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THE WRITTEN OUTPUT

 PROBLEM
Having a lot of ants can lead to various problems, ranging from annoyance to potential
health risks. Here are some potential issues:

- Property damage: Ants can damage building structures like walls, floors, and wiring.
They can also damage furniture and electronics.

- Disease transmission: Ants can carry diseases and germs that can be transmitted to
humans or pets.

- Allergies: Some people are allergic to ant bites, which can cause swelling, itching, and
difficulty breathing.

- Food contamination: Ants can contaminate food, especially crops

and food stored in the home.

- Nuisance: A large ant infestation can be stressful and cause anxiety, especially if they
are present indoors.

-Agricultural: Ants like leafcutter ants can damage crops by cutting and removing plant
material . Some ants protect and farm aphids, which harm plants by sucking sap and
transmitting plant diseases.

To prevent these problems, it is important to control ant populations. You can do this by
using insecticides, setting traps, and eliminating food and water sources. You can also
consult with a pest control professional for more effective solutions.

 TITTLE
An Investigation Into Ant Behavior

 ABSRTACT

 Purpose

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The purpose of this investigation is to explore the potential of a natural ant
repellent made from readily available ingredients, addressing the common
problem of ant infestations while minimizing the use of potentially harmful
chemical pesticides.

 Procedure

I. Put 1 tbsp of vinegar in 1 liter of water.

II. Put 5 drops dishwashing liquid in the 1 liter of water

III. Stir it well to dissolve the vinegar and dishwashing liquid in

the water.

 Findings

 Vinegar can also repel ants by interfering with their scent trail. However,
vinegar is not considered a permanent solution for fire ant infestations.

 Dishwashing liquid

Spray with a mixture of dish soap and water

Mix one part dish soap with two parts water in a spray bottle, shake, and spray on
the ants. The soap sticks to the ants, breaking down their waxy coating and
preventing them from retaining water. This will suffocate and kill the ants.

Use dish soap to remove pheromone trails

Spray a mixture of two ounces of dish soap and 32 ounces of water on the
pheromone trail left behind by ants.
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Run a hot dishwasher cycle

Run a full cycle on your dishwasher’s hottest setting without any dishes in the
washer. The heat, water jets, and forced draining can help get rid of ants.

 Water

You need to mix vinegar and water to use against ants because the strong
scent of vinegar alone is what repels them, and diluting it with water makes it
easier to apply and less likely to damage surfaces while still effectively
deterring the ants from returning to the area; essentially, the water acts as a
carrier for the vinegar’s ant-repelling properties.

Key points about mixing vinegar and water for ants:

Disrupts scent trails:

Vinegar interferes with the pheromone trails ants use to navigate,

confusing them and preventing them from finding food sources.

Unpleasant odor to ants:

The strong vinegar smell is disliked by most ant species, causing them to
avoid the area.

Dilution for application:

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Mixing vinegar with water allows for a more controlled application,
preventing excessive damage to surfaces

 REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE

Pheromones and other semiochemicals IOBC-WPRS Bulletin 99, 2014

pp. 173-176

Pest repelling properties of ant pheromones

Joachim Offenberg

Aarhus University, Department of Bioscience, Vejlsøvej 25, 8660 Silkeborg, Denmark

Pest repelling properties of ant pheromones

Abstract: Ants control pests via predation and physical deterrence; however, ant
communication is based on chemical cues which may serve as warning signals to potential
prey and other intruders. The presence of ant pheromones may, thus, be sufficient to repel
pests from ant territories. This mini- review shows that four out of five tested ant species
deposit pheromones that repel herbivorous prey from their host plants.

Key words: Ant semiochemicals, pest repellence, insect pests, biological control, IPM, plant
protection

Introduction

Ant species have proven to be efficient control agents against a wide range of pest insects in
many crops (Way and Khoo, 1992). E.g. weaver ants (Oecophylla smaragdina and O.

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longinoda) are known to control more than 50 different pests in 12 different crops and are
able to increase farmers’ net income with more than 70% when substituting conventional

Pesticide regimes (Peng et al., 2004, Peng and Christian, 2005). As ants are predators of
other insects, including herbivores, they can prey on and directly control pest insects.
Additionally however, ant communication is based on chemical cues which may
eavesdropped by potential prey and serve as chemical warning signals or, alternatively, be
used by symbionts to stay associated with their ant hosts. The mere presence of ant
pheromones may, therefore,be sufficient to repel pest insects from ant territories and the
pheromones may serve an important role in the attraction of symbionts that may be
essential for efficient plant protection. This is further supported as ants do not only deposit
volatile trail pheromones, but also lay out more persistent chemical signals. E.g. weaver ants
produce anal spots that are used to navigate and mark their territories. These deposits can
be detected by the ants 11 months after they have been deposited, even if they have been
washed by rain water (Beugnon and Dejean, 1992). Furthermore, these deposits are not only
laid out to reinforce ant trails, but are also distributed throughout the territory of a colony
(Hölldobler and Wilson,1977; Offenberg, 2007) and, therefore, the density of the spots is
positively correlated with

the likelihood of being detected by an ant (Offenberg, 2007). In conclusion, these deposits
seem to be reliable warning signals to potential prey which may, as a result, evolve abilities
to detect them and, subsequently, avoid them. If investigated and utilized properly, the
semiochemical properties of ant pheromones may thus hold high potential in integrated pest
management (IPM).

The study of the effect of ant pheromones on their surrounding insect community is
still in its infancy. In this paper, I review the few studies testing the effect of ant pheromones
on herbivores and other functional groups of insects and provide support for the potential
application of ant pheromones in plant protection.

173

 METHOLOGY

 Material

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1 liter of Water

Dishwashing Liquid

Vinegar

 Procedure

I. Put 1 tbsp of vinegar in 1 liter of water.

II. Put 5 drops dishwashing liquid in the 1 liter of water.

III. Stir it well to dissolve the vinegar and dishwashing liquid in the water.

 RESULT AND DISCUSSION

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Results:

Days Control Areas Sprayed Areas

( Untreated)

25 15

30 12

35 10

40 8

45 6

50 4

55 2

Discussion:

The effectiveness of the spray could be attributed to the combined effects of the
ingredients:

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- Vinegar: Its acidity might deter ants from entering the area.

- Dishwashing liquid: The soap may disrupt the ants’ sense of smell
or communication, making it harder for them to locate food
sources.

- Water: The water helps distribute the other ingredients and may
create a barrier that ants don’t want to cross.

What Your Data Mean:

- Effectiveness: The data suggests that your spray might be a

promising solution for repelling ants.

- Potential for Improvement: Further research could explore ways to

optimize the spray’s formula, effectiveness, and duration.

 CONCLUSION

The results of this experiment indicate that a spray solution composed of

vinegar, water, and dishwashing liquid shows promise as an ant repellent. The areas
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treated with the spray exhibited a significant reduction in ant numbers compared to
the control areas. This suggests that the combined action of the ingredients,
specifically the acidity of vinegar and the disruptive properties of dishwashing liquid,
may deter ants from entering or staying in the treated areas.

However, it is important to note that this experiment was conducted on a small scale
with a limited number of areas, which may not be representative of larger
populations or different ant species. Further research is needed to explore the
effectiveness of the spray under a broader range of conditions and to evaluate its
long-term efficacy.

Additional research should investigate optimal concentrations of the ingredients, the

effects of different ant species, and the impact of environmental factors on the
spray’s effectiveness. Despite the need for further investigation, the preliminary
results suggest that a vinegar, water, and dishwashing liquid spray holds potential as
a natural and effective ant repellent.

 RECOMMENDATION

1. Increase Sample Size:

- Conduct your experiment in more areas to make your results more

statistically significant and generalizable. Aim for at least 5-10 areas per
treatment group (sprayed and control).

2. Control for Variables:

- Location: Choose areas with similar environmental conditions (e.g.,

sunlight, shade, proximity to food sources).

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- Ant Species: If possible, identify the specific type of ant you’re dealing
with. Different species might react differently to the spray.

- Weather: Monitor weather conditions throughout the experiment. Extreme

heat or rain might affect the effectiveness of the spray.

- Food Sources: Try to minimize food sources in the test areas to avoid
attracting ants to the treated areas regardless of the spray.

3. Consider Different Spray Concentrations:

- Test different ratios of vinegar, water, and dishwashing liquid. You might
find that a specific combination is more effective than others. For
example:

- High Vinegar Concentration: 50% vinegar, 25% water, 25% dishwashing

liquid

- Medium Vinegar Concentration: 25% vinegar, 50% water, 25%

dishwashing liquid

- Low Vinegar Concentration: 10% vinegar, 70% water, 20% dishwashing

liquid

4. Monitor for Long-term Effects:

- Observe your test areas for a longer period (more than one week) to see
how long the spray’s effectiveness lasts

5. Compare to Commercial Repellents:

- If possible, test your spray against commercially available ant repellents

as a benchmark.

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6. Include a “No Spray” Control:

- It’s useful to have a control area that receives absolutely no treatment.

This allows you to compare your sprayed areas to a completely natural
situation and helps rule out any changes in ant populations that might be
due to factors other than the spray.

7. Record Observations Carefully:

- Take detailed notes about any changes you observe in the ant populations,
including:

a. The number of ants present in each area

b. The behavior of the ants (e.g., do they avoid the sprayed areas, do
they seem confused, etc.)

c. Any other relevant observations.

8. Document Your Methods:

- Write a clear and detailed description of your experimental procedures.

This allows others to replicate your study if they want to.

 REFERENCE

SOURCE:

Article Title: Pest repelling properties of ant pheromones

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Author: Offenberg, Joachim

Year Published: 2014

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