56 ENTOMOLOGICAL SOCIETY OF ONTARIO. 



tinues its activity throughout the winter. The black species has its nest out of doors 

 and finds its way in through the crevices of a window frame or some other tiny opening. 

 Both species are annoying, not so much from the amount that they make away with, as 

 from their habit of getting into articles of food, especially sweets of any kind. Frequently 

 the sugar bowl, when brought to table, is found to be swarming with them, or the pot 

 of jam or marmalade that was opened for one meal is full of smothered specimens as well 

 as lively ones when brought out of the cupboard for the next. 



It is unnecessary here to enter into any description of the marvellous life-history 

 and habits of ants. Many most interesting books have been written upon their highly 

 organized societies and their remarkable intelligence, among these may be mentioned the 

 works of Dr. McCook and Sir John Lubbock. We are only concerned now to know 

 enough about these tiny species to enable us to deal with them effectively. The indi- 

 viduals that cause the annoyance are all neuters, or workers ; the males and females do 

 not appear upon the scene. Should the nest be discovered, there will be found within 

 it one or more females, and a quantity of larvaa and pupaa, which from their white colour 

 and shape are popularly supposed to be eggs. At a certain sea?on of the year, which 

 varies with different species, there may be seen issuing from the nest, apparently in a 

 tremendous state of excitement, a swarm of winged ants, which speedily take flight and 

 from their numbers in the air frequently prove a great nuisance to those whose per&ons 

 may be covered with them. These winged individuals are males and females, whose 

 marriage takes place in the air. The males soon perish and the females which escape 

 their natural enemie3, birds, toads, etc , remove their wings and begin the work of form- 

 ing new colonies, producing an immense quantity of eggs. 



It is evident that the destruction of the workers that come into the house will not 

 exterminate the colony to which they belong. It is therefore all important, if possible, 

 to discover the nest. This may often be done by following the line of advancing and 

 retiring workers till they are traced back to their abode. If at all practicable, without 

 injury to the house, the nest should be destroyed by pouring into it some coal oil or 

 boiling water ; where this cannot be done, it may be possible to inject a small quantity 

 of bi-sulphide of carbon, but care must be taken not to have any light near for fear of an 

 explosion, and to air the apartment thoroughly afterwards. In the case of the little black 

 ant, it is often much more difficult to find the nest in consequence of its being out of doors, 

 but when found its destruction is usually an easy matter as it may simply be drenched 

 with coal oil. Failing the discovery of the nest, the only effective mode of getting rid 

 of the nuisance is to entrap aud destroy the ants as fast as they appear. This can readily 

 be done by taking a wet sponge from which the water has been squeezed and sifting fine 

 sugar into it ; lay it on a plate or saucer where the ants are in the habit of congregating, 

 and in half an hour or so it will be found full of ants ; drop it with its living contents 

 into boiling water and get rid of one host of invaders ; repeat the operation from time to 

 time and in a few days the ants will cease to be troublesome. They will, however, appear 

 upon the scene again after some time, when the same process will have to be repeated ; 

 but it requires but little time and the expenditure of no large amount of patience. 



While housekeepers complain of these tiny ants, gardeners often make enquiries 

 regarding the destruction of the much larger species which disfigure lawns by the great 

 mounds they construct over their nests. A very easy and expeditious method is to be 

 found in the use of bi-sulphide of carbon. Last summer I completely exterminated three 

 colonies on my lawn in the following manner : I purchased a two ounce vial of the bi- 

 sulphide, and at dusk in the evening, when the ants had returned home from their forag- 

 ing expeditions, I poured about a third of it down the principal openings into the nest 

 and at once covered the whole with a sheet of brown paper. After about ten minutes I 

 set fire to the paper, which caused a series of explosions to take place within the nest. 

 The next morning not a single ant was to be seen, and the mound was easily flattened 

 down. The scorched grass soon recovered, and in a week or two not a trace of the 

 unsightly nest remained. The other two nests were destroyed during the same evening 

 and in a similar manner. 



