Feb. '08] JOURNAL OP ECONOMIC ENTOMOLOGY 35 



direction at least as far as Alexandria, La., a distance of one hundred 

 and ninety miles from New Orleans. Fully five thousand square 

 miles are now included in the infested territory. Artificial dissemina- 

 tion is by far the most important means of distribution. Mr. Titus 

 in his paper reviewed very completely this phase of the subject. Suf- 

 fice to say that individuals by thousands, and even complete colonies, 

 travel from infested points in shipments of groceries, feed stuffs, 

 manufactured articles, timbers, etc. The spread of the species from 

 the railroad towns into the surrounding country and into the broad 

 iields of the large plantations is comparatively slow and in only a 

 small part of the area designated as infested is the ant universally 

 distributed through both town and country. 



Economic Importance. 



It is as a household pest that this ant has thus far attracted the 

 most attention. Under houses, in dooryards, beneath outhouses, in 

 compost heaps, in hollow trees and between the walls of dwellings the 

 nests or colonies occur in abundance. From these nests foragers go 

 forth by day and by night, being deterred only when the temperature 

 falls below about 50° F. Whenever a foraging worker discovers any- 

 thing which will serve as food hundreds and thousands of workers 

 will gather within the half hour. In the case of my own residence, a 

 new building, every square inch of surface in each room is regularly 

 "patrolled" by the individual "scouts." No trunk, closet, book case, 

 nor corner is left unexplored, and this despite the fact that since last 

 spring I have waged constant warfare against them by destroying 

 dozens of colonies with bisulphide of carbon. 



Among the substances which serve the species as food may be men- 

 tioned sugars and syrups of all kinds, fresh meat, blood, lard, cream, 

 fruit juices, honey, cakes and dead insects. Very few repellants are 

 successful in protecting food stuffs. Even the time-honored method 

 of placing table legs in bowls of water is but partially effective, for 

 with the first accumulation of a dust film on the water the workers 

 cross it without difficulty. In fact the surface film of perfectly fresh 

 water is almost strong enough to support workers, and on more than 

 (\ne occasion I have seen a worker alternately swimming and walking 

 across the surface of the water. Grocers, restaurant keepers and 

 wholesale houses lose heavily by the inroads of this pest. A jug of 

 molasses or a barrel of sugar, for example, containing several thousand 

 ants is not entirely acceptable to the customer. The species does not 

 sting, but can bite severely when so inclined, and sometimes becomes 

 an annoyance to human beings. I have known of several cases where 



