ACTIVITY 16

A-Mazing Insects

Teaching Objectives:

1. Students will construct a maze of their own design.
2. Students will conduct experiments and collect data in a systematic way.
3. Students will determine whether an insect can use its senses to find food.

Materials Needed:

• Flat boxes at least 2 inches deep
• Posterboard
• Glue
• Plastic wrap
• Scissors or exacto knives
• Rulers
• Masking tape
• Insects of various types (e.g., ant, cricket, beetle, ladybug)
• Jars to keep the insects in during the experiment
• Stopwatches

Procedure:

Divide the class into groups of 2-4 students. Have each group design a maze which will be made from the box and strips of posterboard.

1. Draw the maze lines along the bottom of the box.
2. Cut strips of posterboard the depth of the box plus 1/2 inch.
3. Mark points on each strip 1/2 inch up from the bottom of the long sides.
4. Using the ruler and scissors or knife, connect the points and then score the posterboard along the 1/2-inch line with the scissors or knife.
5. Fold the posterboard at a 90-degree angle along the scored line and use the smaller part for gluing the posterboard to the bottom of the box..
6. At the starting and ending points of the maze, put a small hole in the side of the box through which the insects will be introduced into the maze and later exit.
7. Cut this as a flap which can be closed after the insect has been placed in the box.
8. Cover the flap area with masking tape while the insect is in the box.

Have each group select some type food to place at the finish line of their maze. Each group should select a different type food. Suggestions would include a piece of fruit, cheese, peanut butter, jelly, balogna, etc. If each group uses a different type food, comparisons can be made regarding each type food's relative attraction of insects as well as among each type insect involved in the experiments.

Cover the boxes with plastic wrap tightly enough to keep the insects from escaping. Introduce one insect at a time into each box and use the stopwatch to time how long it takes that insect to find its way to the food. Make these comparisions:

• The time it takes different insect species to find the food in the same maze
• The time it takes the same insect species to find different foods in different mazes
• The differences in the times of the different insect species

Ask these questions:

• Which species finds the food fastest?
• Is that species the fastest in all experiments run?
• Do the insects appear to have a preference for or an ability to find certain types of food faster?