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 Circular No 34, Second Series. Revise 
 
 
 United States Department of Agricyiti 
 
 BUREAU OK KNTOMOI.i 
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 There art' n Dumber oi Bpecies of ants often occurring in bouses, the 
 important of which are common t'> both hemispheres and arc 
 probably of Old World origin. One of these, the little red anl {Mono- 
 murium pkaraonis L. ), has become thoroughly domesticated and p 
 ita entire existence in houses, having its nests in the walls or beneath 
 the flooring ami usu- 
 ally forming its new 
 colonies in similar fa- 
 vorable situations. 
 Two other ants are very 
 common nuisances in 
 bouses, namely, the 
 Little black ant I M 
 Hoiimriitm minutum 
 Mayr) ami the pave- 
 ment ant o!' th( 
 lantic seaboard ( l> t- 
 ramorium < cespitum 
 L.). Nunc of these 
 ants is bo destructive 
 to household effects or 
 supplies as it is annoying from the mere f ; u t of its presence and it.n 
 faculty of "getting into" articles of food, particularly BUgar, simps, 
 and other sweets. Having once gained access to store- of this Bort, the 
 - of the discovery is at ome conveyed to the colony, and in an 
 
 incredibly short time the premises are -warming with these unwelcome 
 visit 
 
 HABITS AND I. UK HISTORY. 
 
 In habits and life history these ants are all much alike and, in com- 
 mon with other social insect.-, present that most complex and interest- 
 ing phase of communal life, with it-- accompanying division of labor 
 and diversity of form- 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 - £< lusively of workers, with 
 one or more perfect wingless females. Winged males and females are 
 
 (.. M 
 
produced during the summer and almost immediately take their nuptial 
 flight. The males soon perish, and the females shortly afterwards 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 cared for by the workers, the 
 young larva; being fed in very much the same way as in the colonies of 
 the hive bee. Toe so-called ant eggs, in the popular conception, are 
 not eggs at all, but the white larvae and pupae, and, if of females or 
 males, are much larger than the workers and many times larger than 
 the true eggs. 
 
 Fm. 2.— The little black ant (Monomorhun minutum): a. Female; 6. same with wings; 
 c, male; d, workers; e, i>upa; f. larva: ;;. egg of worker. All enlarged (author's 
 Illustration). 
 
 THE RED ANT. 
 
 As a house species the red ant (Monomorium pharaonis L.) (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 bisulphid 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. 
 
 THE LITTLE BLACK ANT. 
 
 The little black ant {Monomorium 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 
 
B 
 
 usually occur under stones in yards, bul are frequently found in the 
 
 fields, and will be recognized from the little pyramids of fine 
 
 soil which surround the entrances to the excavations. 1 1 onies 
 
 be opened, they will be found to contain workers and usually r 
 
 more very much larger gravid femal< 
 
 in houses, can often be traced to itsoutdooi i olony, and thi ction 
 
 of this will prevent further trouble. 
 
 i in. i-.\\ i;mi:.\ r an i . 
 
 The pavement ant of our eastern cities (T< ramorium ccespitum L.) 
 (ti^. 3) is in Europe the common meadow ant and is two or I 
 times larger than either of the other Bpecies referred to. It i 
 introduced into this country and, while nol ye( n ported from the W ■ - 
 is very common in eastern towns, and particularly here in Washini 
 It has readily accommodated itself to the conditions of urban existent <■ 
 
 . '■ ir-inmrium MMjntum): a, Wiiiu'i'l female: b. snine without « ine- 
 e, mail: d, » orki j bead of SI All eula rir»-.i author's 
 
 illn- 
 
 and commonly has its colonies under pavements, where it is often diffi- 
 cult of access, or beneath flagging or stones in yards, [tie often a more 
 aistent and pestilent house nuisance than the true house ant. 
 This Beems to be the Bpecies referred to by Kalm, 1 in 1748, a- ol 
 occurring in houses in Philadelphia and manifesting a greal fondness 
 for sweets. He records also Borne interesting experiments made I.- 
 Mr. (Benjamin?) Franklin, in licating the ability of these am.- to i 
 municate with one another. 
 
 The colonies of the pavement ant are often large, ami they may be 
 
 frequently uncovered in masses of a quart or more on turning over si 
 in yards or lifting Bagging in paths. 
 
 Often with little difficulty this ant may be traced to its nest, which, 
 if accessible or not thoroughly protected by unbroken pavement, 
 
 asphalt, can be rather easily exterminated. So well established is the 
 Bpecies, however, that new colonies will usually soon take the place of 
 those destroyed. 
 
 ■ Kalm's Travels, Vol. I. p. 238. 
 
r 
 
 UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA 
 
 3 1262 09216 4820 
 
 Drenching the nests with boiling water or saturating them with coal 
 oil, which latter also may be introduced into cracks in pavements or 
 walls, is effective in 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 OP 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 bisulphid of carbon applied in their nests. This substance, the 
 writer believes, was first used against ants by Doctor Howard, in the 
 summer of 1.S86. The method consists in pouring an ounce or two of 
 the bisulphid into each of a number of holes made in the nest with a 
 stick, promptly closing the holes with the foot. The bisulphid 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 the ants 
 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 into them destroj'ed by immersion in hot water. It is 
 reported also that a sirup made by dissolving borax and sugar in boil- 
 ing water will effect the destruction of the ants readily and in numbers. 
 The removal of the attracting suhstances, wherever practicable, should 
 always be the first step. Ants are attracted to houses by food mate- 
 rials or scattered sugar left about by children, and the nuisance of their 
 presence can be largely eliminated by keeping all food products in a 
 pantrj' or storeroom and limiting the amount of such products as strictly 
 as possible to daily needs. 
 
 That it is possible to drive ants away from household supplies by the 
 use of repellent substances, particularly camphor, has been asserted. 
 The use of most repellent substances in connection with food supplies 
 would be impracticable. Gum camphor has recently heen the subject 
 of a careful test by Dr. William T. Watson, of Baltimore, who found 
 that while having slight repellent properties, it does not bring any really 
 practical benefit. 
 
 Approved : 
 
 James Wilson, 
 
 Secretary of Agriculture. 
 
 Washington, D. C, May 24, 1907. A »— u 
 
 WAShingtos : GOVERNMENT printing OFFICE : Itll