48 BULLETIN 647, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 
knocked from one part of the tree to another, often landing on the 
trunk or larger branches. From 10 to IT trees were examined each 
time, and in all these inspections only. 8 ants were found carrying 
mealybugs, 7 of which were dead. In from one-half to 3 hours 
after spraying an average of 3 mealybugs per tree were crawling up 
the trunk; 18 hours after spraying the number had increased to 5 per 
tree average; at about 48 hours after spraying there was on an 
average only 1 mealybug returning to Qverj 4 trees. Certainly the 
ants did not assist to any appreciable extent in their return. 
The ants occasionally become impatient with aphicls and scales 
that fail to excrete and seize these insects, just as at times they be- 
come impatient at waiting for an adult white fly to emerge r id 
seize the pupa. The pile of mealybug remains found in the tree 
nest previously referred to indicates that the mealybugs were utilized 
as flesh food. There is little doubt that if sufficient time and pains 
were taken the ants actually might be observed eating occasional 
aphicls and scale insects. 
RELATIONS WITH INSECT ENEMIES OF SCALES AND APHIDS. 
EXTENT OF CAPTURE OF PREDATORY AND PARASITIC INSECTS. 
The ants are antagonistic to all the predacious and parasitic 
insect enemies of coccids and aphids, but not more so than they are 
to all other insects which do not furnish them with honey dew. 
The ants are habitually carnivorous and view all other insects, ex- 
cepting perhaps some of the myrmecophiles, either as their cattle, 
furnishing them with liquid food, or as their prey, useful as flesh 
food. Although the ants take every opportunity to capture both 
predators and parasites of the scales and plant-lice, the number of 
this class of insects captured is very small. The close and constant 
attendance of the ants at scales and aphids, by preventing free ovi- 
position and feeding of the natural enemies, accounts mainly for the 
ants 1 effectiveness as protectors of these pests, although the ants do 
feed to some extent upon eggs of certain scale predators. 
A large number of insects have been taken from the ant and 
identified, and only 0.72 per cent of all the insects carried have been 
predatory on species attended by the ants. These consisted of larva? 
of the Leucopiclae, the brown lacewings, Syrphidae, and Lepidoptera, 
the last very rarely, indeed. It is seen, therefore, that the number 
of predatory enemies of the soft scales and aphids which the ant is 
able to capture is insignificant. The number of internal parasites 
captured is still smaller, being only one one-hundredth of 1 per 
cent of the insects taken from the ants. 
