
Natural Pesticides and Termite Barriers
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Can household substances stop termites from crossing a line? You dilute four natural solutions -- boric acid, lemon juice, tomato juice, and vinegar -- and paint each one in a circle on the floor. Five termites go inside each circle.
After ten minutes, you check whether the termites stayed inside or crawled out. Only boric acid keeps them contained. Lemon juice, tomato juice, and vinegar fail to act as barriers. Boric acid disrupts termite biology in a way the other substances do not.
Hypothesis
The hypothesis is that boric acid and vinegar will keep the termites away.
Method & Materials
You will draw a circle on the floor with a natural substance like lemon juice, borax, tomato juice, or vinegar. Then, you will place 5 termites inside the circle and observe them for 10 minutes.
You will need an empty bottle, 20 termites, latex gloves, a lemon, a bottle of borax acid, a tomato, a bottle of vinegar, a bottle of distilled water, 8 plastic cups, 4 plastic spoons, a juice extractor, 4 small brushes, and a black marker.
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See what’s includedResults
The experiment showed that borax was effective at keeping the termites within the circle, while lemon juice, tomato juice, and vinegar were not effective. This observation stands out because it shows that borax is a good natural pesticide for termites.
Why do this project?
This science project is interesting because it shows how natural substances can be used to keep pests away.
Also Consider
Variations of this experiment could include using different types of insects, like cockroaches or red ants, or using different types of natural substances like saltwater, garlic oil, or tea.
Full project details
Additional information and source material for this project are available below.Related videos
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