WILD LIFE IN CALIFORNIA 



27 



In watching the actions of the ants at the 

 crossing and noting the variations of conduct 

 in individuals, how timid, excited and hesi- 

 tating some were, while others showed de- 

 cidedly opposite traits I was impressed with 

 the thought of how human-like these charac- 

 teristics were. 



When the traveling of the ants was fully 

 resumed and the disturbing odor of the gum 

 no longer interfered with the passing insects, 

 the line of travel over the spot was exactly 

 the same as it was prior to the interruption, 

 indicating that the odor of the ant trail was 

 preserved though it had been temporarily 

 overwhelmed by the spicy smell from the gum. 



It is a generally accepted fact that odor 

 is an important feature in the life history of 

 the ant family. Each species of the insect 

 possesses a characteristic smell, which is so 

 strong in some kinds as not only to be recog- 

 nizable by human olfactories, but is also very 

 offensive. In all probability the odor that is 

 peculiar to a species varies in its subdivisions 

 of colony, caste, and even individuals as point- 

 ed out by Miss Fielde, who has given much 

 study to this side of ant life, otherwise it 

 would be difficult to account for the hostility 

 existing between adjacent colonies of the 

 same species. No one can watch the actions 

 and behavior of ants in their work and meet- 

 ing wih one another without recognizing the 

 use they make of their antennae that they 

 are just as much olfactory organs to the ants 

 as is the nose to the human family. 



Although fully satisfied that these little 

 insects depended largely on their sense of 

 smell in their activities, I thought to make 

 another experiment. This time I concluded to 

 puff some tobacco smoke against the wall so 

 its fume would envelop the column of work- 

 ers passing back and forth at that point. I 

 reasoned that if the ants had no sense of smell 

 the tobacco fume would not disturb them or 

 interrupt them in their marching up and 

 down the line of the wall. The first light 

 puff of smoke blown upon the ants caused 

 more excitement and confusion than did the 

 odor of the gum, but the effect was not as 

 lasting. However, they exhibited more dis- 

 tress, some few individuals curled up, lost 

 their footing and fell to the floor; others ran 

 around in a circle, while- some stood still, 

 excitingly moving their antennae, probably 

 trying to make out the source of the horrible 

 suffocating smoke. As the fume of the 

 tobacco quickly passed away the ants soon 

 resumed their courses on the wall. It was ap- 

 parent from their actions that the ants 

 possess very sensitive olfactory organs. Of 

 course this fact was established long ago by 

 investigators of the life history of these in- 

 sects, but reading or being told of the remark- 

 able things done in the insect world and the 

 operation of human like faculties of some of 

 its individuals is not so impressive or con- 

 vincing as an ocular demonstration. As the 

 Argentine ants have no friends in this locality 

 I have little fear of rebuke for blowing 

 smoke in their faces. In truth, owing to their 

 impudent, thieving traits there are few, if 

 any, householders who would not have treated 



them to boiling water and ant poison instead 

 of Spearmint and tobacco smoke. 



There seems to be no limit to their 

 appetites, which are as active at night as in 

 the daytime. Though it is nothing to their 

 credit there are some things of the household 

 provender they will not partake of, but such 

 things are so few the fact does not tend to 

 reduce the unpopularity of the unwelcome 

 foreigners. So numerous and common is the 

 invasion of homes in nearly every part of the 

 Eastbay section by these insects that the in- 

 habitants are at their wits' end in devising 

 schemes to keep such eatables as the ants' 

 will attack free from contamination by them. 

 Butter, cheese and milk are among the few 

 articles of food excluded from the diets of the 

 Argentines, and in our home they do not 

 bother flour, mush or plain breadstuff. How- 

 ever, about all other articles of food have to 

 be placed in dishes set in pans of water to 

 protect them from the minute pests. 



Professor William M. Wheeler, entomologist 

 of Harvard University, who probably knows 

 more about the habits of ants than any of 

 our other investigators or students, says the 

 food of ants varies with the genera and 

 species. Some kind of ants rely on other in- 

 sects which they may capture and kill, or 

 find dead. Other ants live almost wholly on 

 the larvae and pupae of ants captured from 

 other colonies. Then there are some ants that 

 find their food in honey-dew which is plant 

 juice that has undergone certain changes in 

 the alimentary tract or by contact with cer- 

 tain glands of the insects. Besides there are 

 kinds of ants which includes the species 

 known as the Harvesters, which feed on seeds 

 of plants, grasses and small fruits, injured 

 fruits, bulbs and tender roots. Finally there 

 is a tribe of ants, the Attii, which lives ex- 

 clusively on fungus hypae which grows on 

 certain vegetable substances carried into 

 their nests by the ants. Professor Wheeler 

 says "that probably there is no single specie 

 of ant able to draw on all these sources of 

 food, but many ants utilize several of them 

 and may be said to be more or less omniver- 

 ous, finding it an easy matter to pass from 

 one kind of food to another, if it will only 

 yield to their mouth parts, that is, if it can 

 be imbibed directly as a liquid or rasped off 

 in minute particles from which the liquid can 

 be expressed in the hypopharyngeal pocket." 

 From my observations I would place the 

 Argentine in this latter class of feeders. It 

 is its omniverous appetite that makes it such 

 an unwelcome guest in our homes. 



Though countless numbers of the ants are 

 destroyed daily through the agency of boiling 

 water and various kinds of ant poisons, they 

 multiply so rapidly that their numbers seem 

 to suffer no dimunition. Though of tropi- 

 cal or semi-tropical origin, the conditions 

 about the bay of San Francisco seems par- 

 ticularly favorable for their existence and 

 propagation. Immense popularity and greater 

 fortune is awaiting the individual who dis- 

 covers a method that will rid our homes of 

 these little pests and protect them from 

 future invasion. Ant powders containing 



