10 BULLETIN 965, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 
inches in width were applied directly to the trunks and the ants 
above the bands removed by the use of insecticides. Inspections 
were made at least biweekly for a period of six weeks following the 
start of the experiment and these bands were refreshened at the 
time of inspection and the ants removed from the body of the tree. 
During the course of the experiment upward of 70 per cent of the 
trees became reinfected. The cost for labor and materials to keep 
the ants in this 10-acre orchard under control by the use of bands 
amounted to approximately 15J cents per tree, proportioned as 
follows : 
Labor for pruning and banding 1,135 trees S75. 00 
Sticky tree-banding material 22. 80 
Labor for inspection and treatment for ants 60. 00 
Material for ant treatment 10. 00 
Hand pump ; 10. 00 
Total cost 177. 80 
Cost per tree 0. 156 
It was quickly determined that constant surveillance and frequent 
combing of these sticky bands are necessary to keep trees free of ants. 
EXPERIMENT 2. 
Another experiment was performed, in which 120 orange trees 
were banded with sticky tree-banding material February 21-25, 1916, 
after the method used in Experiment 1 . The ants were present in 
very light trails, due to retarded development during the winter 
months. This experiment was inspected weekly for a period of 
four months, at each visit the bands being refreshened where neces- 
sary, infested trees freed of ants, and all growth beneath the tree 
removed. The results of this inspection are given beneath. 
Per cent of 
bands crossed. 
March 37 
April 5 
May 10 
June 14 
The bands in this second experiment proved decidedly more 
effective than those in Experiment 1. This is attributable to 
several causes. The work was started at a time when the weather 
was cool and the ants not numerous. In fact they were not abundant 
at any time during the experiment with the exception of a very few 
trees on which the bands were not continuously effective. Colonies 
were removed to neighboring trees where food was abundant and, 
furthermore, the bands were continuously in a good state of repair. 
Experiment 1 was started in September when the ants were steadily 
streaming up every tree to attend heavy infestations of mealybugs. 
