The
discove y
may
also
help
explai
why
co ve tio al
t aps
a d
i secticidal
baits
ca
sometimes
have
t ouble
co t olli g
i festatio s.
why
cock oach
t aps
fail,
how
Ge ma
cock oaches
fi d
thei
colo y,
how
cock oach
phe omo es
wo k,
why
cock oaches
gathe
i
g oups,
ewbo
cock oaches
lea
colo y
smell,
cock oach
feces
used
to
ide tify
colo y
membe s,
usi g
phe omo es
to
co t ol
cock oach
i festatio sCock oaches
may
be
amo g
the
least
welcome
visito s
to
houses,
estau a ts
a d
hospitals,
but
thei
su vival
skills
a e
su p isi gly
sophisticated.
I
ew
esea ch,
scie tists
say
Ge ma
cock oaches
do ’t
o ly
like
to
huddle
i
da k,
wa m
places:
ewbo s
seem
to
lea
the
sig atu e
smell
of
thei
colo y
soo
afte
they
a e
bo
a d
use
chemical
cues
i
feces
to
fi d
out
whe e
they
belo g.
Acco di g
to
a
ews
epo t
by
Phys
O g,
the
discove y
may
also
help
explai
why
co ve tio al
t aps
a d
i secticidal
baits
ca
sometimes
have
t ouble
co t olli g
i festatio s.
It
also
suggests
that
cock oaches
may
have
a
bette
capacity
fo
social
lea i g
a d
memo y
tha
p eviously
believed.
Newbo
cock oaches
lea
the
smell
of
thei
colo y
Cock oaches
that
had
eate
the
feces
of
thei
agg egatio
showed
a
st o g
p efe e ce
fo
the
pa ticula
phe omo e
that
agg egatio
was
p oduci g.
Newbo
Ge ma
cock oaches,
called
eo ates,
a e
bo
without
a
gut
mic obiome.
They
obtai
mic obes
a d
ut ie ts
by
eati g
feces
f om
a
commu al
pile
i
the
colo y’s
agg egatio .
Acco di g
to
the
epo t,
esea che s
tested
whethe
this
exposu e
to
feces
ea ly
i
thei
lives
also
affects
how
ewbo
cock oaches
ecog ize
thei
ow
g oup-mates.
The
scie tists
compa ed
eo ates
that
had
i gested
feces
f om
thei
colo y
a d
had
bee
exposed
to
its
fecal
odo s
with
ewbo s
that
had
ot
e gaged
i
cop ophagy,
a d
we e
the efo e
mic obiologically
aïve.
The
esults
showed
a
d amatic
diffe e ce.
Cock oaches
that
had
eate
the
feces
of
thei
agg egatio
showed
a
st o g
p efe e ce
fo
the
pa ticula
phe omo e
that
agg egatio
was
p oduci g.
Co ve sely,
aïve
eo ates
showed
a
much
wide
a ge
of
espo ses
to
diffe e t
fecal
odo s.
Thus,
feces
co sumptio
does
mo e
tha
to
establish
a
mic obiome
i
ewbo
cock oaches.
It
may
also
give
them
a
ea ly
chemical
i t oductio
to
thei
social
g oup.
Chemical
visa
to
the
colo y
It
is
me tio ed
that
phe omo es
a e
impo ta t
fo
b i gi g
i dividuals
togethe
i
agg egatio s
of
cock oaches.
This
chemical
i fo matio
ca
act
as
a
so t
of
social
ID
system
that
allows
cock oaches
to
fi d
a d
stick
with
membe s
of
thei
g oup.
The
fecal
pile
that
is
sha ed
by
ewbo s
seems
to
be
especially
impo ta t.
It
p ovides
ut ie ts
a d
mic obes
a d
at
the
same
time
exposes
them
to
the
chemical
sig atu e
of
thei
colo y.
O ce
the
odo
p efe e ce
is
established,
the
you g
oaches
have
little
easo
to
leave
the
agg egatio .
This
behavio
may
have
impo ta t
implicatio s
fo
pest
co t ol,
because
t aps
a d
bait
statio s
ofte
ely
o
cock oaches
leavi g
thei
ha bo age
a d
co tacti g
the
co t ol
p oducts.
Ca
phe omo es
imp ove
t ap
efficie cy?
The
esea che s
say
the
fi di g
may
eve tually
lead
to
bette
ways
to
co t ol
i festatio s
of
Ge ma
cock oaches.
The
esea che s
say
the
fi di g
may
eve tually
lead
to
bette
ways
to
co t ol
i festatio s
of
Ge ma
cock oaches.
O e
possibility
is
to
develop
agg egatio
phe omo es
that
a e
able
to
att act
cock oaches
f om
the
e ti e
populatio
i stead
of
sig als
specific
to
i dividual
colo ies.
The
use
of
such
phe omo es
i
t aps
o
i secticidal
baits
might
att act
mo e
cock oaches
to
co t ol
p oducts.
This
method
ca
be
especially
helpful
i
places
whe e
i festatio s
a e
difficult
to
e adicate,
i cludi g
homes,
estau a ts
a d
hospitals.
The
fi di gs
also
poi t
to
why
u de sta di g
cock oach
behavio
may
be
just
as
impo ta t
as
developi g
ew
i secticides.
If
chemical
sig als
ca
affect
whe e
cock oaches
co g egate
a d
which
i dividuals
they
ecog ize,
the
ma ipulati g
those
sig als
could
be
a
ew
weapo
i
pest
co t ol.
Cock oaches
might
be
mo e
social
tha
you
thi k
It
also
questio s
the
co ve tio al
co cept
of
cock oaches
as
elatively
p imitive,
loosely
st uctu ed
i sects.
Cock oaches
a e
ofte
desc ibed
as
subsocial
because
they
live
i
g oups
but
do
ot
have
the
highly
coo di ated
societies
of
bees,
a ts,
wasps
a d
te mites.
Howeve ,
the
capacity
of
Ge ma
cock oach
ewbo s
to
lea
a d
emembe
the
chemical
sig atu e
of
thei
agg egatio
i dicates
a
mo e
complex
ki d
of
social
behavio .
The
mecha ism
is
also
st a ge.
A ts,
bees,
a d
othe
social
i sects
use
body
odo s
to
ide tify
estmates,
but
Ge ma
cock oaches
appa e tly
use
chemical
cues
f om
feces.This
is
a
u ique
evolutio a y
solutio
fo
buildi g
social
co ectio s,
the
esea che s
say.
Cock oaches
lea
the
odo
of
thei
bi thplace
ea ly
i
life,
allowi g
them
to
ecog ize
thei
g oup
a d
emai
co ected
to
the
agg egatio .The
fi di gs
eveal
that
a
i sect
ofte
dismissed
as
a
me e
pest
has
su p isi gly
sophisticated
skills
fo
lea i g,
emembe i g
a d
avigati g
its
social
wo ld
—
a d
that
same
behavio
could
eve tually
give
scie tists
a
ew
way
to
outsma t
it.Images
Cou tesy:
istock
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