40 BULLETIN 647, TJ. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 
these examinations it was found that from as low as 0.7 per cent to 
as high as 54 per cent of the ants which had any kind of forage car- 
ried white flies. Other of the lower percentages were 0.9 per cent, 
3.1 per cent, 3.2 per cent, and 13.8 per cent; while other higher per- 
centages were 21 per cent, 21.7 per cent, 34.7 per cent, and 38.4 per 
cent. Most of these examinations were made at times when the 
foraging was not too heavy, so that the ants could be counted without 
danger of confusion, and the number of ants carrying white flies 
was often too large to count. The percentage of ants with forage in 
their possession in these examinations ranged from 16.1 per cent to 
75.8 per cent. 
The above phenomena, which were observed many times on citrus 
and other plants every season spent in Louisiana, always may be 
seen during the emergence periods of the white flies in orange groves 
invaded by the ant. At times the ants with their captives are so 
numerous that the most casual glance will discover them as they go 
wavering down the trunks with the white-fly wings spread above 
their heads like diminutive sails. At times, when such a caravan is 
suddenly struck by a light breeze, the little sails will scatter in every 
direction as the ants hunt for temporary shelter to prevent being 
blown out of their course. The only possible direct part played by 
the ant in its relations with the adult citrus white fly in Louisiana 
is that of predacious enemy. 
Relations of the Ant with Immature Stages of the White Fly. 
Investigation of the behavior of the ants toward larva? and pupae 
of the citrus white fly brought out the fact that, although they hover 
about these immature stages more or less, they do not palpate the 
larvae or directly obtain their excretion, but that they watch over 
the pupa? solely for the purpose of capturing the emerging adult 
insects. Although the ants do not capture living white-fly larva?, and 
only a comparatively few pupae, they are occasionally seen carrying 
the latter. Tk'; pupa? taken are nearly always those in which the 
transformation to the adult is almost completed, the ants becoming 
impatient at waiting for the adult to appear or being impelled to 
attack by its attempts to extricate itself from the puparium. In 
some instances as many as 8.7 per cent of the white flies taken from 
the ants have been pupa?, but this proportion is doubtless above the 
average. 
"When most of the white flies on a heavily infested tree overrun 
with ants are in the larva stage the ants never are found in attend- 
ance in considerable numbers on the worst infested leaves. The ants 
have been seen to lick the leaf surface in the vicinity of white-fly 
larvae and they undoubtedly secure a certain amount of white-fly 
