98 



PRINCIPAL HOUSEHOLD INSECTS. 



and commouly lias its colonies niider pavements, where it is often diffi- 

 cult of access, or beneath flagging or stones in yards. It is often a more 

 persistent and pestilent house nuisance than the true house ant. 



This seems to be the species referred to by Kalm ^ in 1748 as often 

 occurring in houses in Philadelphia and manifesting a great fondness 

 for sweets. He records also some interesting experiments made by 

 Mr. (Benjamin ?) Franklin, indicating the ability of these ants to commu- 

 nicate with one anotlier. 



The colonies of the pavement ant are often large, and they may fre- 

 quently be uncovered in masses of a quart or more on turning over 

 stones in yards or lifting flagging in paths. 



This ant may be often with little difficulty traced to its nest, which, 

 if accessible, or not thoroughly protected by unbroken pavement, as of 



Pig. 45.— The pavement ant (Tetramorium ccespitum): a, \ringed female; b, same withoiit wings; 

 c, male; d, worker; e, larva of female; /, head of same; g, pupa of same— all enlarged (original). 



asphalt, can be rather easily exterminated. So well established is the 

 species, however, that new colonies will usually soon take the place of 

 those destroyed. 



Drenching the nests with boiling water or saturating them with coal 

 oil, which latter also may be introduced into cracks in pavements or 

 walls, are effective means of abating the nuisance of this ant. 



There are several other ants closely resembling this last, mostly 

 species of Lasius, some foreign and some native, which form large 

 colonies in yards, throwing up earthen ant hills, beneath which are 

 extensive systems of underground galleries. These may often get into 

 near-by houses and become quite as troublesome as the ants already 

 mentioned. 



Excellent success has been had in destroying these ants with the use 

 of bisulphide of carbon applied in their nests. The method consists in 

 pouring an ounce or two of the bisulphide into each of a number of 



1 Kalm's Travels, Vol. I, p. 238. 





