OS ts Pe > ~ oe. LK 4 +e © aides PAN friar i sh eae v Sd Ader rin - 2 vd + hehe 0-0 a Ot ae : —. des. \ 3 ee : ‘ ar ea ee re Cree ee <1 ee Ae ee a 0 sig ppctew:) fat & rg v Fah» fn ? * , Reh: coe Re I eke Te eRe pite pct Ye ns 0G OAD g-PoeneBe® Hat VO PPAR POG eS OE | ees a are EDT rey BOS ere oPU- pint NN A Nahar alate nee act Scat Se rere 7h peGee- oe : a nw ~ a > 2, 2 2g. i a a a A . —_~ a 2 i 7 a ——S—S _— ee a Historic, archived document Do not assume content reflects current scientific knowledge, policies, or practices. CIRCULAR NO. 34, SECOND SERIES. United States Department of Agriculture, DIVISION OF ENTOMOLOGY. HOUSE ANTS. (Monomorium pharaonis, et al.) There are a number of species of ants often occurring in houses, the more important of which are common to both hemispheres, and are probably of Old World origin. One of these, the little red ant (Mono- morium pharaonis Linn.), has become thoroughly domesticated and passes its entire existence in houses, having its nests in the walls or beneath the flooring, and usually forming its new colonies in similar favorable situ- ations. Two other ants are very common nuisances in houses, namely, the little black ant (Monomo- rium minutum Mayr) and the pavement ant of the Atlantic sea- board (Tetramorium ceespitum Linn.). None of these ants are Fie. 1.—The red ant (Monomorium pharaonis): a, female; . b, worker—enlarged (from Riley). So destructive. to ~~ household effects or supplies as they are annoying from the mere fact of their presence and their faculty of * getting into”’ articles of food, particularly sugars, sirups, and other sweets. Having once gained access to stores of this sort, the news of the discovery is at once con- veyed to the colony, and in an incredibly short time the premises are swarming with these unwelcome visitors. HABITS AND LIFE HISTORY. In habits and life history these ants are all much alike, and, in com- mon with other social insects, present that most complex and interest- ing phase of communal life, with its accompanying division of labor and diversity of forms of individuals, all working together in the most perfect harmony and accord. The specimens ordinarily seen in houses are all neuters, or workers. In the colony itself, if it be discovered and opened, will be found also the larger wingless females and, at the proper season, the winged males and females. During most of the year, however, the colony consists almost exclusively of workers, with one or more perfect wingless females. 2 Winged males and females are produced during the summer and almost immediately take their nuptial flight. The males soon perish, and the females shortly afterward tear off their own wings, which are but feebly attached, and set about the establishment of new colonies. The eggs, which are produced in extraordinary numbers by the usually solitary queen mother, are very minute, oval, whitish objects, and are eared for by the workers, the young larve being fed in very much the same way as in the colonies of the honey bee. The so-called ant eggs, in the popular conception, are not eggs at all, but the white larve and pup, and, if of females or males, are much larger than the workers and many times larger than the true eggs. Fia@. 2.—The little black ant (Monomoriuwm minutum): a, female: b, same with wings: ec, male: d, workers; e, pupa; f, larva; g, egg of workers—all enlarged (original). THE RED ANT. As a house species the red ant (Monomorium pharaonis Linn.) (fig. 1) is the common one. It is practically cosmopolitan, and its exact origin | is unknown. This species, nesting habitually in the walls of houses or | beneath flooring, is often difficult to eradicate. There is no means of | doing this except to locate the nest by following the workers back to their point of disappearance. If in a wall, the Inmates of the nest may sometimes be reached by injecting bisulphide of carbon or a little kero- sene. If under flooring, it may sometimes be possible to get at them by taking up a section. Unless the colony can be reached and destroyed all other. measures will be of only temporary avail. | | RIE SRR oy Geta Se oS oe THE LITTLE BLACK ANT. The little black ant (Monomoriuwm minutum Mayr.) (fig. 2) is not. strictly a house species, although frequently occurring indoors, and becoming at times quite as troublesome as the red ant. Its colonies usually occur under stones in yards, but are frequently found in the fields, and will be recognized from the little pyramids of fine grains of soil which surround the entrances to the excavations. If these colonies be opened they will be found to contain workers and usually one or more very much larger gravid females. This species, when occurring in houses, can often be traced to its outdoor colony, and the destruction of this will prevent further trouble. THE PAVEMENT ANT. The pavement ant of our Eastern cities (Tetramorium cespitum Linn.) (fig. 3) is in Europe the common meadow ant, and is two or three times larger than either of the other species referred to. It was Fig. 3.—The pavement ant (Tetramorium cespitum) : a, winged female; b, same without wings; c, male; d, worker; e, larva of female; f, head of same; g, pupa of same—all enlarged (original). early introduced into this country, and, while not yet reported from the West, is very common in Eastern towns, and particularly here in Wash- ington. It has readily accommodated itself to the conditions of urbane existence, and commonly has its colonies under pavements, where it is often difficult of access, or beneath flagging or stones in yards. It is often a more persistent and pestilent house nuisance than the -true house ant. This seems to be the species referred to by Kalm,* in 1748, as often occurring in houses in Philadelphia and manifesting a great fondness for sweets. He records also some interesting experiments made by Mr. (Benjamin?) Franklin, indicating the ability of these ants to com- municate with one another. The colonies of the pavement ant are often large, and they may fre- quently be uncovered in masses of a quart or more on turning over stones in yards or lifting flagging in paths. 1Kalm’s Travels, Vol. I, p. 288. 4 Often with little difficulty this ant may be traced to its nest, which, if accessible, or not thoroughly protected by unbroken pavement, as of asphalt, can be rather easily exterminated. So well established is the species, however, that new colonies will usually soon take the place of those destroyed. Drenching the nests with boiling water or saturating them with coal oil, which latter also may be introduced into cracks in pavements or walls, are effective means of abating the nuisance of this ant. There are several other ants closely resembling this last, mostly species of Lasius, some foreign and some native, which form large colonies in yards, throwing up earthen ant hills, beneath which are extensive systems of underground galleries. These may often get into near-by houses and become quite as troublesome as the ants already mentioned. MEANS OF ERADICATING ANTS. In the foregoing account, the important remedies for each species of ant discussed have been briefly indicated. A more detailed description of some of the methods of control or extermination follows: Excellent success has been had in destroying these ants with the use of bisulphide of carbon applied in their nests. This substance, the writer believes, was first used against ants by Dr. Howard, in the sum- mer of 1886. The method consists in pouring an ounce or two of the bisulphide into each of a number of holes made in the nest with a stick, promptly closing the holes with the foot. The bisulphide pene- trates through the underground tunnels and kills the ants in enormous numbers, and, if applied with sufficient liberality, will exterminate the whole colony. Whenever the nests of any of these ants can not be located, there is no other resource than the temporary expedient of destroying them wherever they occur in the house. The best means of effecting this end is to attract them to small bits of sponge moistened with sweetened water and placed in the situations where they are most numerous. These sponges may be collected several times daily, and the ants swarming in them destroyed by immersion in hot water. It is reported also that a sirup made by dissolving borax and sugar in boiling water | will effect the destruction of the ants readily and in numbers. The removal of the attracting substances, wherever practicable, should always be the first step. That it is possible to drive ants away from household supplies by the use of repellants is asserted by a Washington lady who has been much troubled in the past with these pests: Her practice, which she says has always given complete satisfaction, consists in placing gum camphor, either free or wrapped loosely in paper, in pantry, sugar barrel, or other situation infested with ants. The odor of the camphor seems to be very distasteful to them and they promptly leave the premises. C. L. MARnatTt, First Assistant Entomologist. Approved: JAMES WILSON, | Secretary of Agriculture. WASHINGTON, D. C., July 6, 1898. 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