184 HOUSEHOLD INSECTS 



heaps, in dooryards under stones, and in many other places. 

 They increase with great rapidity, destroy or drive out 

 other ants with which they come in contact, and penetrate 

 every room, closet, trunk, and corner of a dwelling. 

 They are fond of all sugars, sirups, fruit juices, honey, 

 cakes, fresh meat, blood, lard, cream, dead insects, and 

 other substances. Like other ants, they are fond of the 

 honey-dew secreted by aphids and, as a result, they foster 

 aphids and certain scale insects greatly to the detriment 

 of the infested plants. In Audubon Park, New Orleans, 

 Newell says they destroyed the entire orange crop by eat- 

 ing into the fruit buds and that much of the fig crop in 

 the vicinity of the city was also destroyed. What is more 

 remarkable still, infants have been reported to have been 

 killed by the hordes of these ants crawling into the mouth 

 and nasal passages. Newell relates an instance falling 

 under his personal observation of an infant's being found 

 in great distress during the night from the thousands of 

 these ants that were crawling into its mouth and nostrils. 

 The child had to be submerged several times in water 

 before the ants were driven from its body. It would 

 seem that the possibilities of this ant for committing in- 

 juries of many kinds and against various interests are 

 almost unlimited. 



It seems that this ant is more persistent than any of 

 our native species and the only permanent way to obtain 

 relief is to destroy the whole colony, especially the queen. 



Winter trapping. These ants have a peculiar and rather 

 striking habit regarding their method of passing the 

 winter. In the autumn, there is a tendency for several 

 small colonies to combine into one very large colony which 

 then seeks a suitably protected location for the winter 



