154 THE GARDEN BEAUTIFUL 



more slowly and the adults carry it to the nests and 

 feed it to the young, and the whole nest is thereby 

 killed through slow poisoning. He recommends that 

 a sponge saturated with the fluid be placed in a closed 

 jar with a perforated cover so ants only may go and 

 come. These jars may then be safely left about the 

 garden or carried into kitchen or pantry. 



A solution of potassium cyanide at the rate of one 

 ounce to a gallon of water, when poured into a small 

 pit at the exit of a burrow, destroys ants to a depth 

 of one and a half feet below the surface of the soil. 

 This solution can be prepared at a cost of from one 

 and one-half to two cents per gallon. It appears, 

 however, to be injurious to plant life. 



A very effective, but more expensive method, and 

 one that has been used with great success for a num- 

 ber of years, is to pour one or more teaspoons of 

 bisulphide of carbon into the opening of each nest, 

 preferably while the soil is wet, closing the holes 

 promptly afterward with the foot. This insecticide 

 has the advantage of being more penetrating than 

 the others mentioned; it is heavier than air and 

 descends as a gas into all the subterranean tunnels 

 of the ants, destroying them as well as all other liv- 

 ing creatures which may be present. When liberally 

 applied this chemical will destroy entire colonies of 

 ants. 



A very good poison for ants in the greenhouse 

 is a mixture of Paris green and sugar, adding just 

 enough of the poison to white granulated sugar to 

 turn it a light green color. This should be dusted 

 lightly among the pots on and under the benches. 

 Be careful not to put any in the pots or on a bench 

 containing soil, as the Paris green is liable to damage 

 the plants. 



