surfactant

While marketed as a gentle makeup remover, the low concentration of surfactants within it mean it functions essentially the same as soapy water, without the need for any additional water to remove residue.

The researchers then reduced the water’s surface tension with a surfactant to make it more difficult for the ants to float.

Different types of surfactants are often added to pesticides to help them spread better, the researchers say, so ants could potentially be exposed to similar conditions in the wild as they were in the lab.