276 INSECT PESTS OF THE HOUSEHOLD. 



Remedies. — The first essential to a successful 

 fight with these insects, is to find the location of the 

 nests. If they can then be reached it is easy to de- 

 stroy them by means of benzine, gasoline, bisulphide 

 of carbon, or even hot water — anything in fact, that 

 will kill them. If any inflamable, or explosive sub- 

 stances are used, of course great care must be taken 

 to keep away fire in any form. 



There are certain larger ants that are frequently 

 troublesome on lawns, by making their nests above 

 the surface of the grass, and thus disfiguring them. 

 A simple way of destroying these is recorded by Dr. 

 Riley, as follows: A number of holes are punched 

 in the nest by means of a pointed stick ; a teaspoon- 

 mi of bisulphide of carbon is then poured down 

 each hole, and a damp blanket is thrown over the 

 nest for a few minutes — then the blanket being re- 

 moved the bisulphide is exploded at the mouth of 

 each hole by means of a light at the end of a pole. 

 The slight explosions drive the poisonous fumes 

 down through the underground tunnels, killing off 

 the ants in enormous numbers. 



The Little Red Ants may be trapped by means of 

 small sponges, saturated with sweetened water, and 

 then occasionally dropped into boiling water. But 

 this is a much less satisfactory method than that of 

 destroying them in their nests. 



