Comparing Apples to Oranges (Yes it is possible!

) Day 1- July 23rd, 2012:

Everyone is quite aware that insects are attracted to the foods we eat, especially our fruits. However, are insects more attracted to apples or oranges? I have pondered this thought for around a week. To begin the experiment, we need to find all our materials, which include... Materials: -1/2 granny smith apple -1/2 delicious golden apple -1/2 of two different types of oranges -butterfly bait trap (purchased from Bioquip)

I personally believe that the insects will be more attracted to the oranges, for they have a greater amount of juice and the aroma of an orange is sensed much faster than that of an apple. Furthermore, oranges tend to have a high sugar rate, so why would not more bugs come? The experiment was set up so that the insects would be caught. Two separate butterfly bait traps were set up , one right next to another. The traps had a bottom level, where a tray was placed. One trap had a tray of apples (1/2 of a granny smith and of a delicious golden), while the other had a tray of oranges (1/2 of two difference types of oranges). Above the bottom level was a funnel from which the insects would enter the trap. There was no way for the insects to exit the trap, thus making it easy to count. This trap was set at 2:00 pm on Monday July 23rd, 2012.

Day 2-July 24th, 2012:

So as Day 2 of the project commenced, there were around 5 to 6 flies noticed in the trap with the oranges, along with one wasp and one moth. However, in the trap with the apples there were only 2 to 3 flies. These observations were noticed around 10:50 am. This supported that my hypothesis was correct, but was it the sugar in the oranges or the aroma that the oranges give off, well that is another question to investigate. The set up of Day 2 was similar to that of day one, but there was a little twist. The question that led the second days investigation was, if adding salt to the oranges would change the insects preference? Also, would adding sugar to the apples attract more insects? Furthermore, remember the previous question, Was it the sugar in the oranges or the aroma they give off that brings in the insects? Well, this is what we are going to test by putting salt on the oranges. If insects are still attracted to the oranges, then it is primarily the aroma that draws in the insects. My hypothesis is that the aroma will play a larger role to attract insects to the oranges and keep them there regardless of the salt, for sugar on top of the apples might be more pleasing, there is nothing to bring the insects in. Thus to test the second experiment we would need... Materials: -1/2 granny smith apple -1/2 delicious golden apple -1/2 of two different types of oranges -butterfly bait trap (purchased from Bioquip) -1 tbsp of salt (to add to the oranges) -1 tbsp of sugar (to add to the salt) There was no major difference in the appearance of the set up. The butterfly bait trap was still used. However, around 11:00 am sugar was added to the apples and salt to the oranges.

Day 3- July 25th, 2012:

As data was collected from Day 2 around the time of 1:25 pm, in the apples trap there were 3 to 4 flies noticed. However, the strange part was that there were not any insects in the oranges traps. This has proved my hypothesis to be completely incorrect; it was not aroma that brought the insects into the trap but rather the sugar content. It was quite amazing how the salt kept insects completely away. Now is it time to see if adding salt to apples would not attract any insects, also. Thus, the question for Day 3s experiment is, Would adding salt to apples not attract insects, while adding sugar to oranges bring in a great amount of insects? I personally believe that the salt would keep all the insects away, just like it did with the oranges. As for in the trap with the sugared oranges, there would be a drastic amount of insects. The materials to do the third experiment are as follows... Materials: -1/2 granny smith apple -1/2 delicious golden apple -1/2 of two different types of oranges -butterfly bait trap (purchased from Bioquip)

-1 tbsp of salt (to add to the salt) -1 tbsp of sugar (to add to the oranges)

The salt and sugar were added around 1:35 pm to the apples and oranges, respectively. The same traps were still used, as well as the same trays. Both trays also contained residue of the previously added sugar and salt.

Day 4- July 26th, 2012:

As observations for Day 4 were recorded, the trap with salted apples contained 6 flies, as well as one bee. However, the sugared oranges only trapped 5 flies; yet, there were still some small beatles on the bottom on the orange. These observations were recorded at 11:34 am. This result was quite shocking. One would have easily assumed from past experiments that the oranges would have attracted a greater load of insects than the apples, but in this condition the opposite was noticed. A reason as to why this might have happened was there was a sugar lining in the apples tray that kept the insects there and brought in more. It was as though, the sugar counteracted the effect of the salt.

Overall Conclusion:
Initial experiment: Are insects more attracted to apples or oranges? Second experiment: Would putting salt on oranges repel insects? Would adding sugar to apples attract insects? Is it the aroma that attracts insects or the sugar content? Third experiment: Would adding sugar to oranges attract more insects than putting salt on apples? Once each of the three experiments were conducted, it was noted that under completely normal circumstances with nothing added, insects favored oranges over apples. The exact reason for this occuring is not known; however, it could have been because the aroma of an orange spreads faster or that oranges are usually known to have a larger sugar content. Once sugar was added to the apples and salt to the oranges, it became clear that salt on the oranges completely repulsed insects. While the sugared apples readily attracted the insects. Hence, the conclusion is created that it is sugar that attracts insects over the aroma. Nevertheless, the results of the third experiment were not in accordance with those of experiment two. More insects were found in the trap with the salted apples than the sugared oranges. This was very surprising, for salt had repelled the insects from the oranges. A layer of sugar covered the apple tray, which might have skewed the results. Although the conditions were primarily the same for each of the three experiments, there were other aspects that could have greatly skewed the results. Between the first and second experiment the same halves of the apples and oranges were used. All the potential juices could have been drained during the first day from the oranges, which is why no insects came during the second experiment. Thus to make the experiment give better results, fresh fruit should have been used during each different part. Furthermore, the trays should have been washed between each of the experiments, so that everything was starting out fresh. The residue did affect the overall results. Lastly, aside from the overall questions, salt proved its properties as a preservative. All the fruit that was covered in salt did not show any sign of decay, while the apples and oranges covered in sugar did show great signs of decay.

Nutritonal Information for each appple and orange:

So after making assumptions about the amount of sugar and sodium in the apples and oranges, I decided to actually look up the amount of sugar and sodium in each type of apple and orange.

Type of Fruit Granny Smith Apple Golden Delicious Apple Regular Orange

Amount of Sugar (per 100 grams) 10.39 grams 10.39 grams 9.16 grams

Amount of Sodium (per 100 grams) 0 grams 0 grams 0 grams

Oranges have less sugar than apples, well that is all too shocking. The experiment was primarily based on the idea that sugar was less in apples than oranges. If sugar is less in an orange than an apple, wait impact does sugar really have on the insects? To find the answer to this, further experimentation is needed.