October, '16] DE ONG: ARGENTINE ANT CONTROL 471 



During this time the infested areas in the adjoining cities of Berkeley, 

 Oakland, and Alameda had increased enormously in spite of the work 

 done by the residents to control the ants; in some cases a single family 

 would spend from twenty to thirty dollars a year for ant pastes and 

 yet not control them. Alameda was now practically a solid infesta- 

 tion, Oakland has perhaps half its territory infested. In Berkeley the 

 infestation had increased from five blocks to one hundred and sixteen 

 or twenty while in Piedmont the increase had been from four to about 

 thirty blocks and with far less annoyance to the householders than in 

 the other cities. Invasions of the house, when occurring at all, being 

 sporadic and only for a short time instead of lasting the greater part 

 of the year. This result being attained at a total cost of about eleven 

 hundred (SI 100.00) dollars for three j^ears. And now after over a 

 year of no effort the ants are only beginning to make trouble. 



In 1915 Berkeley again appropriated funds for control work, the 

 present campaign being in charge of W. A. Gregory. The work at- 

 tempted is purely control, no effort being made to force measures at 

 any point, but wherever assistance is asked for, the city, through its 

 health department, takes charge of the control measures and bears all 

 expense. At the end of the present fiscal year, one hundred and six- 

 teen out of one hundred and thirty-three infested blocks are being 

 treated, the total cost for the year's campaign being sixteen hundred 

 ($1600.00) dollars or about one dollar and twelve cents S(1.12) a 

 block per month. 



While the remedy has been available to all, and most of the drug 

 stores in the infested districts manufacture it under the name of the 

 Ai'gentine Ant remedy but of course at a much higher price than the 

 wholesale rates at which the municipality can furnish it, and while 

 the University has given directions and sent circulars to all who are 

 interested in control work, yet the ants continue to increase and many 

 householders fail to find relief from the insect even though time and 

 money are spent freely in the attempted control. 



Some give up and movp to iininfested localities, increased difficulty 

 is found in retaining tenants in the districts, rents are lowered, and 

 even realty values fall, not from the lack of spending monej^ but be- 

 cause it has not been used properly. These results show that simple 

 as the process is, the best results are secured when the municipality 

 assumes the responsibility and places an expert in charge of the work. 



1st. This shows in the more certain control since only a portion of 

 the people have success with the remedy; 



2d. The lessened cost, — much less, experience has shown than the 

 community spends; and, 



