Febmary,'22[ scientific notes 113 



mash before they have had an opportunity to reproduce. They are active 

 travelers and when coming to a depression or furrow are likely to follow along the 

 bottom for a distance before climbing out. They eat poison bait readily even when 

 there is an abundance of unpoi^oned food. 



Eleven days after bait was applied lightly in a furrow 390 yards in length, 

 7653 dead beetles were counted. A large number, in addition, had crawled away 

 from the furrow before dying. Poison bait was apparently as effective at the 

 end of 10 days as when first distributed. Thousands of beetles were killed by 

 broadcasting poison mash on waste land and around straw stacks. The cost of 

 material for treating 40 acres by the furrow method was 70 cents, less than 2 

 cents per acre — furrow^, spaced 100 yards apart. By a mechanical device, a 

 furrow was treated a^ fast as a team could walk. It appears possible to very nearly 

 eradicate E. hispilabris in a community by use of poison bran during two success- 

 ive seasons, if cooperative work is done over a large area. During the present 

 year, the University of Idaho will carry on further work on life history and large 

 scale control of species of Eleodes injurious to grain. 



Claude Wakeland 

 Entomologist, University of Idaho Extension Division 



Some Ants noted to infest houses in Mississippi during the summer and 

 fall of 1921. During the summer and fall of 1921, the writer had the opportunity 

 of observing many species of house ants in Mississippi. This opportunity arose 

 during the period when the writer was scouting for Argentine ants or assisting in the 

 campaign against these ants in many of the towns in the State. It seems well to 

 mention very briefly here the species observed and what has been noted concerning 

 their distribution and habits. 



Ten species have been noted as house pests. Six of these are imported ants, 

 the others are native ants. In mentioning these ants below, the writer will rank 

 them according to his idea of their economic importance as house pests in Mississippi. 



By far the worst house ant in the State is the Argentine ant, Iridomyrmex huniilis 

 Mayr., which has been recorded from forty-one towns in this State and no doubt 

 occurs in many others, of which we have no record. As a house pest this ant has 

 the habit of crawling everj^where; getting into peoples' beds, driving setting hens 

 from the nest, crawling over ice cold meat in refrigerators and acting as distributors 

 of injurious scale insects on shade trees and fruit trees. 



The next two species, one of which is an imported ant, hold about equal rank as 

 house pests. M. pharaonis L. and Monomorium minimum Buckley, are practically 

 the same size and have similar habits, being particularly fond of meats and greases. 

 The former is known as the small red ant or Pharaoh's ant, and the latter as the tiny 

 black ant. Both species are widely distributed throughout the United States and the 

 writer believes they are widely distributed in Mississippi, as he has found them in 

 practically every town visited. 



Solenopsis geminata Fabr., commonly known as the fire ant because of its stinging 

 habit, seems to be a common house pest also. Like the two species above, it prefers 

 meaty foods, but will eat sweets when the opportunity permits. The writer has not 

 observed any of these ants nesting in houses and he doubts very much if they do so, 

 since they are soil nesting species. Their crater-like nests in the soil are generally 

 found in sunny spots. No doubt they stray into houses because of the scarcity of 

 food outside. 



Another species of this genus — the tiny yellow thief ant, Solenopsis molesta Say, 

 is a house pest also. It resembles M. pharaonis superficially, but it is much smaller 



