Performance of pitfall traps using a mixture of propylene glycol and water or water alone as a preservative/killing agent was compared to investigate the selectiveness of these two agents for sampling/preserving ants. Results indicated that traps with a propylene glycol/water mixture collected significantly higher numbers of ants compared to traps with water only. The abundance of Solenopsis invicta Buren, Paratrechina sp. and Diplorhoptrum sp., was significantly higher when propylene glycol was used as the preservative. Results indicate this common preservative affected the behavior of several ant species.