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HOW TO DESTROY AN1TS.A
'To the Editor of the Bydney Tion and Coutifry.
Sia,-Having. seen in your valuablejournal
many inquiries made how to destroyants and
how to prevent their depredatioi's':on'bees,
&c., I beg to forward to you my lodg'experi
ence in a tropical climate on that subject for
insertion in your widely circulated paper if
you think it will be of any use to somelof
your numerous readers.
I used to be greatly annoyed with ants
tried all sorts of plans-chalking, tarring, &c.;
but I found when the ants had made up their
minds to attack my cask of sugar,.or hive of'
bees,'or my safe with-its contents, they wifld
surmount all obstacles, putting one in miind
of the English army at the siege of Badajos.
I had boxes Gin. square filled with water for
the legs of the safe. They would walk over.
that as easily as on dry land. Then I would
pour in kerosene or oil on the top' of the
water; that would serve for a few. hours.
Visiting them again after a short space, I
would find them walking over the dead bodies
of their comrades.
As I need to have by me a:quanitity of
sugar, the ants used to diminish, it consider
ably. At length, I hit upon a plan which has
been completely successful, and my cask of
sugar is now never visited by a single anit.
I took a shallow case as nearly square as I
could find, about Sin. deep, and large enough
for my cask to stand in, and leaving a space,
say din. to Gin. between it and the edge of
the case. This case I nearly filled in round
the cask with quicklime finely powdered,;
and across the track of the ants dipped my
four fingers into the lime, brought them to
gether, and drew them out very carefully,
leaving a very thin partition between the
finger holes. I continued that nperatioi idl
round the cask. The auts in passing across
toppled over into the holes, and could not
climb out. 24 hours afterwards, nota single
ant was left. I improved upon the finger
holes by taking a common round slite pencil,
and sticking the lime all over with holes.'
On one or two subsequent occasions, I have
found the sugar swarming with ants, some
one having let a broom handle or something
bear against the cask, giving them u bridge;
but I have no difficulty in stopping them;
remove the bridge, pass the hand overthe
lime to smooth and powder it, make the holes,
and the ants are finished. The lime must be
quite dry and finely powdered. "
Upon the top of the cask, I often pile o'ther
tbings which I wish to keep from the ants.
I never remove the cask. The one I have at
present, and the lime, I have had in use for
several years without change. When. I' get
a fresh supply of sugar, I baleit with buckets
out of the new one into the one standing in
the lime.
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