﻿THE 
  INSECTS 
  OF 
  NEW 
  JERSEY. 
  655. 
  

  

  Family 
  FORMICID^. 
  

  

  This 
  includes 
  tlae 
  ants, 
  so 
  well 
  known 
  to 
  all 
  that 
  description 
  is 
  un- 
  

   necessary. 
  The 
  structural 
  character 
  that 
  distinguishes 
  them 
  is 
  the 
  

   possession 
  of 
  one 
  or 
  two 
  nodes 
  or 
  scales 
  at 
  the 
  base 
  of 
  the 
  abdomen, 
  

   forming 
  segments. 
  Ants 
  are 
  usually 
  social, 
  and 
  form 
  colonies, 
  large 
  or 
  

   small, 
  in 
  which 
  workers 
  or 
  wingless, 
  undeveloped 
  females 
  predominate.. 
  

   The 
  perfect, 
  sexed 
  individuals 
  are 
  winged, 
  but 
  the 
  female 
  strips 
  off 
  these 
  

   appendages 
  when 
  she 
  starts 
  a 
  colony. 
  The 
  larvae 
  are 
  footless 
  and 
  help- 
  

   less 
  grubs, 
  which 
  must 
  be 
  fed 
  with 
  food 
  properly 
  prepared 
  by 
  the 
  

   workers. 
  Nests 
  are 
  found 
  in 
  all 
  sorts 
  of 
  places, 
  including 
  houses, 
  and 
  

   in 
  feeding 
  habits 
  they 
  are 
  almost 
  omnivorous. 
  None 
  of 
  our 
  species 
  are- 
  

   directly 
  injurious 
  to 
  field 
  crops, 
  but 
  many 
  of 
  them 
  are 
  indirectly 
  harm- 
  

   ful 
  from 
  their 
  habit 
  of 
  protecting 
  plant 
  lice 
  and 
  storing 
  their 
  eggs 
  during 
  

   the 
  winter. 
  In 
  spring 
  the 
  young 
  lice 
  are 
  colonized 
  on 
  suitable 
  food- 
  

   plants 
  which 
  could 
  not 
  be 
  otherwise 
  reached, 
  and 
  the 
  carriers 
  thus 
  be- 
  

   come 
  injurious, 
  though 
  they 
  do 
  not 
  themselves 
  feed 
  on 
  any 
  cultivated 
  

   plants. 
  Although 
  many 
  ants 
  eat 
  other 
  insects, 
  yet 
  none 
  of 
  them 
  are 
  

   specific 
  enemies 
  to 
  any 
  definitely 
  injurious 
  form, 
  hence 
  there 
  is 
  no 
  bene- 
  

   ficial 
  habit 
  to 
  their 
  credit. 
  

  

  Some 
  of 
  the 
  larger 
  colonies 
  are 
  complicated 
  assemblages, 
  containing 
  

   not 
  only 
  the 
  species 
  that 
  form 
  it, 
  but 
  slaves, 
  scavengers, 
  messmates 
  and 
  

   other 
  associates 
  in 
  'great 
  variety. 
  The 
  study 
  of 
  their 
  habits 
  and 
  rela- 
  

   tions 
  is 
  a 
  fascinating 
  one, 
  and 
  many 
  publications 
  on 
  the 
  general 
  subject 
  

   are 
  available. 
  

  

  The 
  present 
  list 
  has 
  been 
  prepared 
  by 
  Dr. 
  William 
  Morton 
  Wheeler, 
  

   our 
  leading 
  American 
  authority 
  on 
  the 
  subject, 
  and 
  the 
  determinations 
  

   can 
  be 
  relied 
  upon. 
  The 
  notes 
  are 
  from 
  the 
  annotated 
  list 
  published 
  in 
  

   the 
  Bulletin 
  of 
  the 
  American 
  Museum 
  of 
  Natural 
  History 
  in 
  1905. 
  

  

  Where 
  ants 
  infest 
  houses 
  they 
  should 
  be 
  attracted 
  to 
  sponges 
  dipped 
  

   in 
  sugar 
  water, 
  laid 
  near 
  where 
  they 
  run; 
  when 
  a 
  sponge 
  becomes 
  filled 
  

   with 
  the 
  insects 
  it 
  should 
  be 
  thrown 
  into 
  boiling 
  water 
  and 
  replaced 
  by 
  

   another. 
  This 
  sort 
  of 
  warfare 
  kept 
  up 
  for 
  a 
  few 
  days 
  so 
  demoralizes 
  the 
  

   ants 
  that, 
  owing 
  to 
  the 
  inexplicable 
  disappearance 
  of 
  so 
  many 
  of 
  their 
  

   comrades, 
  they 
  leave 
  the 
  house. 
  Fresh 
  bones 
  or 
  meat 
  scrapings 
  serve 
  

   as 
  well 
  as 
  sponges, 
  and 
  should 
  be 
  burned 
  when 
  covered. 
  This 
  sort 
  of 
  

   campaign 
  serves 
  only 
  against 
  those 
  small 
  forms 
  that 
  nest 
  in 
  houses. 
  

   It 
  is 
  not 
  available 
  against 
  those 
  large 
  forms 
  that 
  come 
  in 
  from 
  outside 
  

   nests 
  on 
  foraging 
  expeditions. 
  

  

  When 
  ants 
  infest 
  lawns 
  they 
  can 
  be 
  cleaned 
  out 
  by 
  pouring 
  bisulphide 
  

   of 
  carbon 
  into 
  the 
  main 
  entrance 
  or 
  entrances. 
  The 
  heavy 
  fumes 
  follow 
  

   the 
  galleries 
  and 
  kill 
  larvae 
  as 
  well 
  as 
  adults. 
  One 
  application 
  is 
  usually 
  

   sufficient; 
  but 
  in 
  a 
  very 
  large 
  nest 
  a 
  second 
  may 
  be 
  required. 
  Where 
  a 
  

   hill 
  is 
  extensive, 
  with 
  many 
  openings, 
  punch 
  three 
  or 
  four 
  holes 
  with 
  

   a 
  cane 
  at 
  as 
  many 
  points, 
  pour 
  the 
  bisulphide 
  into 
  these 
  and 
  close 
  with 
  

   the 
  foot. 
  

  

  Names 
  in 
  the 
  previous 
  list 
  not 
  found 
  in 
  this 
  are 
  omitted 
  for 
  lack 
  of 
  

   authentication, 
  and 
  as 
  the 
  insects 
  occur 
  throughout 
  the 
  year 
  dates 
  are- 
  

   not 
  usually 
  given. 
  

  

  