xlv 



July 8. — The Cocktail ants [Cremastogaster castanea, r. 

 tricolor'] have been unusually active the last three days and 

 their numbers seem to have received reinforcements. Instead 

 of solitary individuals going to the safe there is a regular 

 procession coming and going as if they had learnt something 

 from the Siafu. 



Termites came up through the floor in an old place. I 

 was hoping that they would have been wiped out by the 

 Siafu, as the latter must have been in extensive occupation 

 of their passages. I think that the effect of the invasion has 

 been to keej) them quiescent. 



Summary. 



Whilst Siafu undoubtedly do a lot of good in a house by 

 ridding one of unwelcome insects, at the same time they 

 drive off other insectivorous creatures — bats, geckos, jumping 

 spiders, etc. If they continue to operate in the neighbourhood 

 they may undo the good accomplished, by driving in fresh 

 hosts of insects. Apart from this they might ajDtly be com- 

 pared to a purging fire which without discrimination destroj's 

 foe and friend, and is on the whole too dangerous a remedy 

 to call in. 



The best method to combat them is to lay down hot ashes 

 around tlie building before they enter, provided that there 

 are no underground tunnels leading into the house, which, 

 however, is generally the case in the tropics. Meat-baits 

 undoubtedly destroy incredible numbe]«s. The baits should 

 be taken up every few hours and dropj^ed into a bucket or 

 basin containing water with a film of paraffin on the surface. 



If water only is used many will crawl out, and apparently 

 drowned ants, left in for twelve hours, will come round in 

 another twenty-four. 



Paraffin poured on a cement floor kills all that happen to 

 be covered by it, but in an hour or two it will have sufficiently 

 evaporated for them to recommence their peregrinations over 

 the spot so treated. 



A formalin solution (6 % was used) poured on a column 

 passing along the base of a wall threw them into great confusion 



