
Ant Activity and Cold Temperatures
Medium
What happens to ants when you put them in a refrigerator for ten minutes? Ants are active insects that dig tunnels and build mounds. But their speed depends on the temperature around them.
You fill a glass jar with soil to make an ant observatory. First you watch the ants move at room temperature. Then you place the jar in a refrigerator for ten minutes and observe them again.
After cooling, the ants move much slower. As the temperature rises back up, they become active again.
Hypothesis
The hypothesis is that temperature changes will affect the activity of ants.
Method & Materials
You will need an ant observatory and some ants. To make an observatory, fill a glass jar with soil and close the lid. Notice the activity of the ants as they move around at room temperature, then place the observatory in the refrigerator for 10 minutes.
You will need an ant observatory, some ants, a glass jar, soil, and a cooler or refrigerator.
Results
After the 10 minutes are up, you'll observe how the ants' activity has changed. At colder temperatures, the ants will move slower. As the temperature goes up, the ants will become more active.
Why do this project?
This science project is interesting and unique because it allows us to observe how temperature changes affect the behavior of ants.
Also Consider
Experiment variations to consider include testing the effects of different temperatures on the ants, or testing the effects of different types of environments on the ants.
Full project details
Additional information and source material for this project are available below.Related video
These videos explain the science behind this project and demonstrate key concepts used in the experiment.
Share this Science Project:
Related Science Fair Project Ideas
Match bird beaks to hardware store tools and use the tool's purpose to predict what each bird eats.
Medium
Show a betta fish its own reflection again and again to discover how quickly it stops flaring at the mirror.
Medium
Pick any biome, find two species on different continents, and discover how the same environment can sculpt unrelated animals into near look-alikes.
Medium
Share this Science Project:
