134 MISC. PUBLICATION 4 3 4, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 



These can be made with a broom handle or similar stick and should 

 be about 5 inches deep. Puddling should be avoided, and the solution 

 should not come in contact with the foliage, since there is danger of 

 burning. 



In handling carbon disulfide there must be no smoking or fires, as the 

 strong vapor is explosive in confinement. Containers should be kept 

 tightly closed to prevent rapid evaporation and loss of the gas in 

 storage. 



TERMITES 



Termites, sometimes called white ants, resemble somewhat the true 

 ants except that they are cream colored and the body is not constricted 

 between the thorax and abdomen. Termites live in colonies in the 

 soil or in wood and never work exposed on the surface. They feed 

 on wood or other organic matter. While principally destructive to 

 wooden structures, one species (Reticulitermes tibialis Banks) has 

 caused considerable damage in the southern nurseries by feeding on 

 the roots of seedlings. It is not likely that they will become important 

 in the more northern nurseries. 



In regions where termites are common nursery soil should be kept 

 free of all decaying wood and of as much other organic material as 

 possible, since such material harbors termite colonies. Where termites 

 are known to occur in large numbers it would be advisable to let the 

 land lie idle for a year, clean up any debris such as wood, stalks, or 

 stubble, and thereafter use only well-rotted manure or preferably 

 commercial fertilizers to stimulate tree growth. In cases where these 

 protective measures cannot be undertaken, treatment of the soil with 

 heavy dosages of carbon disulfide prior to seeding, although costly, could 

 probably be relied upon to free the area of termites. Where trees 

 are growing in an infested block, considerable precaution in treating 

 would be necessary so as not to injure the trees. The use of carbon 

 disulfide emulsion as suggested for control of white grubs would 

 probably also be effective against termites. Paradichlorobenzene 

 crystals worked into the soil to a depth of 3 or 4 inches with a hoe or 

 other implement, at the rate of 3% pounds per 100 square feet, have 

 given indications of good control against root-feeding termites. Care 

 should be taken to keep the crystals at least 2 inches from the seedlings. 



WIREWORMS 



Wireworms are slender larvae of uniform width, with a hard, tough, 

 brownish or yellowish skin. They are the larvae of click beetles and 

 feed on the roots of a large variety of plants. Wireworms are likely 

 to be numerous in soil that has been in sod for several years, and 

 occasionally may cause some damage in nurseries that have been under 

 cultivation. Control is very difficult in soil where nursery stock is 

 being grown because treatments severe enough to affect the insects 

 would probably also destroy the seedlings. 



BORERS 



Occasionally where nurseries are planted on newly cleared land or 

 where stock remains in the nursery for more than 1 year, considerable 

 damage is done by borers. In the former case the larvae of a species 

 of long-horned beetle of the genus Prionus, which usually work in the 

 roots of larger trees, may remain temporarily in the soil and feed on 



