The Effect of an Indentation on the Behavior of a Termite

The Effect of an Indention On The Behavior of a Termite

Introduction: This lab is designed to test whether a termite responds to an indention in the paper. This experiment should show whether a termite uses indentions in surfaces to navigate. It is believed that the termites use indentions in order to navigate the paper.

Background: The termite is a blind insect that lives in the ground, or more commonly in wood. They form sealed wooden homes inside of damp wood. Termites are usually less than an inch long. They may live for up to 60 years, depending on their role in the colony. Their diet consist of mostly wood and they expand their colonies by eating out more tunnels in the wood they live in, thus providing food and shelter all in one step. They are divided into three major groups, the workers, the soldiers, and the reproductives. The workers build the nests and bring food to the reproductives, the soldiers protect the nest, and the reproductives reproduce. The workers and soldiers are the common white, blind termites, and the reproductives are dark, winged, and can see. Though there are three main kinds of termites in the colonies, they are divided into smaller sub-groups specialized to the task they must accomplish.

Materials and Procedure:

1. 3 petri dishes

2. 3 papers to place inside petri dishes

3. Termite

4. Pen

5. Scissors

1. Place one paper inside each petri dish

2. On one paper draw a circle with the pen, on the other draw a circle with the tip of the scissors, and leave one blank

3. Put the termite in each of the dishes and observe it

4. Record your observations

Observation