180 INJURIOUS INSECTS OF 1904. 



hills, as above indicated, is found in the lawn, and the ground 

 seems more or less honeycombed by their burrows, punch several 

 holes from two to four inches deep at intervals through their vil- 

 lages, using something like a sharp croquet stake, and pour about a 

 teaspoonful of the above liquid in each, then cover with earth and 

 burlap, as suggested. 



The minute ants, Monomorium, which sometimes get a foothold 

 in the house, annoying careful housekeepers, can only be eradicated 

 by finding the nest or nests, even though it is necessary to remove 

 some carpentering to do so, and killing the queen or queens. 

 Sometimes she can be reached by squirting kerosene, using a ma- 

 chine oil can, into cracks and crevices in the immediate neighbor- 

 hood of the nest. There are various ways of temporarily alleviat- 

 ing the trouble, but no permanent relief can be expected until the 

 queen, the source of all the eggs, is killed. Bisulphide of carbon, 

 observing the usual precautions as regards the proximity of lights, 

 is sometimes successfully used. 



Naked Snails, "Slugs": These must not be confounded with 

 the "rose slug" or "pear and cherry slug" or "willow slug" discussed 

 above, which are insects. The subjects discussed in this paragraph 

 are not insects at all, but belong to the group or phylum of animals 

 known as Molhisca — soft bodied creatures, frequently covered with 

 a shell, such as our pond snails, clams, oysters, etc., but sometimes 

 without, like these slugs which crawl about flower beds, frequently 

 eating violets and pansies, and in some sections notoriously trouble- 

 some on lettuce in the vegetable garden. 



Moist ground is always more likely to be frequented than dry 

 situations, hence, drainage, where practicable, tends to lessen their 

 numbers. I have trapped them by placing cabbage leaves flat on 

 the ground among plants infested, leaving them there over night, 

 and finding Mr. Slug underneath in the morning, he having sought 

 that protection against the heat of the day, after his night's feed. 

 Shingles or pieces of boards answer fairly well for traps. When 

 lettuce is troubled I have had the best success by using clear weak 

 lime water, sprinkling the plants with the same, which in no way 

 injures the lettuce, but is extremely distasteful to the slugs, evi- 

 dently keeping them away, and they are destroyed if it comes in 

 contact with their slimy bodies. It is claimed that cheap salt at 



