Instructions for SCHOOL OF ANTS food preferences project – LESSON 2
You will need:
12 x white index cards (or white card/paper rectangles 10 cm x 12 cm)
12 x data sheets (1 per card)
Vials containing ethanol for each student
Forceps for collecting ants
1 pencil for writing labels and recording data
Scissors for cutting labels
12 x cotton wool balls
Sugar solution (Half a cup of water + a tablespoon of sugar, stirred until sugar dissolved)
Arnott’s Scotch finger™ biscuit
3 x cocktail frankfurts from the deli at the supermarket (not canned ones)
12 x small zip lock sandwich bags
1 x big ziplock bag
1 x tough bag from Australia Post to send us your ants and data sheet.
Experimental set up:
STEP 1: Find a spot to do the experiment. Have you had a look around your school grounds? Where do you notice
quite a lot of ants? Do the experiment there as long as you can
access concrete, grass and a garden bed.
STEP 2: Write the number 1 on four of your index cards – they will
go on CONCRETE. Write the number 2 on another four cards – they
will go on the GRASS. Write the number 3 on the remaining four
cards – they will go in a GARDEN BED. Place your four cards in their
correct habitat about 2-3 metres apart, so that your set up looks
something like this.
STEP 3: On each index card place a 1cm slice of cocktail frankfurt, one cotton ball soaked in 40% sugar solution
(squeezed out so it’s not dripping), and a quarter of a scotch finger biscuit (break in half and use half a finger on
each card). You might need to use rocks to hold the card down if it’s windy.
STEP 4: Each card should have its own data sheet. Record on your card’s DATA SHEET the time the card was baited
and start your clocks!
STEP 5: Leave the cards out for ONE HOUR from the time of baiting. During this time, make sure you fill in all the
information you can on the DATA SHEET then collect ants by hand and put them in your vial. Write in lead pencil
your school name and date on a small piece of paper and put it in the vial when you have finished collecting ants.
STEP 6: When you come back, COUNT THE ANTS on each food type and record this data on your data sheet. You
can also take a photo if you have a camera/iPad to do it with. Then quickly place each card with the food and as
many ants as possible into a ziplock bag and seal it tight.
STEP 7: Complete ALL INFORMATION on your DATA SHEET and place it into the ziplock bag with the card.
STEP 8: Place all ziploack bags into the freezer overnight, then send all bags and vials to our address at UNE.
SCHOOL OF ANTS Data collection for EACH INDIVIDUAL INDEX CARD
Collector’s name(s):
School:
Date:
Time cards out and baited:
Habitat:
1- CONCRETE
2- GRASS
3- GARDEN
Weather: (e.g. sunny, cloudy, windy etc)
Number of ants on food types
Remember: don’t disturb the ants on the food!
Sneak up on them to count how many there are
on the sugar, frankfurt and biscuit!
SUGAR COTTON BALL:
BISCUIT:
FRANKFURT:
Time cards collected and ziplocked:
The labels in your vials with the ants you collect while waiting for the ants to discover your food should
look like the example below. They should be tiny enough to fit into the vial and WRITTEN IN LEAD PENCIL!
Bellingen Public
School
Your name here
date
on one side
on the other side.
Use the area in these lines for your labels