72 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM 



easily be destroyed by heating the infested material for a period of 

 4 or 5 hours to about 125 or 150 F. This should be done care- 

 fully and time enough given so that the heat will penetrate and 

 destroy all of the insects. Anything infested should be promptly 

 cared for either by destroying the entire package or, if heating is 

 inadvisable, by treating the same with carbon bisulphide. 



Fumigation with carbon bisulphide is comparatively easy of exe- 

 cution since it is necessary only to put the material in a tight 

 pail or can, put on the top a spoonful or thereabouts of the insecti- 

 cide in a shallow saucer or plate, cover the receptacle tightly and 

 allow the whole to stand for preferably 24 or 36 hours. This 

 insecticide may be used on a large scale, according to Dr W. E. 

 Hinds, at the rate of 10 pounds to 1000 cubic feet of space, pro- 

 vided the compartments are exceptionally tight and the temperature 

 above 70 F. 



STRUCTURAL TIMBER PESTS 

 White Ants 93 



These insects, despite their general resemblance to the more 

 common ants, are very different creatures. The flying ants, 

 though having somewhat the same size as some of our winged, 

 black ants, may be recognized at once by the numerous veins of 

 the wings. White ants are frequently very injurious to buildings 

 or their contents, particularly in Washington and to the south- 

 ward. Occasionally they cause serious injuries in New York, and 

 in at least one instance established themselves in safe deposit 

 vaults and proceeded to destroy valuable records and to tunnel 

 the wooden blocks of electrotypes. The whitish, wingless, antlike 

 forms make large tunnels in' woody and other vegetable fibers, 

 invariably avoiding the light. They pass from one object to 

 another only through covered galleries. The secrecy with which 

 these pests operate enables them to cause extensive injury before 

 their presence is suspected. These peculiar insects are familiar 

 to many who have observed their operations in an old stump. 



Control measures. Nothing but the most thorough work will 

 clean a building or a vault of these insects, because their burrowing 

 habits enable them to get beyond the reach of destructive gases. 

 An infested vault should have everything removed, every crack 

 and crevice thoroughly cleaned and then special attention given 



Termes flavipes Kollar. 



