STEM
Mariana Perez
Gabby McRae
Quenten Couch
Do dermested beetles prefer a wet environment over a dry environment?
Procedures to do this experiment
Supplies:
Steps:
Mariana Perez
Gabby McRae
Quenten Couch
Do dermested beetles prefer a wet environment over a dry environment?
Procedures to do this experiment
Supplies:
- Tank 20 x 10 1/2 inches
- Two fish
- Dermested Beetles
- Wood shavings
- Paper Towels
- Two plastic containers
- Water
Steps:
- Get all supplies
- Cut two containers so they are shallow
- Collect 100 to 125 dermested beetles
- Spread wood shavings across the bottom of the tank 2 inches high
- Place the containers in the tank on opposite sides
- Place one fish in each container on a piece of paper towel (make sure one is wet)
- Sprinkle a small amount of water on the fish with the wet paper towel (keep the fish wet as much as possible throughout the experiment)
- Let the beetles loose in the tank
Data found
Dexter, Dee Dee and the Dermested Beetles ( Day 1 )
Day 1 ( 7/24/13 )
*Weight
-Dee Dee's:12.928g
-Dexter's weight:13.506g
*Other
-They were placed in at 2:37pm on July 24, 2013
Day 2 ( 7/25/13 )
-At 18:40:11 DD's eye was eaten
* Temperature
-Dexter's temp: 16c
-DD's temp:14c
-Wood shavings temp:17c
-Dermested Beetles:16c
*Weight
-Dexter:11.166g
-Dee Dee's weight:11.892g
*Other
-There were 9 dermested beetles inside Dexter's container (dry)
-There were 3 dermested beetles in Dee Dee's container (wet)
-After being in the tank for 18hrs 40mins & 11 seconds Dee Dee's eye was eaten.
-Later on this day Dexter and Dee Dee's face was eaten
Day 3
*Temperature
-Dexter temp: 16c
-Dee Dee temp: 15c
-Wood Shavings temp: 17c
-Beetles temp: 18c
*Other
-There were 2 Dermested beetles in Dexter's container ( dry )
-There was 1 Dermested beetle in Dee Dee's container ( wet )
-There was no big change in the fish from yesterday to today.
-Dexter and Dee Dee's faces we both eaten but no completely gone.
*Weight
-Dee Dee's:12.928g
-Dexter's weight:13.506g
*Other
-They were placed in at 2:37pm on July 24, 2013
Day 2 ( 7/25/13 )
-At 18:40:11 DD's eye was eaten
* Temperature
-Dexter's temp: 16c
-DD's temp:14c
-Wood shavings temp:17c
-Dermested Beetles:16c
*Weight
-Dexter:11.166g
-Dee Dee's weight:11.892g
*Other
-There were 9 dermested beetles inside Dexter's container (dry)
-There were 3 dermested beetles in Dee Dee's container (wet)
-After being in the tank for 18hrs 40mins & 11 seconds Dee Dee's eye was eaten.
-Later on this day Dexter and Dee Dee's face was eaten
Day 3
*Temperature
-Dexter temp: 16c
-Dee Dee temp: 15c
-Wood Shavings temp: 17c
-Beetles temp: 18c
*Other
-There were 2 Dermested beetles in Dexter's container ( dry )
-There was 1 Dermested beetle in Dee Dee's container ( wet )
-There was no big change in the fish from yesterday to today.
-Dexter and Dee Dee's faces we both eaten but no completely gone.
Results
The results show that the Dermested beetles ate more of Dexter ( dry ) than Dee Dee ( wet ) though it was not by much. When and if you try this experiment make sure you have enough time for the beetles to eat all of the fish. You will mostly need a full week for them to eat the whole fish. You will get better results that way. On another note make sure you keep the fish and paper towel wet. Also make sure you weigh the fish and count the Dermested Beetles on each fish every day. This will also help you get better data and results.