THE  TROPICAT.  AGRICULTURIST. 
841 
jUNF,  T,  1896.J 
WHITE  ANTS  ON  TEA  ESTATES. 
Tlie  lir.st  inslalment  of  Dr.  Ocorge  Watt’s 
]);q)er  011  wliite  ant.s,  wliicli  is  uiulersiood  to  be 
one  of  the  cliapters  of  hi.s  forthconiing  Tea  Re- 
port, lias  jnsc  been  published,  and  though  it 
deals  with'  the  ravages  of  these  pests  in  Kangra 
and  Assam  in  partieular,  the  information  im- 
].artcd  and  the  eoncdusions  arrived  at  cannot 
lint  be  of  interest  to  tea  planters  in  all  parts 
of  the  country.  Dr.  Watt  state.s  that  entomo- 
logists have  not  determined  how  many  species. of 
'Jenin’S  (white  ants)  India  po-ssesses,  but  that  they 
woulil  seem  to  be  numerous.  In  regard  to  their 
modes  of  life  tliey  are  diversified,  some  raising- 
castellated,  others  rounded,  others  superlicial 
structures  above  grouiul,  some  living  in  caver- 
nous excavations  underground,  some  existing  in 
vast  colonies,  some  in  isolated  cum muniiies.  liere 
in  Madras  we  seem  to  have  every  variety,  for 
what  garden  is  not  defaced  _ by  the  unsightly 
mounds  raised  by  these  jiersistently  destructive 
termites,  what'  hedgerow  not  honeycombed 
by  their  m.arvellous  eti'orts,  what  tree  not 
encased  more  or  less  with  their  mud  ways. 
They  are  ubiiiuitou.s,  and  they  do  not, 
unfortunately,  confine  their  predatory  c.xcnr- 
sions  to  the  gardens  and  hedgerosvs,  but  in- 
vade the  dwelhng  [ilaces  of  rich  and  poor  alike, 
eatiii"-  their  way  through  walls,  beams,  rafters, 
mats,” etc.,  in  d'eliance  of  their  enemy  man,  who 
is  too  fieinjentiy  bltssfully  ignorant  of  their  hated 
presence.  I'nin'gs  are  bad  enough  in  iVkulras, 
liut  they  seem  to  be  worse  in  Assam,  for  Dr. 
Watt  states  that  it  would  be  very  nearly  im- 
possible to  dig  a trench  anywhere  in  that  pro- 
vince without  exposing  several  of  the  remarkable 
excavations — caverns  l ft.  to  2 It.  in  size — made 
by  the  smaller  white  ants  that  live  entirely  un- 
der-ground, and  particularly  among  the  roots  of 
bushes.  'J'hese,  we  fancy,  are  not  unknown  in 
Madras  ; at  all  events  there  is  a species  of  white 
ant  here  which  runs  up  a short  coi'cred  way  above 
ground,  in  the  grass  or  on  the  foothpaths,  and 
which  e.xcavates  ca\"erns  filled  with  the  curi- 
ously reticulated  structure  referred  to  by  Dr. 
Wbitt  and  com])ared  to  the  combs  of  a bee- 
liive.  The  writer  of  this  has  noticed  that  the 
working  members  of  this  species  while  forming 
the  covered  w'ays  above  ground  are  almost  in- 
variably .attendeil  by  several  guards,  or  wh.at 
m.ay  be  described  as  soldier  ants,  much  larger 
than  the  workers,  with  big,  bright  brown  heads 
and  immensely  strong  nippers.  They  become 
most  ferocious  if  disturbed,  and  when  a piece 
of  o-rass  or  other  soft  substance  is  held_  close 
to  them,  they  w'ill  rush  at  it  and  seize  it, 
holding  it  as  in  a \'ice,  at  the  .same  time,  when 
seeniiiigly  quite  beside  themselves  with  passion, 
exudin'g  a blight  bluish  fluid  from  the  region 
of  their  nippers. 
In  referring  to  the  mud  encasements, 
the  work  of  wdiite  ants.  Dr.  Watt  says  that 
it  is  hard  to  believe  chat  trees  and  shrubs  .are 
not  injured  thereby.  If  tins  coatings  of  mud 
are  removed  it  will  be  seen  that  the  bark  un- 
derneath is  jialer  than  that  which  has  _ not  been 
encrusted,  this  being  due  to  the  superficial  and 
drier  layer  having  lieen  eaten  away. 
“ It  13  H very  generaiiy  accejiiod  o|*imon, 
Dr.  ^ValC  goes  on  to  remark,  tliat  while  ants 
wall  not  eai  living  and  growings  wood,  and  con- 
scquenliy  that  they  do  not  kill,  though  per- 
haps tli'ey  injure  living  jdanls  to  a certain 
extent.  But  there  can  be  no  doubt  that  white 
ants,  if  permitted  to  take  up  their  abode  for 
come  time  in  and  among  the  roots  of  a plant, 
do  incalculable  harm,”  for  in  their  excavations 
they  remove  the  eaitli  from  the  roots,  which 
thus  exposed  form  bark.  But  we  will  let  Dr. 
^^’att  speak  for  himself : — 
“ Speaking  of  tea  bush,  it  is  by  no  moans  an  un- 
usual state  of  affairs  to  bud  the  plant  growing  as 
it  WO)  e on  the  summit  of  a dome  of  hardened  earth 
that  surrounds  the  cavernous  dwellings  of  its  colony 
of  tei mites.  A section  made  by  means  of  digging  a 
tiench,  for  three  or  four  feet  deep,  across  the  space 
occupied  by  the  bush  and  hard  against  the  main 
stem,  will  reveal  a most  unhealthy  state  of  alTairs. 
At  a depth  varjing  from  one  to  three  feet  a large 
central  cavern  will  be  found,  and  fringing  this  nu- 
merous smaller  ones.  In  lact,  an  elaborate  system 
of  excavations  wid  be  revealed  and  found  to  be  occu- 
pied, like  the  Roman  catacombs  of  old,  by  both  the 
living  and  the  dead,  Tiie  roots  that  stretch  across  the 
larger  caverns  will  be  seen  to  have  formed  bark  and 
to  have  assruned  to  all  intents  and  pm  poses  the 
condition  of  branches.  I’be  delicaie  ahsuibing librils 
will  be  observed  to  have  rJso  disappeared,  so  iJiat 
it  needs  litt;e  explanaiion  to  enfoi  co  the  opinion  that 
there  has  been  a useless  acenmu  atioii  of  piant  energy 
below  ground  at  the  expense  of  leaf  production  above.” 
In  fiddilion  to  this,  tlic  efl'cct  of  ilm  excava- 
tions is  to  cause  a serious  disturbance  to  the 
drainage  of  the  soil  and  to  its  pow'ers  of  retain- 
ing moist uro,  ami  Dr.  W'att  urge-s  tea  planters, 
wlien  white-ant  ematsements  on  tea  hushes  are 
discerned  to  attend  to  the  trees  immediately  if 
they  do  not  wish  them  to  die  oil'.  Di-.  ^Vatt 
is  couviaced  that  white  ants  can  ami  do  at- 
tack living  jilants,  and  lor  the  fcllowdog  rea.sons  : — 
Lee  the!  mud  cncru.-jtations  of  ihe  bark  be  care- 
fully removed  and  follow  the  ant  roadways  upwards 
until  the  stump  is  reached  of  a withered  branch  or- 
tho scar  from  which  it  was  wronched,  and  the 
ob, server  will  witness  how'  white  ants  gradually  de- 
vour and  ultimately  kill  living  jilants.  They  will  be 
seen  to  have  eaten,  or  nearly  so,  the  whole  of  the 
severed  portioirs,  but  having  found  a passage  through 
the  external  zone  of  living  and  growing  structures, 
have  begun  to  attack  the  fully  formed  wood.  Tney 
have  deposited  a dense  coating  of  mud  within  the 
gaping  wound  and  splintered  tinrber  with  the  two- 
fold object  of  preventing  the  process  of  healing  and 
of  supplying  an  absorbent  plaster  that  will  suck  the 
moisture  from  the  wound  and  transmit  it  to  the 
air.  Ill  a very  short  time  a layer  of  the  wood  will 
be  thus  killed  and  rapidly  devoured.  Layer  upon 
layer  follows,  until  the  stem  is  cm  into  very' seriously-, 
if  not  entirely  severed.  The  circulation  of  the  sap 
having  been  thus  intercepted,  these  mining  engineers 
turn  upwards  into  tlie  dead  and  dying  wood,  llperat- 
ing  below  ground  and  thereby  diminishing  the  supply 
of  moisture  while  availing  themselves  at  the  same 
time  of  every  abrasion  or  injury  to  the  stem  or  its 
branches,  is  it  to  be  w'ondered  at  that  the  process  of 
destruction,  Ihongh  it  maybe  slow  and  almost  impercep- 
tible, is  nevertheless  eer;aiu  in  its  ultimate  result 
Slow  .and  sure  is  their  motto,  and  they  certainly 
live  up  to  it.  Their  patience  is  as  inexliaustible 
as  tlieir  numbers  and  the  wliolesale  slaughter  of 
myriads  doe.s  not  deter  them  in  the  least  from 
their  fell  intent.  Tiiey  do  not,  liowever,  as  Dr. 
Watt  remarks,  as  a rule,  kill  the  green  sapling 
nor  attempt  to  eat  their  way  thioiigli  the  exter- 
n.al  zone  of  green  w-ood  of  healtliy  plants,  for  they- 
live  mainly  on  wood,  not  on  green  vegetable 
matter  ; hut,  given  .a  cliaiice,  they-  will  sooner  or 
later  convert  the  green  wood  into  dead  wood, 
to  the  ultimate  extinction  of  all  life  in  the  binsli. 
For  instance,  “ let  a boring  insect  make  an  en- 
trance into  tire  stem,  braiicb  or  root,  and  w’bite  ants 
will  soon  follow.  Let  the  jilanter  prune  ruth- 
lessly, leaving  large  surfaces  of  t.rrn  portions 
of  wood  e.x|iOsei.l  to  the  .action  of  the 
air,  and  ii  wliite  ants  .are  about  they 
M’ill  rapidly  cover  up  bis  sloienly  work 
with  a shroud  of  mud.  The  vigorous  efforts  of 
the  Us  ing  bark  may-,  however,  more  or  less  com- 
pletely embrace  anti  enclose  the  scar,  but  sooa§r 
