Phineas and Ferb Science: Training Termites

Today we watched episode 3 of Phineas and Ferb,   The Magnificent Few.  In this episode the boys wrangle a cattle stampede and while we really couldn't think of any cattle science we were interested in trying out, the evil Dr. Doofenshmirtz was also busy in this episode training termites to eat everything in site.  That brought up the question of whether termites can actually be trained to do something...and guess what...they can!  We ordered this great termite kit from Carolina science supply and got to work learning about termites and how we could train them to follow a set trail.  We learned that termites communicate with each other through the use of pheromones, chemicals they secrete that leave behind a scent.  This is how they follow each other to find food.  We also found out that the ink in common Bic pens contains a chemical that will trick the termites...so we used that to train the termites to follow trails.  First we had to get the little bugs out of the container they came in and into a small cup.  This was NOT easy.  But eventually we had enough in the cup to use for our test.

For the first trail test we traced one side of the Y shaped trail with a Bic pen and the other side with a crayon.  Then we let the termites free to roam on the paper.  After a little confusion they picked up the scent and starting to walk on the Bic trail...they paid no attention to the crayon trail at all.

For the next trail test we made two right angles, one with a Sharpie and the other with a Bic.  The test was to see if they would follow the Bic trail and also to observe whether or not they could/would take a 90 degree turn. They did!  We also learned from this one that some of the termites pick up the scent better than others, those ones tended to follow the line more exactly.

The final test was all in Bic ink, but the trail was broken.  Did the termites manage to follow the trail even though there was a gap in it?  Yes, after a few tries they did!

So today we learned that termites CAN be trained, and with a little work we think we could train them quite well to go anywhere we want.  Avery's advice to Dr. Doofenshmirtz for next time- gather all the Bic pens in the tri-state area and start drawing!