Instars: A Journal of Undergraduate Research (Texas Digital Library - TDL E-Journals)
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Luring and Trapping Plecia nearctica with Different Food Samples in College Station, Texas
No full textIt’s no secret that food left outside will attract various species of nuisance insects. What becomes an even bigger problem is when there are swarms of hundreds to thousands of insects already out and about during their mating flight. This is the case in a certain nuisance species called the Love Bug, or Plecia nearctica. It is abundant some times of the year in Texas and other areas in the South (Cherry and Raid 2000). This experiment was conducted in order to see if specific food sources could be used as a valid trapping method to lure this species (Thomas 2001). Five food samples were used to test the attraction of the love bug. These samples were salt water, Coca-Cola, pineapples, apple cider vinegar, and peaches. Salt water was set as the control. The fruit samples were chosen because they reflect what may be found in nature. Coca-Cola was chosen because it is a common drink that insects may encounter in urban areas. Our hypothesis was that the love bugs would be attracted to the Coca-Cola the most because it has the highest sugar content. These samples were then placed outside in containers for four days. Every 24 hours, a survey was done of the amount of love bugs present in each cup. At the end of the 4 days, the bugs were removed and counted. Results show that Coca-Cola was the most efficient substance in attracting the love bugs, confirming our hypothesis. It was able to attract 16 bugs out of the total of 40 captured in all of the samples. The high difference in number of insects captured between the control (salt water) and Coca-Cola is a good indicator that Plecia nearctica are more attracted to the high sugar content
Effects of Color in Eyewitness Vehicle Identification
No full textThis study examined the effect of the color of vehicles in eyewitness vehicle identification. This study aimed to test if vehicle color influences the accuracy of an eyewitness identification to correctly identify a vehicle. By changing the color of pictures of vehicles, the effect of the color in eyewitness vehicle identification can be examined. The participants were 265 college students. In two presentations given to two separate groups of participants, the participants were presented with a short slide show of vehicles, and asked to identify the color of a specified vehicle. Participants correctly identified the dull color slightly more than the participants who were asked to identify the bright color vehicle. However, this difference was nominal and statistically was not significan
The Correlation between Behavioral Characteristics and Lie Detection
No full textThe accuracy of lie detection is a highly debated topic in the science community, and it has been determined that there are many conditions in which the “truth” simply cannot be determined (Saxe 1991). The purpose of this experiment was to decide whether the truthfulness or falsehood of the responses of a set of randomly selected test subjects could be determined by observation of their behavior. Based on prior knowledge, it was hypothesized that the truthfulness of the test subjects could not be determined based off analysis of their behavior. The experiment consisted of interviewing a group of test subjects in a series of two trials of the same questions, one that they would answer truthfully and one that they would answer untruthfully. The subjects chose which trial they told the truth and which they did not. Their behavior was observed for both trials, and the observations were recorded. The presence of certain common behavioral traits was graphed, and revealed that there were in fact patterns in the overall behavior that distinguished between true and false responses. It was concluded that for this group of subjects, certain behavioral characteristics, such as lack of eye contact or lack of emotions present, indicated that the subject was lying when answering questions.
Impact of salinity, pollutants and organic debris in still water on the life cycle of larval Culex sp and the oviposition site preference of mosquitoes in Bryan-College Station, Texas
No full textAfter major natural disasters, the number of vector-borne diseases increases significantly. In light of recent events in Houston, Texas and surrounding coastal cities due to Hurricane Harvey, a study was created to examine the effects of organic and inorganic pollutants on the breeding site preference and life cycle of mosquitoes. For each part of this experiment, containers of water were prepared with various organic and inorganic pollutants. To study the breeding site preference, these containers were placed outdoors in three residential properties in the Bryan-College Station, Texas community. After a period of 27 days, no data was observed as the cold, frigid weather in the city was not conducive to breeding. In a second study involving the life cycle of mosquitoes, containers containing these same inorganic and organic pollutants were placed indoors. Larval Culex sp mosquitoes were observed for a period of eight days to see how each environment affected their progression. The containers with tap water, distilled water, and organic material saw the most growth of mosquitos, while the containers filled with oil and sodium chloride killed off all of the larval mosquitoes. It was concluded that neither seawater nor an aqueous environment in which there is substantial pollution, specifically oil, are conducive to mosquito growth. However, an overall generalization cannot be made on the effect of pollutants on the life cycle of all mosquitos. Further research will be needed, as the sample size was relatively small and only included one genera of mosquito
Testing the Efficacy of Different Common Household as Baits on Diptera Using Baited Flytraps
No full textThere are many diseases and pathogens that can be transmitted by dipteran species. There is ample opportunity for fly pest species to do so because they can contaminate food and water sources. Scientist aim to reduce the and prevent the contact pest species have with places humans inhabit, however are not sure what the main attract is because pest flies can be found in a variety of environments. One of the most prevalent environments pest species are found are in homes. In this experiment, we investigated whether pest flies were more attracted to feces, fruit or meat. These three things can be found in the typical American home and distinguishing which one has more of an attract to pest flies can help deduce more ways to reduce their presence or even prevent it. There is no difference in efficacy between the three different baits that were tested most likely because each bait can provide nutrition and a breeding site for dipteran species
Efficacy of Essential Oils as a Larvicide Against Aedes albopictus (Diptera: Culicidae)
No full textAs a prominent vector of deadly diseases such as Dengue and Yellow Fever, the control of Ades albopictus (Diptera: Culicidae) is a constant battle for the public. As winged adults, mosquitoes can be harder to control with pesticides and have grown resistant to commonly used chemicals. In many cases, essential oils have been used as a means to control various arthropods while minimizing the amounts of harmful chemicals in the environment. While certain essential oils have been shown as an effective method of controlling arthropods, none have compared lemongrass, nerolidol, and tea tree oils against various mosquito instars. This study tests lemongrass, nerolidol, and tea tree oils in the killing of both laboratory reared and wild caught mosquitoes located in College Station, Texas. Results show that nerolidol (P<0.001) and a ratio of 1:2 tea tree and nerolidol (P<0.001) are significantly effective as a larvicide in the amounts tested.Key words: Dengue, essential, oils, albopictus, larvicide, instar
Research on the Reliability of Eyewitness Testimony Based on an Online Study
No full textThis document describes the use of eyewitness testimony in court and factors that make it both reliable and unreliable. One case study is presented. Five subjects were tested over a period of three weeks after being shown a timed presentation of a series of events that they were to be witnesses to. Seven questions were asked each week in the same order and of the same content. The findings of the experiment showed that as time progressed, the subjects became less descriptive and more inaccurate in their responses to the questions. Over the entirety of the study, the eyewitness testimony became more unreliable as the online interviews were conducted and therefore reflect unreliability overall. This leads to the belief that in real-life situations, eyewitness testimony can become inaccurate in the case of court proceedings not occurring soon after the original crime
Disruptions of Solenopsis invicta Pheromone Trails
No full textSolenopsis invicta, commonly known as the red imported fire ant, is an invasive species to the United States whose history began in the early 20th century. Given time and increasing human interaction, the species was able proliferate in much of the Southwest. This artificial migration, coupled with the species’ anatomy, defense mechanisms and aggressiveness. has caused increasingly important issues with colonies forming near households and affecting crop yields. The highly potent venom can cause painful skin rashes and can even induce death in certain members of population. However, these ants rarely sting as individuals, but rather as a group- as a mechanism of defense in response to, for example, habitat disruption. To achieve such collaborative action, these insects release pheromones. And one in specific, Z, Z, Z-Allofarnesene, aids in the formation of ant trails. Therefore, given the medical impact of the specie,s one is able to see the importance of developing alternative methods of disrupting this specific pheromone transmission. This study utilizes common household items (lemon juice, vinegar, black pepper, cinnamon, and paprika) to test the efficacy of pheromone disruption. The results yielded the conclusion that products containing highly volatile functional groups in a certain odorous physical state have a significantly higher impact on pheromone trails
Efficacy of Salt Water, Lemon Juice and Vinegar, and Orange Oil as Isoptera Rhinotermitidae Insecticide
No full textIsoptera (termites) have always been a nuisance to humans, costing them tremendous amounts of damage. Because of this, exterminating termites is a common goal, but finding natural pesticides is quite a difficult task. For this reason, we have conducted an experiment using three organic materials: 50% lemon juice/50% vinegar, orange oil, and salt water to test their efficiency at killing termites, along with recording any behavior changes observed. The orange oil worked the best, exterminating every termite it came into contact with. The other two organic materials did not kill the termites at all, only causing hindrance to their movements. Due to the success of the orange oil as a pesticide for termites, we now have an interest to investigate deeper and test how well other concentrated oils would do as pesticides
