Duck Feathers Speed Up Roach Reproduction

http://news.sciencemag.org/signal-noise/2014/04/duck-feathers-speed-roach-reproduction

April 2014

Touch is a powerful form of communication for humans, and it looks like it is for cockroaches, too. Researchers have found that female roaches grow and lay eggs faster if they are “touched” by other females and artificial antennae made from duck feathers. On the other hand, isolating the cockroaches seems to slow down the reproductive process. The lead entomologist of the study believes that the effect of touch on egg-laying, described in a paper to be published in the Proceedings of the Royal Society B, demonstrates the importance of social interaction for the insects.