Monday, December 10, 2001 -
D0215

Aggregation factors of the German cockroach (Blattella germanica) are produced by gut microbes

Godfrey Nalyanya, Ludek Zurek, and Coby Schal. North Carolina State University, Department of Entomology, Gardner Hall 3109, Raleigh, NC

Aggregation and olfactory assays revealed significant differences in attractiveness of fecal extracts of German cockroaches reared under sterile and non-sterile conditions. These results indicate that gut microbes are involved in the production of B. germanica aggregation attractants and arrestants. GC analysis of the extracts revealed significant differences in alcohols and volatile fatty acid composition of the two extracts.

Species 1: Dictyoptera Blattellidae Blattella germanica (German cockroach)
Keywords: Blattella germanica, aggregation factors

The ESA 2001 Annual Meeting - 2001: An Entomological Odyssey of ESA