Nature & Environment

Mutant roaches evolve to avoid traps

By T.K. Randall
May 25, 2013 ·  16 comments

Image Credit: CC 2.0 Thomas Quine A cockroach infestation in one's home can be a particularly nasty experience and require the services of an exterminator, but now it seems that some mutant German roaches are getting wise to the traps used to catch them and are now able to avoid them. The way they accomplish this is by no longer finding sugar palatable, the substance that is most commonly used as a bait on cockroach poisons.

While this mutation is not present on all cockroaches, it does exist and it appears to be getting more widespread. "It's very important, in terms of effective pest control," said study author Coby Schal. "It's not trivial. It's out there."

Source: Sydney Morning Herald | Comments (16)

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