22 THE ARGENTINE ANT. 
ECONOMIC IMPORTANCE. 
Up to the present time the Argentine ant has attracted most atten- 
tion as a household pest. Particularly during rainy weather, when 
honeydew is scarce, the ants invade houses in myriads and drive the 
housekeepers almost to distraction. Nearly everything which is 
edible for human beings is attractive to them, and ceaseless attention 
and strenuous effort are necessary to keep them out of pantry and 
kitchen. The use of poisons and repellents must be continuous; 
if there has been a little carelessness in this regard the foodstuffs 
become filled with countless numbers of ants in a very short time. 
Among the foodstuffs most eagerly sought may be mentioned 
honey, sirups, sugar, candy, cakes, cookies, jams, marmalades, pre- 
serves, fruit juices, cream, olive oil, lard, egg (either raw or cooked), 
fish (either fresh or canned), and various raw meats, such as chicken, 
veal, mutton, pork, beef, etc. Corn meal is sometimes the object 
of attack and wheat flour to a slight extent. 
Aside from their invasions of food the ants are household nuisances 
generally. No corner or nook is safe from their explorations and the 
discovery of something edible is quickly heralded in the nest, whence 
come thousands of workers to carry away the plunder. In heavily 
infested sections it is often necessary to place bedposts upon panes of 
glass coated with vaseline or other repellent in order that the occu- 
pant may sleep in peace. To have ants running all over one's person 
is disagreeable enough, but what is more serious, they will not hesitate 
to attack any part of the body where skin or membranes are tender 
enough to be pierced by their mandibles. 
Authentic cases are on record where it has been necessary to take 
babes from their cradles and repeatedly immerse them in water to 
rid them of the ants which crawled by hundreds over then bodies 
and into their mouths and nostrils. We have even received reports 
of infants being killed by the ants, but such reports we have not 
verified. Such a thing is not, however, outside the realm of 
possibility. 
In groceries and stores they are kept out of sirups, sugar, molasses, 
and like products only with great difficulty. In restaurants and 
confectionery shops the closest vigilance is required to keep the ants 
out of the cakes, candies, ice cream, fruits, etc., as well as out of ice 
boxes, refrigerators, 1 show cases, and windows. Meat in butchers' 
shops is also a great attraction, and if left unprotected for even a 
short time thousands of ants will be swarming over it. 
In nurseries and among ornamental plants the ants foster and 
protect countless thousands of scale insects and plant lice, the excre- 
tions of which furnish the choicest delicacy with which the ants 
1 The temperature of the ordinary refrigerator is not low enough to deter the ants in their foraging. 
