ANTS 



APHANANTHE 



307 



Some of the species are neutral, perhaps, in relation to 

 the economic status of mankind. A great many species 

 are certainly beneficial through their action in stirring 

 and aerating the soil. They are constantly burrowing 

 deep into the earth and bringing up the particles which 

 they distribute over the surface. Their action in this 

 respect is similar to that of earthworms, the value of 

 which was revealed to us by the classic investigations of 

 Darwin. Ants are also important agents in aiding in 

 the decomposition of organic substances. Their work 

 in this respect is little appreciated or realized because 

 it is invisible. It must be remembered, however, that 

 this work of ants is gradual, incessant, and extends 

 through tremendously long periods of time. 



Again, ants are great insect-destroyers. Their food 

 consists, in great part, of the juices and tissues of dead 

 insects or insects that they kill. The interesting driver 

 ants of the Old World and the legionary ants of tropical 

 Africa pass through a territory killing and devouring 

 multitudes of living insects, rats, mice, and the like. 

 Hunter and Hinds tell us that there are twelve species 

 of ants known to attack the immature stages of the 

 Mexican cotton boll-weevil. "In some cases more than 

 lialf of the immature stages in fields have been found 

 to be destroyed by ants alone. To find 25 per cent so 

 destroyed is not a rare occurrence." 



On the other hand, certain household species of ants 

 are very annoying and troublesome. Moreover, the 

 leaf-cutting ants of tropical America are very injurious 

 to plants. They will strip a fruit tree of its foliage in 

 a very short time. One species of these leaf-cutting 

 forms (Alia texana) found in Texas, attacks cotton, 

 corn, fruit trees, sorghum and other plants, and has 

 become of considerable economic importance. In 

 some places, land is not planted on account of fear of 

 attack by these ants. 



The mound-building prairie ant {Pogonomyrmex occi- 

 denlalis), distributed over a large part of the western 

 plains of the United States, has become a distinct pest 

 since man has begun to occupy the prairies. Its 

 large mound-nests in fields of alfalfa or grain become 

 serious obstacles to harvesting the crops. Moreover, 

 when the nests are disturbed, the ants emerge in large 

 numbers and attack man and beast, inflicting painful 

 wounds with their stings. In dooryards and lawns and 

 along paths, they are liable to attack the passerby, 

 especially dawdling children. 



The agricultural ant (Pogonomyrmex barbahis mole- 

 faciens) of Texas may build its mound-nests in fields of 

 alfalfa, corn, or cotton, and, since it allows no vegetation 

 to grow over a considerable area around the nest, the 

 injurj' may be serious. Moreover, they are pugnacious 

 and sting intruders severely. 



Perhaps the most injurious role assumed by ants is 

 their protection and fostering of plant-lice, scale insects, 

 and the like. Aphids and scale insects are among the 

 most injurious insect pests, and anything that protects 

 them or aids them in increasing may be considered an 

 enemy to man. 



As a pest, the Argentine ant (Tridomyrmex humilis), 

 stands by itself. Professor Newell says, "As a house- 

 hold pest I venture the opinion that this ant has no 

 equal in the United States." Unfortunately, it has also 

 become a serious menace to horticultural interests as 

 well. It destroys the buds, blossoms, and fruit of cer- 

 tain plants and protects and fosters certain scale insects 

 that are very injurious to sugar-cane. Moreover, it has 

 in a few instances actually shown itself to be dangerous 

 to human life by nearly suffocating >-oung infants. 



The Argentine ant was probably first introduced 

 into the United States through the port of New Orleans, 

 and is now found in I^ouisiana, Alis.sissippi, parts of 

 California, and probably Texas. It is an exceechngly 

 tenacious ant, holding on where once established, 

 increasing with great rapidity, and driving out all the 

 native ants. 



The termites, or whit", ants. 



The termites are not true ants. In fact, they stand 

 at the opposite end of the insect-world, widely separated 

 from the ants just discussed. They resemble the true 

 ants, however, in many important respects. For exam- 

 ple, they live in great colonies, and many tropical 

 species build large mound-like nests. Moreover, in 

 each colony there are several kinds of individuals, for 

 example, the queen, the males, the workers which , 

 are blind or have imperfect vision, and, finally, the 

 soldiers. The food of termites usually consists of dead 

 or decaying wood, and the species in the United States 

 Uve mostly underground or in old logs, in the timbers 

 of buildings, or in the walls and floors of houses. Occa- 

 sionally they injure young pecan and orange trees by 

 mining into the stems and sometimes attack sugar- 

 cane. The greatest injury performed by termites, how- 

 ever, is by burrowing into the sills and foundation- 

 timbers of buildings, thus undermining the whole 

 structure. They also injure books and documents 

 stored in damp basements and sometimes become 

 serious pests to greenhouses. 



The control of ants in gardens, lawns and fields. 



The only method of getting rid of ants permanently 

 is by locating the nests and treating them in such a 

 way that the queen will finally be destroyed. The sub- 

 stance most used for treating the nests is carbon 

 bisulfide. One or more holes should be made in the 

 nest with an iron bar and an ounce or two of the hquid 

 poured into each hole. The openings to the holes should 

 be quickly and tightly closed with a clod of dirt. A 

 heavy wet blanket thrown over the nest will aid in 

 retaining the gas and tend to make the fumigation 

 more effective. The hquid evaporates and the gas 

 penetrates the whole nest, killing queen and workers, 

 thus exterminating the colony. 



Within the past few years, several workers have used 

 potassium cyanide with good success in destroying ants 

 in the field. J. D. Mitchell conducted experiments 

 against the leaf-cutting ant in Texas. He dissolved the 

 cyanide at the rate of one ounce in one quart of water 

 and poiu-ed a quart into each of the openings of the 

 nests. In every case the colony was destroyed by one 

 or two applications. This method may be followed to 

 advantage in destroying ants in gardens and on lawns, 

 but the solution may be made weaker — one ounce of 

 the cyanide to two to foiu' quarts of water. Best 

 results will be secured by using 9S per cent pure potas- 

 sium cyanide. It must be remembered that this is a 

 deadly poison and great care should be exercised in 

 handUng and storing it. Q \y Hbrrick. 



AOTUS (without ear; no calyx appendages). Legu- 

 mindsex. Greenhouse plant, blooming April to June 

 m N. 



Shrubs, with simple scattered or 3-whorled revolute- 

 margined Ivs., and j-ellow or reddish fls. in axillary 

 clusters or short terminal racemes; calyx 2-lipped; 

 petals long-claw-ed, the standard nearly orbicular and 

 longer than lower petals, the wings oblong and keel 

 incurved; stamens free: pod ovate, flat or turgid, 2- 

 valved. — Ten or 11 species in Austral. 



gracillima, Meisn. Tall shrub, with long slender 

 branches, hoary or slightly tomentose: fls. yellow with 

 crimson or dark-colored keel, in long leafy dense ra- 

 cemes, the petals twice as long as calyx. W. Austral. 

 R-B. 26:193. L. H. B. 



APERA ARUNDINACEA: Stipa arundinacea. 



APHANANTHE (Greek, aphanes, inconspicuous, 



and (inthe, flower). Ulmacex. Ornamental deciduous 

 tree cultivated for its foliage and sometimes planted as 

 a shade tree. 



Trees or shrubs: Ivs. alternate, petiolate, serrate; 

 stipules free: fls. montjucious, inconspicuous; staminate 



