Sugar Is Bitter To Bait Averse Cockroaches

Sugar isn t always sweet to German cockroaches, especially to the ones that avoid roach baits. In a study published May 24 in the journal Science, North Carolina State University entomologists show the neural mechanism behind the aversion to glucose, the simple sugar that is a popular ingredient in roachbait poison. Glucose sets off bitter receptors in roach taste buds, causing roaches to avoid foods that bring on this tastebud reaction. This aversion has a genetic basis and it eventually spreads to offsp