308 BEES AND WASPS 



to occupy at least the cotton-growing region if not a greater 

 extent of the country. 



The species is thought to have been intro(hiced from 

 Argentina and was first noticed in New Orleans where it 

 was reported as occurring in fair numbers in 1891. It is 

 now known throughout most of Louisiana and in eastern 

 Texas, and also occurs in California. Within the range of 

 its distribution it has become a very serious pest and its 

 further distribution will naturally be a matter of serious 

 consequence to other localities. Without assistance the 

 ant migrates slowly but with the opportunities afforded 

 by commerce its dispersal may be quite rapid. 



As with the other ants there are males, females, and 

 neuters; the males and females being winged, the neuters 

 wingless but the females lose their wings after the mating 

 flight. 



The size of the colonies varies from a few individuals to 

 many thousands and a number of queens may be present 

 in each colony. The nests are built in various places under- 

 ground, seldom occurring at any great depth. 



This species is a most difficult one to control and experi- 

 ments with poisonous materials, repellants, etc., have met 

 with only partial success. 



Wasps iSpherina). — In this group we have a considerable 

 number of solitary forms of those which preserve the primi- 

 tive conditions of males and females without workers or 

 with large broods raised at one time in one nest. Mud, 

 paper, pith, etc., are used as building materials. The sand 

 wasp {Bembecince) burrows into the sand for its nest. They 

 stock these nests with insects of diff'erent kinds such as May 

 flies. The larvse develop by feeding upon the bodies of these 

 stored insects. It is strange that they can keep a burrow 

 complete enough so that they can pass in and out a number 

 of times. They are very common here and are protected 

 to some extent by the coloration of the body. Their bur- 

 rows are constructed along through the summer and the 

 larvae develop during the summer and presumably all reach 

 the pupa stage before winter and live over as pupse, issuing 



