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Bittersweet: Bait-Averse Cockroaches Shudder at Sugar

Sugar isn’t always sweet to German cockroaches, especially to the ones that avoid roach baits.

In a study published May 24 in the journal Science, North Carolina State University entomologists show the neural mechanism behind the aversion to glucose, the simple sugar that is a popular ingredient in roach-bait poison. Glucose sets off bitter receptors in roach taste buds, causing roaches to avoid foods that bring on this taste-bud reaction. This aversion has a genetic basis and it eventually spreads to offspring, resulting in increasingly large groups of cockroaches that reject glucose and any baits made with it.

In normal German cockroaches, glucose elicits activity in sugar gustatory receptor neurons, which react when exposed to sugars like glucose and fructose – components of corn syrup, a common roach-bait ingredient. Generally, roaches have a sweet tooth for these sugars. (more…)

Researchers Find Asian Needle Ants Displacing Other Aggressive Invaders

By Guest PostFebruary 12, 2013Natureaggressive, alabama, argentine ant, asian needle ant, changing ecosystems, ecosystem processes, eleanor spicer rice, invasive ant species, jonathan shik, jules silverman, linepithema humile, new york city, north Carolina, oregon, pachycondyla chinensis, population boom, queens, state university, supercolonies, toxic baits, united states, urban environments, venomous sting, workers

Researchers from North Carolina State University have found that one of the most aggressive invasive ant species in the United States – the Argentine ant – appears to have met its match in the Asian needle ant. Specifically, the researchers have found that the Asian needle ant is successfully displacing Argentine ants in an urban environment, indicating that the Asian needle ant – with its venomous sting – may be the next invasive species to see a population boom.

In the world of invasive species, the Argentine ant (Linepithema humile) is a success story. Its aggressive, territorial behavior and ability to create huge “supercolonies” – consisting of thousands of queens and millions of workers – have enabled the Argentine ant to spread across the United States, displacing native species and changing ecosystems to suit its needs. No other ant species had been seen successfully pushing back – until now. (more…)

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Bittersweet: Bait-Averse Cockroaches Shudder at Sugar

Researchers Find Asian Needle Ants Displacing Other Aggressive Invaders