 1933-05-26
TERM|Tt INVASION
IN EAST IS DENIED
u. S. Specialist AIIays Fears
of White Ant Menace;
Sees Racket

There has been no "termite invasion
of the eastern United States.
In the face of a rapidly spreading
hysteria over the possibility of the foun-
dation of great cities being eaten away
by vast armies of hostile insects, DR..
Thomas E. Snyder, termite specialist OF
the Department of Agriculture who has
just returned from trip through the
Northeastern States was able to find no
more than a normal increase In the
numbers of so-called white ants prey
ing on building foundations.
s The growing fear, which has resulted
in from so to 60 requests day for ad-
vice from government entomologlsts,
evidently has been engineered as part
of a profitable racket" especially in
New York City, DR.. Snyder believes,
There are always termites in abundance
at this time of year, he says. and they
do considerable damage which usually
escapes unnoticed. The general public
knows little about them and when at
tention Is suddenly called to their raw
ages in sensational language they are
looked upon as an entirely new pest.
Then there is ready sale for various
termite preventives.
No New Variety for Years
He found the prevalent impression,
even among entomologists not especl-
ally familiar with the habits of ter
mites. DR.. Snyder said, was that there
had been an invasion of an especially
destructive species from abroad, where
as no new variety has turned up in
the United States for years. The ter
mite hysteria is spreading rapidly from
New York to other Eastern cities.
Builders are afraid to start new projects
Sx,yr ciN hoc hnn
checked and investors are refusing
loans for fear the new buildings will be
eaten up in a short time.
"The plain fact Is" Mr.. Snyder said,
shat most of the termites now in the
United States were here before the
coming of the white men. Then they
were beneficial insects, helping to
bring about the decomposition Of fall
len logs in the forests and thus re-
ducing them to soil. The forests have
been replaced with cities. The ter
mites, with no logs to eat, turn to
buildings which are the only available
material As this change continues
the termite danger becomes worse and
worse, but very gradually. This Spring
the idea has gotten abroad that 1t sud-
denly has been magnifled many times.
People will hardly believe us when we
say there has been no termite invasion,
after the vast amount of material in
the newspapers.
Looks and Acts Like Ant
I'VE have termites here in the Ma
tional museum found in North Amer
ican deposits fifty million years old.
They differ very little from the species
found in Washington today. Presum-
ably they had much the same general
habits"
Little known in this part of the
world except to professional entomol-
ogists, MIR. Snyder pointed out, the life
story Of the termite-one of the most
marvellous of insects-makeS a striking
impression on the laynlan when pre-
scented to him for the first time. 1t
looks and acts like an ant. 1t has
much of the elaborate social organi-
zation of the ant, with its different
castes of soldiers, workers, etc. Yet 1t
is not even remotely related to the
ants, but is a relative of the cockroach.
Most of the termites in the eastern
United States are subterranean in habit,
attacking only such wood as they can
reach through the soil. Hence they
are rarely seen, except during their
and most persons are unaware of their
existence. The only certainly effective
safeguard against these insects, DR..
Snyder says, is to insulate thoroughly
wood foundations of buildings from the
soil. Other methods are still in an ex-
perimental stage. Funigations, poisons
and spraying, he points out, are of no
permanent value. They kill the flying
insects and those actually in the wood,
but have no effect on those still COM
ing up through the ground.