The importance of group living to these creatures was made evident to Lihoreau via a series of observations - through chemical signals and scents, they are able to communicate the location of food, shelter, and even recognise each other. The last of these observations is of the most interest - it allows cockroaches to recognise family members, as well as to avoid mating with their siblings. By unveiling the secret lives of these creatures, the study was able to establish that cockroaches do not like to live alone, and suffer a variety of isolation syndromes (secluded young cockroaches take longer to moult and have difficulty mating). He observed that cockroaches formed what he called “social herds" and made decisions - where to hide, what to eat, and so on - collectively, keeping in mind the interests of the group. And to think, this is the critter most people carelessly stamp on!
Published in Sanctuary Asia, Vol XXXII No. 3, June 2012
