Cockroaches recommend good food sources to each other by communicating in chemicals, according to scientists.
The much-maligned insects appear to make a collective decision about the best food source.
The study, carried out by a team from Queen Mary, University of London, helps explain why the creatures are often found feeding en masse in our kitchens late at night.
It was published in the journal Behavioural Ecology and Sociobiology.
Dr Mathieu Lihoreau from Queen Mary's School of Biological and Chemical Sciences led the research. He pointed out that people tend to kill cockroaches rather than study them.
I can understand that, he told BBC News. But it means we don't know very much about their behaviour.
It was generally accepted that the insects foraged individually, but that's definitely not true, said Dr Lihoreau. Anyone who has cockroaches in their home will tell you that's wrong - you see them in groups.
Link: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/science_and_environment/10236515.stm
The much-maligned insects appear to make a collective decision about the best food source.
The study, carried out by a team from Queen Mary, University of London, helps explain why the creatures are often found feeding en masse in our kitchens late at night.
It was published in the journal Behavioural Ecology and Sociobiology.
Dr Mathieu Lihoreau from Queen Mary's School of Biological and Chemical Sciences led the research. He pointed out that people tend to kill cockroaches rather than study them.
I can understand that, he told BBC News. But it means we don't know very much about their behaviour.
It was generally accepted that the insects foraged individually, but that's definitely not true, said Dr Lihoreau. Anyone who has cockroaches in their home will tell you that's wrong - you see them in groups.
Link: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/science_and_environment/10236515.stm
