Students might want to invest in bug spray. The nationwide School of Ants has come to UF.
The ant school relies on citizen science, a project where people all over the country collect data from their own backyard to send to experts for review.
Andrea Lucky, head of the School of Ants and assistant research scientist in the UF Department of Entomology and Nematology, said about 1,000 samples have been sent to the school, which has helped monitor new species and see if they are expanding.
Lucky said more than 100 people have gotten involved with the project.
“A lot of people have responded by getting interested in critters that live in and around their yards,” she said. “Some people have been responsible for discovering new ranges for problematic species.”
Since Lucky took a position at UF in Fall 2012, the original ant school, based at North Carolina State University, will now share its headquarters at UF.
“It’s important to know that anyone can participate,” Lucky said.
Sampling ants involves placing Keebler Sandies Pecan Shortbread cookies traps outdoors in green spaces for an hour. After gathering data and sacrificing the ants by freezing them overnight, the kits can be mailed to UF for identification, according to the School of Ants website.
To get involved with the School of Ants, people can visit www.schoolofants.org.
Contact Alexa Volland at avolland@alligator.org.
