THE MONTHLY BULLETIN. 419 



SOME WEATHERPROOF BANDS FOR USE AGAINST 



ANTS.* 



By J. R. HoRTON, Scientific Assistant, 

 Bureau of Entomology, United States Department of Agriculture. 



The use of sticky or other materials applied in a band about the trunks 

 of trees, the legs of tables and refrigerators where food is kept, stands 

 supporting beehives, etc., to prevent invasion by ants, and in some eases 

 by other crawling insects, has become quite general in the United States. 

 The object of this circular is to give the best formulas for preparing 

 lasting banding mixtures developed in the course of a long series of 

 experiments in which some twenty combinations were tested. 



Ant repellent bands are u.sually of two types. The adhesive type of 

 band, which is most generally used, is dependent for its effectiveness 

 upon the viscosity or stickiness of the ingredients; the second, or dry 

 type, owes its effectiveness to the presence of chemicals which emit a 

 poisonous emanation or a disagreeable odor which is repellent to the 

 insects. Both kinds are found in the market, the first in the form of 

 bulk tree-sticky, the second as ant tapes or as liquids to be applied with 

 a brush. 



The objectionable features of the various banding preparations which 

 it was the purpose of the experiments mentioned to overcome are their 

 shortness of life and inability to withstand changes in the weather with- 

 out losing their effectiveness. The adhesive type of band, which is the 

 most practicable for use on a large scale out of doors, suffers a loss of 

 effectiveness in one or more of the following ways : Eain or fog causes a 

 slight hardening of the surface of the band over which ants can pass; 

 exposure to the sun at first softens them but later causes hardening; 

 cool weather usually has an even more decided hardening effect upon the 

 .surface, and if this defect is overcome by increasing the proportion of 

 the more fluid ingredients the bands are apt to run and be too rapidly 

 absorbed in hot weather. 



"While great improvement can be made in the adhesive bands by vary- 

 ing their consistency so as to keep them soft in all kinds of weather in 

 which the ants are active, the fact remains that they will gradually 

 collect bits of trash and dust until they become ineffective. It appeared 

 that if the banding material could be made to retain its softness indefi- 

 nitely under all conditions, and at the same time be given a strongly 

 repellent effect to overbalance the collection of trash, the result would 

 be a band which would keep out ants for several months, without atten- 

 tion. As corrosive sublimate, or mercuric chloride, is known to have a 

 definitely repellent effect upon certain species of ants, a mixture of this 

 poison and commercial tree-sticky was tried. This mixture was a success 

 in that no ants crossed it and no spreading or renewal was needed for 

 about three months. It was found that one part of the powdered corro- 

 sive sublimate to six parts of the tree-sticky gave the best consistency. 

 When the ants finally did begin crossing the band on the collected trash, 

 they were only able to cross very slowly, and plainly showed effects of 



*Published in The Monthly Bulletin by permission of Dr. L. O. Howard, Chief of the 

 Bureau of Entomology of the United States Department of Agriculture. 



