Project Gateway Results

The data so far

Every colony your classes have tested for Project Gateway, and what the results are telling us about a possible Alberta-wide ant supercolony.

14Colonies tested
7Supercolony
6Not supercolony
3Schools
37Student trials

Project Gateway asks a simple question with a huge scope: what are the dimensions of the newly discovered supercolony? Every classroom that runs a trial adds a real data point toward the answer.

Below are the colonies tested so far and what each trial found. When two ants from different nests meet and stay calm, it hints they belong to the same colony; when they fight, they do not. This page will keep growing as more schools take part.

Behind the data

How your class gathered this data

Every row in the tables below started with students in the field and at their desks.

A student holds a collection tube with an ant sample outdoors.
1. CollectWe gather ants from colonies around the schools and bring them to the classroom for the students.
Students run an aggression trial at a desk with a container and clipboard.
2. TestAnts from two nests meet in a container to see whether they fight.
A student records observations on a clipboard alongside a researcher.
3. RecordEach group notes the behaviour, and the result joins the dataset.
Colony summary

What each colony told us

Each colony was tested one or more times. "Supercolony" means the introduced ants did not fight the local ants, a sign they may belong to the same vast colony. "Not supercolony" means they were aggressive.

ColonyReplicatesConclusionLocation
EXP0015Not supercolony View
EXP0025Not supercolony View
EXP0033Supercolony View
EXP0045Supercolony View
EXP0055Not supercolony—
EXP0065Not supercolony View
EXP007—Supercolony View
EXP008—Supercolony View
EXP009—Supercolony View
EXP010—Supercolony View
EXP0112Not supercolony View
EXP0121Inconclusive View
EXP0133Not supercolony View
EXP0143Supercolony View
Where the colonies are

Colony map

Every nest surveyed across Alberta so far, coloured by how the ants behaved. Click a point for details, and scroll to zoom once the map is in focus.

Showing 91 surveyed nests. This field survey is separate from the classroom trials in the tables above.

Trial by trial

Student results

Every trial your classes ran, grouped by school. Filter to find your school below.

SchoolGroupDateColonyResultConclusion
Father LacombeGroup 1June 1 2026EXP002AggressionNot supercolony
Father LacombeGroup 2June 1 2026EXP002AggressionNot supercolony
Father LacombeGroup 3June 1 2026EXP002AggressionNot supercolony
Father LacombeGroup 4June 1 2026EXP004Non-aggressiveSupercolony
Father LacombeGroup 5June 1 2026EXP004Non-aggressiveSupercolony
Father LacombeGroup 6June 1 2026EXP004Non-aggressiveSupercolony
Father LacombeGroup 7June 1 2026EXP004Non-aggressiveSupercolony
Father LacombeGroup 8June 1 2026EXP005AggressionNot supercolony
Father LacombeGroup 9June 1 2026EXP005AggressionNot supercolony
Father LacombeGroup 10June 1 2026EXP005AggressionNot supercolony
Father LacombeGroup 11June 1 2026EXP005AggressionNot supercolony
Father LacombeGroup 12June 1 2026EXP003Non-aggressiveSupercolony
Father LacombeGroup 13June 1 2026EXP003Non-aggressiveSupercolony
Father LacombeGroup 14June 1 2026EXP003Non-aggressiveSupercolony
Father LacombeGroup 15June 1 2026EXP001AggressionNot supercolony
Father LacombeGroup 16June 1 2026EXP001AggressionNot supercolony
Father LacombeGroup 17June 1 2026EXP001AggressionNot supercolony
Father LacombeGroup 18June 1 2026EXP001AggressionNot supercolony
Father LacombeGroup 19June 1 2026EXP001InconclusiveInconclusive
Blessed Marie RoseGroup 1June 2 2026EXP006AggressionNot supercolony
Blessed Marie RoseGroup 2June 2 2026EXP006AggressionNot supercolony
Blessed Marie RoseGroup 3June 2 2026EXP002AggressionNot supercolony
Blessed Marie RoseGroup 4June 2 2026EXP005AggressionNot supercolony
Blessed Marie RoseGroup 5June 2 2026EXP002AggressionNot supercolony
Blessed Marie RoseGroup 6June 2 2026EXP006AggressionNot supercolony
Blessed Marie RoseGroup 7June 2 2026EXP006AggressionNot supercolony
Blessed Marie RoseGroup 8June 2 2026EXP006AggressionNot supercolony
Blessed Marie RoseGroup 9June 2 2026EXP004Non-aggressiveSupercolony
Alix-MACGroup 1June 15 2026EXP011AggressionNot supercolony
Alix-MACGroup 2June 15 2026EXP011AggressionNot supercolony
Alix-MACGroup 3June 15 2026EXP012InconclusiveInconclusive
Alix-MACGroup 4June 15 2026EXP013InconclusiveInconclusive
Alix-MACGroup 5June 15 2026EXP013AggressionNot supercolony
Alix-MACGroup 6June 15 2026EXP013AggressionNot supercolony
Alix-MACGroup 7June 15 2026EXP014Non-aggressiveSupercolony
Alix-MACGroup 8June 15 2026EXP014InconclusiveInconclusive
Alix-MACGroup 9June 15 2026EXP014Non-aggressiveSupercolony
For teachers

Sample data sheets

A look at what data collection in the classroom actually looks like.

Examples coming soon.

We will post a few anonymized data sheets here so teachers can see how students record their observations during a trial.

Curious about your class's data?

We are always happy to talk through the results, and there is more data to come as new schools take part.

Contact the team Back to Project Gateway