THE DESTRUCTION OF TERMITES 89 



a highly inflammable nature. Many shipping companies 

 object to carry it, and it is consequently expensive. 



About T drachm, or J cubic cc, of the liquid should 

 be poured on a small handful of cotton wool and plunged 

 into the nest. If all holes in the nest are closed up with 

 moist clay, the fumes, being heavier than air, will descend 

 and destroy the ants. 



Termites, or what are erroneously termed white-ants, 

 cause serious damage to cocoa trees in San Thome, and 

 are responsible for minor injuries to these trees in several 

 other countries. In San Thome they indiscriminately 

 attack both healthy and unhealthy trees, and at least 

 two distinct species occur. Desneux has identified one 

 of these as Termes Theobromce ; the other is probably 

 a Calotermes, and Plate 6 illustrates the manner in 

 which it attacks the trees. Part of the trunk has been 

 cut away to show the extent of the injury, and on the left- 

 hand side of the plate is seen a gormandising sucker 

 which the tree has produced from the least affected side 

 of its trunk. The insects buUd their nests at the base 

 of the cocoa trees and attack the roots. Later, and 

 probably after growth has been thus checked, they obtain 

 an entrance to the trunk through the tap-root. 



From the trunk their operations are extended to the 

 main branches. In its attempts to recover from the 

 injuries caused by the insects the tree frequently pro- 

 duces one or more gormandising suckers from the base 

 of the stem. 



The planter, with a view to encouraging these to take 

 the place of the injured portion, frequently cuts the latter 

 down. Unless the nest at the base of the tree is destroyed 

 the suckers are very soon attacked and the tree is eventu- 

 ally killed. 



The nests should be treated by the methods recom- 

 mended for Parasol ants. 



An insect has been recently reported as destructive to 

 cocoa trees in the Gold Coast. 



When young it resembles a tick or spider and is reddish 

 in colour. Mature insects are brown or black, and 

 although they generally have wings they can only fly for 

 short distances. Both young and old insects have a 

 trunk which, when not feeding, is folded back along its 

 under-side. Applications of kerosene emulsion have 



