368 



HOUSEHOLD INSECTS 



nursery in which the injury occurred had been lately estab- 

 lished on virgin sandy soil filled with dead pine stumps 

 and their decaying roots. It became quite evident during 

 our investigations, that these termites had deserted their 

 normal food supply and had transferred their attention 

 to the diminutive pecans by mining out the very hearts 

 of them. We have records, also, of serious injury to the 

 crowns and roots of orange trees in 

 Florida and to pecan, chestnut, and 

 walnut trees in Georgia. In Boston, 

 some valuable trees were so injured 

 by termites that they had to be cut 

 down and destroyed. In greenhouses, 

 termites sometimes injure cuttings, 

 potted plants, and plants with her- 

 baceous stems, like geraniums and 

 chrysanthemums. In such cases, the 

 decayed wooden benches or woodwork 

 of the house are often the sources 

 from which the pests come. Indeed, 

 relief from injury has been obtained 

 by the removal of the decayed wood 

 in which the termites had homes. 

 The modern, iron-framed greenhouses 

 with iron and cement benches furnish few homes for 

 these pests. 



Since the workers (Fig 129) are blind and avoid the 

 light and the bodies of termites are soft and not able to 

 withstand drying, the injuries of these pests are hidden 

 and often unknown until suddenly a building collapses or 

 a piece of furniture falls to pieces or the inside of an un- 

 used book is found literally eaten away. No evidence of 



Fig. 129. — A worker 

 termite. (X 9.) 



