THE ARGENTINE ANT 73 



CECIL. The worst household pest of all ants. That's 

 a bad record. 



ANT. As the queens do not fly, it is not spreading very 

 fast. It is only one-eighth of an inch long only half as 

 long as we are. It would take eight of them to make an 

 ant as large as I am. They are little but mighty when it 

 comes to fighting. 



CECIL. How can a small ant like that whip others that 

 have ammunition? 



ANT. There are more of the Argentines, and they just 

 keep on fighting until the ammunition of the enemy is all 

 gone. Of course, many of the Argentines are killed. 



CECIL. What harm does this ant do? 



ANT. It is said that, in some places in this state, ants 

 have reduced the value of land ten to fifteen dollars an 

 acre. 



KENNETH. You are not well posted. Within the past 

 ten years the Argentine ant has spread to many other 

 places than those you named. There are plenty of them in 

 Balboa Park, San Diego, right now. 



CECIL. What do you know about them? 



KENNETH. I know they stole honey from bees kept in 

 the Park. A young turtle lay on his stone island in his 

 small tank in the museum. The keeper put a piece of 

 boiled egg on the turtle's back. 



CECIL. Well, then what? 



KENNETH. The Argentine ants used their floating 

 sisters as a bridge, crossed the water six inches to the 

 island, and stole the egg. The bridge was destroyed, but 

 was re-formed. 



CECIL. I wish every Argentine ant in the state was 

 destroyed, for, as you say, they will drive out or kill all 

 other ants. 



