News in Brief Animals

Gut bacteria’s compounds bring cockroaches together

german roaches

German cockroaches (Blattella germanica) may rely on gut bacteria to help attract fellow roaches. 

Ayako Wada-Katsumata/NC State Univ.

By Sarah Schwartz

- More than 2 years ago

Talk about micromanagement: Gut microbes may control a cockroach’s social life.

Gut bacteria in young German cockroaches (Blattella germanica) produce fragrant compounds that, when excreted, attract other roaches, researchers report online December 7 in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.