The Effects of Tangerine Citric Acid on Pogonomyrmex Barbatus

Overview

The purpose of this experiment was to investigate tangerine citric acid’s ability to function as an environmentally friendly pesticide. The d-limonene in tangerine peels is thought to be toxic to ants because it clogs Dufour’s gland. It was predicted that with an increased concentration it would result in higher lethality deaths and more deterrence from the solution source. A T-maze was built for this experiment. Pieces of celery coated in four concentrations of citric acid (0%, 25%, 35%, and 50%) were placed on the right and celery coated in water was placed on the left. Ten minutes after the ants were placed in the T-maze, the walls were dropped and the number on each side was recorded. Over three days, the numbers of ants that died on each side were recorded. When the concentration of the solution increased, significantly more ants died and significantly more of them turned away from the solution. There was a significant difference between the number of ants dying on the first day and the number dying on the second and third days. There was also a significant difference between the number of ants turning towards and away from the solution in most trials. The highest death rate was 83% in the 50% concentration, while the lowest was 2% in the control. The highest rate of deterrence was 77% in the 50% concentration with the lowest at 49% in the control. It was observed that the ants died faster and turned away from the solution in a T-maze. The 50% solution was the best solution for killing and deterring the ants. In conclusion, tangerine citric acid could be used as an eco-friendly pesticide to kill or deter ants.

Competition history

• AJAS 2019 Category not listed

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