JOURNAL OF MtlffllMAL RESEARCH 
Von. XXVI Washington, D. C., November 17, 1923 No. 7 
BIOLOGICAL NOTES ON THE TERMITES OF THE CANAL 
ZONE AND ADJOINING PARTS OF THE REPUBLIC OF 
PANAMA 1 
By Harry Frederic Dietz, 2 Entomological Inspector, Tropical and Subtropical 
Insect Investigations, and Thomas Elliott Snyder, Entomologist, Forest Insect 
Investigations, Bureau of Entomology, United States Department of Agriculture 
INTRODUCTION 
The Isthmus of Panama, especially that part of it which now forms 
the Canal Zone, has been at various times in the past, and is now, one of 
the great highways of the New World’s commerce. Here it is that the 
Americas and the Old World meet. Despite this fact, little or noth¬ 
ing is known about the majority of the insects that occur there and 
affect the white man’s ability to continue his conquest of the Tropics. 
In any new region invaded by the white man, his activities sooner or 
later result in the overturning of the so-called “balance in nature,” 
which is followed by a readjustment. In the Canal Zone the American 
regime has begun the agricultural development of the region, which 
in turn has led to a similar development in the adjoining parts of Panama. 
Thus decided changes have been wrought. Large areas have been 
denuded of their original tropical vegetation and have been replaced by 
cities or towns, by extensive pasture lands, or by agricultural projects of 
various kinds. Likewise, by the impounding of the waters of the 
Chagres River to form Gatun Lake and to make the Panama Canal 
possible, over one-fourth of the total area of the Canal Zone was inun¬ 
dated, killing outright all the vegetation growing on it. 
Such procedure has unquestionably brought about radical changes in 
the fauna of the region, and the insects living there have died out or 
become scarce; or they have gone to whatever jungles or other untouched 
areas were left; or they have adapted themselves to the new order of 
things, increased in numbers, and become insects of economic impor¬ 
tance. It is this last course that the termites, “white ants,” or, as they 
are called in Central America, “comejenes,” have largely followed. 
Several species have become important pests of buildings, while other 
species are, or promise to be, enemies of growing crops. The hardest 
kinds of woods are riddled by termites (see PI. 7). 
The United States Government in recent years has spent no less than 
$10,000 in repairing damage caused by termites to the woodwork of 
the Hotel Tivoli at Ancon, C. Z. The woodwork of this hotel is infested 
by several species of termites. 
1 Accepted for publication Aug. n, 1923- .... 
* Resigned November 3,1919. The arrangement of the authors* * names is purely alphabetical and denotes 
neither seniority nor precedence. 
Journal of Agricultural Research, 
Washington, D. C. 
ahl 
Vol. XXVI, No. 7 
Nov. 17,10J13 
Key No. K-113 
60378—24 - 1 
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