Can Detergent, Acidity, or Salt control the mosquito population?

By: LeAynne WillHelp from: James Will Jr.Category: Environmental

School: Dozier Middle School

Mrs. Marioneaux 2011-2012

Watch Out,I'm coming to bite you!

AbstractAbstract Mosquitoes are responsible for millions of deaths all over the world per year. The

affect of detergent, salt, and acidity on mosquito larva was tested. Lemon juice represented acidity. The ph level of salt, detergent, lemon juice, and water was found. The ph of salt is 7 (neutral), detergent is 10, lemon juice is 2.2 and water is 7 (neutral). The hypothesis was if detergent, acid, and salt are added to mosquito larva, then the salt will kill the most mosquito larva. The IV was lemon juice, detergent and salt. The DV was which kills the most mosquitoes. First 4 bowls were filled with 2 cups water and 15 mosquito larva in each. Then 1 tsp. of salt was added to #1, 1 tsp. of detergent to #2 and 1 tsp. of lemon juice to #3. The data was recorded every hour for 6 hours. No larva died in lemon juice or normal during this experiment. No mosquito larva died in salt until hour 5, when 3 died, and in hour 6, 8 died. In detergent larva died every hour, 4 in hour 1, 1 in hour 2, 6 in hour 3, 1 in hour 4, 1 in hour 5, and the last two died in hour six. The hypothesis was proved erroneous because the most died in detergent not in salt. From this experiment we can determine that detergent works well in killing mosquito larva, but it is not superior to insecticide.

PurposePurpose

The scientist would like to see if detergent, acidity or salt can control the mosquito population?

ProblemProblem

Does Detergent, Lemon Juice, or Salt kill the most mosquitoes?

Literature ResearchLiterature Research

People that study insects and bugs are called entomologists.

Mosquitoes can carry diseases like West Nile, Western Equine Encephalitis, St. Louis Encephalitis, La Crosse Encephalitis, Japanese Encephalitis, and Eastern Equine Encephalitis but the ones common in Virginia are West Nile Virus , Eastern Equine Encephalitis, and La Crosse Encephalitis.

The Asian Tiger Mosquito causes the most bites in Virginia per year.

The life cycle of a mosquito is egg, larva, pupa, and adult or imago.

Females are the only ones that bite, and males feed on nectar from flowers.

The average life span of a mosquito can be anywhere from 1 to 2 weeks to several months.

Literature ResearchLiterature Research There are over 3,500 species of mosquitoes There are over 3,500 species of mosquitoes

known to man.known to man. Males usually live 10-20 days, while females Males usually live 10-20 days, while females

can live anywhere from 3 to 100 days.can live anywhere from 3 to 100 days. They can beat their wings between 300 and They can beat their wings between 300 and

600 times a second. 600 times a second. The parts of the mosquito's body are the head, The parts of the mosquito's body are the head,

abdomen, and thorax.abdomen, and thorax. The females are usually bigger then males.The females are usually bigger then males. Fish and aquatic insects eat the larva and Fish and aquatic insects eat the larva and

pupa.pupa. Birds and bats eat flying adults.Birds and bats eat flying adults.

HypothesisHypothesis

If detergent, acid, and salt are added to mosquito larva, then the salt will kill the most mosquito larva.

VariablesVariables Independent Variable- lemon juice, salt, and

detergent

Dependent Variable- which kills the most mosquitoes

Constants- the amount of mosquitoes, the time recorded, the amount of water, same amount of lemon juice, salt, and detergent.

Control- the normal group to which nothing was added.

MaterialsMaterials

60 mosquito larva, 1 tsp. of lemon juice, 1 tsp. of detergent, 1 tsp. of salt, 4 bowls, and 8 cups of water.

ProcedureProcedure

1. First, we filled 4 bowls with 2 cups of water and put 15 mosquito larva in each.

2. Then we added 1 tsp. of salt to #1, 1 tsp of detergent to #2 and 1 tsp. of lemon juice to #3.

3. Started at 3:00 p.m. on October 29, 2011. I recorded my data every hour ending at 9:00 p.m.

ResultsResults

Normal Lemon Juice Detergent SaltHour 1- 0 dead

15 alive

0 dead

15 alive

4 dead

15 alive

no dead

15 alive

Hour 2-0 dead

15 alive

0 dead

15 alive

5 dead

10 still alive

0 dead

15 alive

Hour 3- 0 dead

15 alive

0 dead

15 alive

11 dead

4 alive

0 dead

15 alive

Hour 4-0 dead

15 alive

0 dead

15 alive

12 dead

3 alive

0 dead

15 alive

Hour 5-0 dead

15 alive

0 dead

15 alive

13 dead

2 dead

3 dead

12 alive

Hour 6-0 dead

15 alive

0 dead

15 alive

0 alive

15 dead

11 dead

4 alive

DataData

KEYKEY

0

2

4

6

8

10

12

14

16

1stHour

2ndHour

3rdHour

4thHour

5thHour

6thHour

ControlDetergentLemon JuiceSalt

Num

ber

of

mosq

uit

o larv

a d

ead

Hours recorded

Number of mosquito larva dead every hour.

PICTURESPICTURES