Collecting ants in the schoolyard and at home

The instructions for collecting ants are very specific. There are several reasons for this. About 1% of the human population is allergic to the stings of ants, bees and wasps. For others, an ant sting is merely an annoyance or a mild discomfort. But it is important that students learn to collect ants safely. This is really very easy to do. Ants that are defending their nest are far more likely to sting than ants that are foraging, such as at a peanut butter baited chopstick. Thus, part of the detailed protocol is designed to ensure the safety of participating students. The second reason for providing a detailed protocol is because each student collection is one replicate in a scientific study. If we are to compare one collection to another, and then make generalizations about all the collections, we must standardize the collection scheme. For instance, if one student collects ants using honey, and another uses Spam, we cannot legitimately compare the ants at the two locations because the baits might attract different species. We must make sure everybody is collecting ants in the same way to control variables that might otherwise confound our ability to discuss our conclusions.

Materials needed: 5 chopsticks cut in half (10 total pieces); peanut butter (brands with added oils work better than natural brands); two ziploc bags; data sheet (download in word or acrobat format); pencil or pen. View an example of a completed data sheet here.

*IF YOU ARE ALLERGIC, OR YOU SUSPECT YOU MAY BE ALLERGIC, TO BEE OR WASP STINGS, OR TO PEANUT BUTTER, PLEASE ASK FOR HELP FROM YOUR PARENTS, OR REFRAIN FROM THIS ACTIVITY COMPLETELY* Your teacher may assign a short written research project as a substitute activity.

1)      Do not wear loose clothing, slippers or a watch. The ants can get trapped and caught in this attire. Wear clothing with short sleeves, closed toe shoes and remove your watch or jewelry.

2)      Decide beforehand where you will place the chopsticks. Where have you seen ants? What do ants look for food? As much as possible, please do your search outdoors. Try baiting for ants on a fair day, but not in direct sunlight.

3)      Dip half of the chopstick in peanut butter, leaving the other half free of peanut butter. You will need to pick up the chopsticks later, so you need to grab a clean area that will be free of ants. You do not need very much peanut butter! Just a light coating will be enough to attract ants, if they are present.

4)      Place stick on or into the ground at a suitable location. Peanut butter should be in contact with the ground.

5)      Wait 1-2 hours before collecting sticks. Ants need time to find baits and recruit nestmates.

6)      Before picking up a chopstick, first observe closely. Do you see ants or other arthropods? What do they look like? How do they behave? Then carefully pick up chopstick and drop into large ziploc bag. If you have captured ants, seal the bag between collections so that ants cannot escape.

7)      When you are finished collecting chopsticks, completely fill out the data sheet, drop it inside the small ziploc bag, place inside the larger bag with the chopsticks, and put the whole package into the freezer for at least two hours or until you take your sample into class. Do not bring live ants back to the classroom.

8)  It is very important to provide a valid street address, in case we find the ant. If you do not wish to divulge this information on your residence, you may collect ants at a different location. Keep the data sheet together with the ants. Your teacher may also provide you with a GPS unit to determine the latitude and longitude of your location.

9)      Return to class with your package.

Remember: do not be disappointed if you do not find ants! Because alien little fire ants in Hawaii are considered threats to our unique environment, we hope we do not find many! Ants or no ants, the information is very important÷you have collected scientific data towards a conservation biology project! Thank you for your assistance!