"Using both an 8-choice and a single-choice arena displaying organic muck soil and clay varying in moisture, we found that walking ants, Pogonomyrmex occidentalis and Aphaenogaster rudis, were strongly deterred by soiling treatments. By soiling we refer to any substance that clings to body surfaces and takes time and effort to remove. Organic muck soil with water content above 80 percent received one-third the number of ant visits recorded for dry soil. Clay at 50 percent water reduced ant visits by 80 percent relative to clay with 30 percent water or lower. No P. occidentalis walked over clay hydrated to 50 percent or higher. Moreover, the elapsed time for these ants to cross clay with soiling levels of moisture increased by about 10 fold compared to substrates hydrated less than 50 percent. These results clearly demonstrate, for the first time, that ants avoid getting dirty, something that was previously only assumed. Soiling substrates may be avoided by insects such as these ants, and thus might represent predator-free space. We recommend that additional research be directed to exploring practical uses of soiling substrates as protective barriers against pest insects."--Page ii.
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