Ants Experiment 

Question: How does real sugar and fake sugar affect the behavior of ant colonies?

Our Hypothesis: We think that our ants will like the sugar better that the Stevia because the Stevia is artificial sweetener.

Rationale: So, people know what attracts ant and so people know how to not get ants.

What we know from our research:

Ants are attracted to salt and sugar, but it depends on the ant’s preferences. We think this because some
websites said the Ants liked salt and some said they liked sugar. Ants love the smell of grease and are attracted to it so
if you don’t clean and sanitize WITH SOAP well, then Ants could invade you house. One way to get rid of Antis to get
them onto duct tape and then soak the strip in rubbing alcohol with soap and vinegar.

Ants leave a trial to tell the other Ant that there is food.

Most ant colonies don’t sleep.

Ants feed their families by using a system called torpedoists, when they do it, it looks like kissing because they trade
food mouth to 2mouth.

Ants typically swarm over sugar because they need it for energy.

Spreading salt in corners where Ants enter the house will help keep Ants away.

Site we used in our research:

https://www.livescience.com/3009-ants-prefer-salt-sugar.html

Materials:

1. About 150 ants

2. Salt
3. Sugar
4. A place for the Ants to stay
5. Stevia artificial sweetener
6. Vials
7.
8.
9.

Steps to our experiment:

1. We ordered an ant colony from Carolina.com

2. We waited for it to arrive. It should arrive at 10:30 AM
3. We will then setup the ant farm.
4. We put
5. Next, we will observe their behavior and let them get used to their home.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.

Our Results:(pictures and graphs)

Our notes:

9:18 AM April 3rd, 2019

The ants are more attracted by the real sugar. (About 20 on Sugar) 15 on stevia

9:19 A.M April 3rd , 2019

Its getting even

Ants going down the sideline

9:19.45 A.M. April 3rd, 2019

The same now

Sugar still in the lead the cups are going down a little

This is the fake sugar. There are more ants 9:22 A.M. April 3rd, 2019
in the real sugar cap than the fake stuff
Sugar has about 15 ants

Stevia about 10

POSSIBLE PROBLEM: WE COULDN’T PUT THEM AT SAME TIME

9:24 A.M. April 3rd, 2019

About the same 20 ants

9:26 A.M. April 3, 2019

Omg ants are getting bigger on the stevia, ants are getting smaller on the sugar

They are sick of sugar and trying stevia.

9:27 A.M. April 3, 2019

Ants on stevia ahh there invading the sugar

Now lots of ants arejust walking around but sugar has at least ten more

9:28 A.M April 3, 2019

Still only 5 ants picking at the stevia

Many ants are starting a sneak attack at the sugar

9:29 A.M. April 3, 2019

Now only 5 more ants just are on sugar than stevia

Now ants are just around both bowls but not eating any of it

The sugar is still leading though and will probably get finished first
9:33 A.M. April 3, 2019

Theres ants all over stevia but half of them are not ever eating there just crowding and all the ants at the sugar

Eating sugar, still on track to finish

First c like are hypothesis WOOO HOO!!!

9:36 A.M. April 3, 2019

I think stevia is too powerful

Many ants look sick or something

And there is still so many ants at sugar/ever more than before

The Stevia is here.

9:41 A.M. April 3, 2019

The ants are about even at the caps.

9:43 A.M. April 3, 2019

There are more ants at the real sugar.

9:47 A.M. April 3, 2019

Lots of ants at the real sugar.

11:37 A.M. April 5, 2019

About even.

11:38 A.M April 5, 2019

13 on real sugar 9 on stevia

11:38 A.M. April 5, 2019

Even

11:39 A.M. April 5, 2019

Both have about 15

11:39 April 5, 2019

ants killing each other

11:40 A.M. April 5, 2019

Stevia has more

11:42 A.M. April 5, 2019

Stealing paper

11:42 A.M. April 5, 2019

about even

Still about even

11:43 A.M. April 5, 2019

About 5 in each

11:44 A.M. April 5, 2019

Stevia 8 sugar 5

11:45 A.M. April 5, 2019

About even

11:46 A.M. April 5, 2019

Stevia is killing ants.

11:47 A.M. April 5, 2019

2 at stevia
11:48 A.M. April 5, 2019

Sugar 3 stevia 7

11:49 A.M. April 5, 2019

10 sugar 7 at stevia

Conclusion

Looking at our results, our original hypothesis was correct. One way we know it is right is because most of the ants went
to the real sugar . We think this happened because we think that the ants could tell the difference of the real and fake
sugar . Another interesting that that happened was that some of the ants that ate Stevia died . I think this was because
it’s artificial. In conclusion, it turns out that the ants went to the sugar more. If I were to do this again, one thing I would
change would be to put the ants in the tanks faster.