400 ECONOMIC ZOOLOGY AND ENTOMOLOGY 



saturated solution of corrosive sublimate will repel the ants 

 as long as the poison remains. "Ant tape" is made by soak- 

 ing ordinary cotton tape in a saturated solution of corrosive 

 sublimate. After the tape is dry it may be fastened around 

 table legs, on the edges of shelves or in other places. The 

 ants will not cross the tape as long as the poison remains on 

 it. It may thus afford protection for several months if kept 

 dry. As corrosive sublimate is very poisonous it must not be 

 used where children can reach it, and care must be taken to 

 wash the hands thoroughly after handling it. It has been 

 found that the most successful way to control the Argentine ant 

 is to place a number of sponges that have been soaked in a 

 weak solution of arsenic in convenient places about the yard 

 or in the houses. A gallon of this poison may be prepared 



by mixing one-third of an ounce 

 of arsenite of soda in a syrup 

 that has been made by dissolv- 

 ing six pounds of sugar in a 

 gallon of water. This poison 

 acts very slowly and is carried 

 to the nest by the workers and 

 fed to the queen and the young 

 so that the whole colony may be 

 exterminated or driven away in 

 a few weeks. The same remedy 

 may prove effective in fighting 

 other species. 



Clothes -moths. There are two common species of small 

 moths whose larvae attack woolen fabrics, furs and feathers. 

 The case-making clothes-moth, Tinea pellionella, is very com- 

 mon, particularly in the North. The wings expand about 

 half an inch, the forewings are grayish yellow with indistinct 

 fuscous spots, and the hind wings are grayish. The eggs are 

 laid on or near the articles upon which the larvae are to feed. 

 As soon as they hatch the larvae begin to construct little cases 

 or covers out of bits of the material on which they are feeding. 

 This case is enlarged from time to time as the insect grows. 

 There may be two or more generations in warm places. 



FIG. 186. The clothes-moth, 



ral size; 

 Marlatt.) 



after Howard and 



