10 BULLETIN 965, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 



inches in width were applied directly to the trunks and the ants 

 above the bands removed by the use of insecticides. Inspections 

 were made at least biweekly for a period of six weeks following the 

 start of the experiment and these bands were refreshened at the 

 time of inspection and the ants removed from the body of the tree. 

 During the course of the experiment upward of 70 per cent of the 

 trees became reinfested. The cost for labor and materials to keep 

 the ants in this 10-acre orchard under control by the use of bands 

 amounted to approximately 15^ cents per tree, proportioned as 

 follows : 



. Labor for pruning and banding 1,135 trees .'!!75. 00 



Sticky tree-banding material 22. 80 



Labor for inspection and treatment for ants 60. 00 



Material for ant treatment 10. 00 



Hand pump 10. 00 



Total cost 177. 80 



Cost per tree 0. 156 



It was quickly determined that constant surveillance and frequent 

 combing of these sticky bands are necessary to keep trees free of ants. 



EXPERIMENT 2. 



Another experiment was performed, in which 120 orange trees 

 were banded with sticky tree-banding material February 21-25, 1916, 

 after the method used in Experiment 1 . The ants were present in 

 very light trails, due to retarded development during the winter 

 months. This experiment was inspected weekly for a period of 

 four months, at each visit the bands being refreshened where neces- 

 sary, infested trees freed of ants, and all growth beneath the tree 

 removed. The results of this inspection are given beneath. 



Per cent of 

 bands crossed. 



March 37 



April 5 



May 10 



June 14 



The bands in this second experiment proved decidedly more 

 effective than those in Experiment ■ 1 . This is attributable to 

 several causes. The work was started at a time when the weather 

 was cool and the ants not numerous. In fact they were not abundant 

 at any time during the experiment with the exception of a very few 

 trees on which the bands were not continuously effective. Colonies 

 were removed to neighboring trees where food was abundant and, 

 furthermore, the bands were continuouslj^ in a good state of repair. 

 Experiment 1 was started in September when the ants were steadily 

 streaming up every tree to attend heavy infestations of mealybugs. 



