Meet the Ants: June 15 Club meeting

We now have an ant farm at the library.  The blue gel in the ant farm was designed for NASA to do experiments on ants in space.  Not only can the gel withstand the g-force of a rocket blasting off, it also provides all the water and nutrients for the ants.  These are Harvester ants from west of the Mississippi.  We got them in the mail.

NEW CITIZEN SCIENCE PROJECT  

We also did a Citizen Science Project on ants for the Let's Do Science Club meeting on June 15.

We collected ants from around the library grounds--some from the grass and some from the sidewalk.  (We used Pecan Sandies as bait--Who knew?)  We found three different kinds of ants:

1. Tiny red ones (Thief ants?)
2. Little black ones
3. Big black ones.

Then, we sent them to some scientists at North Carolina State University who will help us identify them.  We will then be placed on the world-wide map of ants. 

http://www.schoolofants.org/map

Keep checking the map to see our results.  You can do the same experiment at your own home.  All you need is some zip lock bags and some Pecan Sandies.

 At the next Let's Do Science Club meeting, we will review our ant results and do some experiments with electricity.

NEXT MEETING: July 20 at 2 pm

The Horseshoe crabs are free!

Thanks to Paige, Austin and Collin for coming to the Horseshoe Crab release at Sandy Point Park on May 27.    We got to handle some adult horseshoe crabs and were recognized by the DNR as the first ever library to participate.  Our team was awesome at Horseshoe crab jeopardy and we met many other students from around the state who raised horseshoe crabs this year.

Although we were not sure if there were any left in the tank, we released them anyway.  What happened?  Theories include borderline high salinity, pH changes.  

We'll discuss this in more detail in the Fall when we begin to raise BLUEGILLs for the Department of Natural Resources.  Here is the website for a preview.  http://www.dnr.state.md.us/education/are/Sunfish_Students.asp