96 BULLETIN 108, UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM. 



mine props, railroad ties, and other timber in contact with the soil 

 is considerable, especially in the Southern States. 



D. C. Parman, of the Division of Southern Field Crops of the 

 Bureau of Entomology, in charge of Dr. W. D. Hunter, made observa- 

 tions on the relation between insect life and the typical West Indian 

 storm which visited southwest Texas on the night of August 18, 1916. 

 In notes on termite damage Mr. Parman states: 



Places were noted where termites * had made nests in the bottom of the untreated 

 telephone poles of some of the country lines. The termite work was in evidence at 

 nearly all of the wood windmill towers, and it was a noticeable fact that the wooden 

 towers were blown down, while only the mills on the steel towers were wrecked. 

 Termites did much damage to crops blown down, and in a few cases where sorghums 

 had been headed and the heads piled on the ground they were covered with dirt by the 

 termites. 



Termites occasionally injure a gTeat variety of living trees, bushes, 

 shrubs, flowers, and field crops. These insects may be considered a 

 serious greenhouse pest; such buildings are always warm and moist 

 and untreated woodwork and growing plants are especially liable to 

 attack. Termites injure flowers by tunneling and hollowing out the 

 roots and stems. (PI. 14, fig. 1.) 



Practical methods of preventing and remedying damage to timber, 

 the woodwork of buildings and their contents, or injury to plants by 

 termites have been devised and information can be obtained by corre- 

 sponding with the Bureau of Entomology, United States Depart- 

 ment of Agriculture. Methods of preventing damage to buildings 

 will be briefly set forth here. 



Remedies and Preventives. 



Different remedies and preventives must be instituted in case of 

 damage by the two groups of termites, namely, the subterranean and 

 wood-inhabiting termites. 



Nearly all cases of damage to buildings by subterranean termites 

 are due to the fact that they have been carelessly or poorly [con- 

 structed. 



subterranean termites. 



A prevalent idea, even among entomologists, is that termites infest 

 old buildings only. As a matter of fact it is not necessarily the age 

 of a building but the manner in which it is constructed that renders it 

 liable to attack. Impropei'ly constructed new buildings one, two, or 

 three years old are often badly infested. 



The remedy is complete insulation or isolation of all untreated 

 wood from the ground. 



Where possible, construct buildings entirely on raised foundations 

 of stone, brick, or concrete, including stone colunms or pillars in the 

 basement to support the floor above; make the walls and flooring in 



1 Probably species of Reticulitermes and Amitermes wheeleri Desneux. 



