Buggin' Around
By: Sinthi Tharmalingam
PROBLEM: To find out if garlic effects the growth of pitcher plant mosquito (Wyeomyia smithii) and meal worm (Tenebril molitor) larvae.
HYPOTHESIS: I think that garlic will kill the larvae of both pitcher plant mosquitoes and meal worms. Therefore, I believe garlic may be used as an insecticide.
APPARATUS:
I will use: Pitcher plants, Pitcher plants mosquito larvae, 2 ml garlic extract, 19 petri dishes, 35 ml distilled water (per dish) and 5 drops for garlic extract, 9 test tubes, eye dropper, container, dried, powdered beef liver, grain kernels
PROCEDURE:
For pitcher plant mosquito larvae:
1 Gathered all ingredients
2 Emptied pitcher plant contents into container
3 With eye dropper collected larvae
4 Placed 5 into each petri dish
5 Filled each petri dish with 20 ml of distilled water
6 Divided petri dishes into: 3 control, 3 2.5% garlic extract, 3 5% garlic extract
7 Mixed 5 drops water with 5 drops extract to get 50% concentration put into 50% garlic
8 Put five drops of garlic extract into 100% garlic
9 Wait for 3 weeks while taking observations
10 Fed beef liver after 1 week
For meal worm larvae:
1 Gather all materials
2 Put grain kernels in each petri dish (ten dished)
3 Put 5 larvae in each dish
4 Mixed 1 ml garlic extract with 15 ml water
5 Randomly picked 5 dishes to represent controls and 5 to be treated
6 Labelled petri dishes as control and treated
7 Sealed tightly
8 Took observations for one week
OBSERVATIONS:
Pitcher plant mosquitoes:
The mosquito does not appear to move in the light, unless stimulated.
After week one the liquids in the petri dishes turned different colours:
-pure turned creamy milk colour
-50% turned light milk colour
-control clear
see chart for more details for results for week one, two, and three.
Meal worms: The test was done for one week, within that week some treatments started to mold. See chart for further observances.
CONCLUSIONS: My results show that garlic does inhibit the growth of pitcher plant mosquitoes and meal worm larvae. Therefore, I accept my hypothesis.
APPLICATIONS: My results reflect that garlic does kill pitcher plant mosquitoes and meal worm larvae. Hence garlic may be used as an insecticide.