Ant Science Projects

WELCOME to Antsalive.com Science Projects with Ants. Below you will find some science project ideas dealing with ants. Life Studies has all the materials you will need as well.

Caution! Ants may bite and/or sting. Be very careful when conducting experiments and science projects with ants. Do not touch them! Adult supervision is required.

Ants are amazing creatures! Science projects and experiments with ants can help us to understand more about them and to appreciate their role on our planet.

Experiment #1

Test the effects of temperature change on ants. You will need an ant observatory and some ants. You will also need a cooler or refrigerator large enough to place the ant observatory into. Notice the activity of the ants as they move around at room temperature. Record the temperature. Now place the observatory in the refrigerator for 10 minutes. After the 10 minutes are up remove the observatory and notice how slowly the ants move. Ants move slower at colder temperatures. As the temperature goes up the ants will become more active.

Your Hypothesis should answer these questions: What are the effects of temperature change on ants? Why does this happen?

Experiment #2

Test the effect of light and darkness on ants. You may want to have two observatories for this experiment. Place 25 ants into each observatory. Keep one observatory in the dark for a specified amount of time. Keep the other observatory in the light during the same time period. Note the differences in how much work has been done (tunnels dug, dirt mounds built, etc...) Draw conclusions based on your experiment.

Your Hypothesis should answer these questions: What are the effects of light and darkness on ants? Why do you think this is the case?

Experiment #3

Test the ants ability to dig tunnels in wet and dry sand. You will need to time the ants to see how long it takes to construct a tunnel a certain distance in your ant farm or observatory. You may also want to compare the stability of the tunnels the ants construct. Place some ants into your observatory or jar with wet sand and start timing them. As soon as they have built a tunnel 1 inch long, note the time. Shake the container and tap on the outside to test the stability of the tunnel. Now try ants in a container with dry sand. Time them in the dry sand. Compare your results and make conclusions based on your experiment.

Your Hypothesis should answer these questions: Which sand works better for building tunnels? Why do you think this is the case?

Experiment #4

Test the ants reaction to different foods. Try placing different kinds of food into your observatory and see what the ants do. Do they prefer certain foods? Some good foods to try are sugar, salt, citrus fruit, green vegetables, meats, granola. Make conclusions based on the results of your experiment.

Your Hypothesis should answer these questions: What kind of foods do ants like/dislike? Why?

Experiment #5

Test ants ability to tunnel in Sand vs. Gel. Ants naturally live in sand. There are new ant habitats which contain a gel which the ants live in, eat, and tunnel through. You will need 1 ant habitat that uses sand and 1 habitat that uses gel. If you put the ants into both at the same time you will be able to see if ants can tunnel better in man made gel or in  sand.  Browse Ant Habitats

Your Hypothesis should answer these questions: Which type of habitat is best for ants to tunnel in sand or gel? Why do you think that is the case?

Life Studies receives feedback from time to time of people who win 1st place prizes in science fairs with their ant projects. Life Studies has all the materials you need for a winning project whether you need Ant Habitats or Supplies for restocking your ant farm. Let us know if we can help you succeed.