HOUSE ANTS 7 



the legs of furniture and tie firmly. Corrosive sublimate is a poison; 

 so be careful. 



Sprays. — The ordinary kerosene-pyre thrum sprays commonly on 

 the market are excellent for killing ants actually hit by the spray. 

 Sometimes spraying will keep ants away, but it is seldom that sprays 

 can be depended on to kill a colony. 



Poisoned baits. — Often resort must be had to poisoned baits, par- 

 ticularly when other methods fail. First remove, as far as possible, 

 all foods from the places to which the ants have been coming and 

 substitute a saucer or other dish containing a sponge kept moist by 

 the poisoned sirup. The worker ants will feed upon the sirup, carry 

 it back to the nest, and feed it to the queens and the young, and so 

 poison the colony. Sometimes the poison container can be placed 

 along the line of march followed by the ants rather than about the 

 sink, pantry, or kitchen cabinet. Care should be used to keep children 

 and pets away from these baits. 



Another method of exposing baits is to use pill boxes cut as shown 

 in figure 5. When the bait is prepared, pour it over strips of blotting 

 paper, being careful to add only what will be absorbed easily. Place 



Figure 5. 



■Pill box for holding poisoned bait: A, Box with sides cut and cover removed; B, box ready 

 for use 



some of these poisoned strips, previously cut to fit the box, in the pill 

 box, the interior of which has been paraffined, and put on the cover. 

 When the boxes are ready to use, merely raise the covers enough to 

 allow the ants room to enter. Tin boxes or other containers can be used 

 instead of pill boxes. 



The following formulas for poisoned baits have given good results, 

 but no one formula can be relied on to destroy all kinds of ants under 

 all conditions: 



Formula 1. — 'Dissolve 4 ounces of sugar in 1 quart of water and stir in one-half 

 ounce of tartar emetic. 



Formula 2. — Dissolve one-half pound of sugar in 1 pint of hot water and add 

 one-seventh ounce (62.5 grains) of sodium arsenate; bring to a slow boil and strain. 



Formula 3. — An excellent bait is prepared by mixing 1 pint of water, 1 pound 

 of granulated sugar, 27 grains of thallium sulphate, and 3 ounces of honey. After 

 mixing thoroughly, bring to a slow boil and allow to cool. Thallium sulphate is a 

 dangerous poison and should be handled with special care. Do not breathe the vapors 

 given off while the mixture is being heated. 



Formula 4- — Recommended particularly for the Argentine ant: (1) Mix 9 

 pounds of granulated sugar, 6 grams of crystallized tartaric acid, and 8.4 grams 

 of benzoate of soda in 9 pints of water; boil the mixture slowly for 30 minutes and 

 allow it to cool. (2) Dissolve 15 grams of sodium arsenite (C. P.) in one-half 

 pint of hot water and allow to cool. Add (2) to (1) and stir well, then add 1*4 

 pounds of strained honey and mix thoroughly. 



