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Behavior of cockroaches

Did you know that cockroaches love to group themselves in large groups? The larger the space for a growing cockroach population, the better, based on observations made on cockroach behavior. One can absolutely cringe at the thought of a possible roach infestation in the home and may be completely unaware of the possibility of an entire roach colony living within the confines of your comfortable home. It is important that we understand the behavior of these cockroaches and find ways to exterminate their hidden colonies.

One of the most fascinating observations about cockroach behavior is the way they make group decisions. New studies show that cockroaches appear to operate in a system of democracy and equality within the group, where they consult each other in decision-making, collective intelligence based on individual decisions that will later affect the entire group. Who would have thought that such seemingly humble creatures could rule themselves with a system that really works for their benefit, collectively and individually?

The research, which was co-authored by JosÃ� © Halloy of the Free University of Brussels in Belgium, revealed a predictable pattern in the decision-making process of cockroaches and that they collectively make decisions about where they would inhabit. According to Halloy, cockroaches, Blattella germanica (In Latin, German cockroaches) are silent creatures, so they use tactile, chemical, and visual communication with each other. When they meet, they are able to recognize if they belong to the same colony, as their antennae, which are also called ‘ropes’, are incredibly sensitive ‘smell’ sensory organs.

The famous experiment conducted by Halloy and his colleagues involved an area enclosed with two red-stained plastic discs that were mounted as “shelters,” where cockroaches could hide underneath, away from bright light. After a while of random fighting, all the roaches finally gathered and huddled under the same shelter, as they love to gather in crowds. The intriguing part of this experiment was the fact that they collectively made up their minds about a particular shelter, even with such a lack of intelligence, leadership, and communication.

A simple explanation for this behavior by veteran cockroach watchers is that there are only two things that influence a cockroach’s decision: how dark the place is and whether most of its ‘friends’ or ‘clan’ are there. . Hence in the experiment, when there were enough to reach a critical mass, that shelter becomes more attractive to the rest of the cockroaches, leading them to congregate in the more ‘popular’ shelter. Such behavior, which is very similar to popular human culture, seems to show that cockroaches are also heavily influenced by peer pressure and always “ move ” where the “ party ” really is.

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