Cockroaches, like many other animal species, form aggregations in which social stimuli from conspecifics can alter the physiology, morphology, or behavior of individuals. In adult females of the German cockroach, Blattella germanica, social isolation slows oocyte development, sexual maturation, and sexual receptivity, whereas social interactions as minimal as between just two females accelerate...

The corpora allata (CA) of both intact and ovariectomized Blattella germanica adult females exhibited a high degree of bilateral symmetry in the rate of juveni le hormone (JH) biosynthesis, the mean size of CA cells, and gland volume (81.3%, 98.3%,and 100% respectively wi th less than a twofold difference between the two glands in CA pairs). This permitted us to split each CA pair randomly, mea...

Seven commercial essential oils extracted from the plant species Boesenbergia rotunda (L.) Mansf., Citrus hystrix DC., Curcuma longa L., Litsea cubeba (Lour.) Pers., Piper nigrum L., Psidium guajava L. and Zingiber officinale Roscoe, and naphthalene as a control, were evaluated for repellent activity against the three cockroach species Periplaneta americana (L.), Blattella germanica (L.) and Ne...

BACKGROUND INFORMATION Epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) signalling is crucial for the regulation of multiple developmental processes. Its function in relation to insect oogenesis has been thoroughly studied in the fly Drosophila melanogaster, which possesses ovaries of the highly modified meroistic type. Conversely, studies in other insect species with different ovary types are scarce. W...

Communication and learning from each other are part of the success of animal societies. Social insects invest considerable effort into signalling to their nestmates the locations of the most profitable resources in their environment. Growing evidence also indicates that insects glean such information through cues inadvertently provided by their conspecifics. Here, we investigate social informat...

background: baits have become popular and effective formulations against urban insect pests. compared with re­sidual sprays toxic gel baits are used more and more frequently to control urban cockroach populations. the aim of this study was to investigate the usage of two commercially available fipronil and imidacloprid gel bait formulations against blattella germanica field infested in iran. me...

As one of the most common sources of indoor aeroallergens worldwide, cockroach is important in causing rhinitis and asthma while the mechanisms underlying remain obscure. Since T helper (Th) type 2 polarization plays an important role in the pathogenesis of allergic diseases, we investigated the effect of Bla g 7, a pan-allergen from Blattella germanica (B. germanica), on Th polarization which ...

Tactile stimuli provide animals with important information about the environment, including physical features such as obstacles, and biologically relevant cues related to food, mates, hosts and predators. The antennae, the principal sensory organs of insects, house an array of sensory receptors for olfaction, gustation, audition, nociception, balance, stability, graviception, static electric fi...

Glucose is a universal phagostimulant in many animal species, including the cockroach Blattella germanica. However, some natural populations of B. germanica have been found that are behaviorally deterred from eating glucose. In dose-response studies, glucose was a powerful phagostimulant for wild-type cockroaches, but it strongly deterred feeding in a glucose-averse strain. Both strains, howeve...

The corpora allata (CA) of ovariectomized adult Blattella germanica females exhibited delayed but high rates of juvenile hormone biosynthesis in vitro. Using the onset of sexual receptivity as a probe of the degree of CA activation in females, we demonstrated at least one cycle of CA activity in the experimentally synchronized ovariectomized females. Following their activation, the CA exhibited...