Insect Communication
Insects communicate with each other by means of Physical stimuli, and Chemical stimuli
Communication can be active or passive. Stimuli will be of 4 types.
i. Auditory ( acoustic)
ii. Optica (visual)
iii. Tactal ( touch)
iv. Chemical.
Stimuli are transmitted to insects either as molecules, mechanical waves conduct/ touch, as light
or electrical fields.
Auditory Communication
Uses the sound, prominent under nocturnal condition. It has the following advantages
i. Goes around the obstacles i. e used in the dark
ii. Its very flexible allows complex and lengthy commutations to be undertaken.
iii. It’s faster than chemical communication.
Disadvantages:
i. Its exposed to constructive and destructive interference
ii. Requires a lot of energy ( plenty)
iii. The types of communication is used by insects beside other annuals
Tactile: (Touch) Communication
Occur in conjunction with olfactory smell, visual and auditory signals used by social insects and
social insect need touch or conduct one another to effect the reciprocal feeding, grooming. They
need physical transport, by pulling one another using mandibles to hanger one another and drag.
Disadvantage:
- It needs direct conduct and involves part of the body to facilities the touching
- It’s very cumbersome involving a lot of dragging and obstacles can obstruct the type of
communication.
Visual Communication
Involves the head, compound eye and ocelli (simple eyes)
During visual communication normally signals are transferred to the legs and wings, and this
enable the insect by jumping or flying off minimum distance of safety that any seeing insect
allows to exit between an approaching foreigner and its moment of take off light and sound can
complement one another.
Disadvantages
(I)Can not be used over a great distance
(ii) Requires light or production of light
(iii) Can be blocked by obstacle
Chemical communication.
Uses a variety of substances among them are
(a) Intespecific chemicals.
(Allelochemicals ) – can be of 3 categories
(i) Allomones chemicals Which favors the emitting insect as opposed to receiving insect
such as
Repellants suppressant, venous, induct ants, counteract ants, attractants (baits or lures)
depressants
(ii) Kairomones : favors the receiver with or without ( benefit ) advantage to the emitter.
Stimulants, attracts inductants, alarm substances or warning signals e.g. bee stings all
bees goes to one animal.
(iii) Info- chemical – favors receiver and lead to destruction of the emitter parasite –
predator and host serve odor of the host.
(b) Intraspcific chemicals
Pheromones; releasers affect behavior of insects directly.
Primers – affect physiology of animal influencing growth and development and can indirectly
affect behavior.
Chemicals normally have certain advantages compose to other modes of comm.
(i) Can be transmitted through darkness
(ii) Can go around obstacles
(iii) Very stable.
(iv) Can last for along time.
Disadvantages
- The effect chemicals depends on Q / K
- Q – emission rate of Chemical
- K - The threshold concentration at insect respond i.e. If dilute the insect my not respond.
Information bearing chemicals – are scientifically called semio-chamicals, chemicals that cause
other individuals to modify their behavior and are released in very minute amount. Are generally
divided into 3 major categories according to their use within or between the species
Allomones – released by individuals of one species and influence the behavior of individuals of
another species in a manner favourable to the emmiter .
Kairomones – released by individuals of one species and execute responses in individuals of
another species that are adaptabile to favorable to the receiver.
Pheromones : are released by individual species and alter individuals of same species in a manner
favourable to the survival of that species.
Pheromones
Pheromones are used as the mode of communication in social and non-social insects. The word
pheromone is derived from Greek
Pherein - to carry
Horman-excite /stimulate
This word was coined by 2 scientists Peter Kalson and Adolf Buteundt(1959) according to then
Pheromones designate substance that are secreted by an animal to the outside and cause a
specific reaction in the receiving individual of same species. So they cause a certain behavior or
a determinate of a certain physiologic development.
- They also are called
- chemical messengers
- Social hormones
- Warning substance
- Territorial demarcation substance
The Importance of Pheromones
(1) Essential for survival and propagations of most insect species.
(2) They facilitate certain insect to live in social colonies especially colonies with division of
labour e. g Bees, ants, wasps and termites
(3) They also make insect that are bi- sexual to come together for reproduction.
(4) They cause certain insects to aggregate and come together for a mutual defense or to
inhabit a suitable breeding sites.
(5) They act as alarm substance by warning other member of the species of dangers facing
the species
(6) Act as markers used to establish territories
(7) Used to establish tracts ( trails to reach sources of food
(8) Help in the recognition of the same colony – i.e bees experience – robbing ants and
termites.
(9) Facilitate access to origin areas e.i Hodotermes mount making species – foraging is done
by workers at night and usepheromones to lay trails to areas where they forage.
(10) Enable avoidance of pollution in social insects e.i dying or dead other exude odors’
telling others about the dead, other members become necrophagous – feeding on the
death or remove to bury.
(11) Facilitate swarms to come together and migrate as a cohesive group
(12) Used in caste differentiation – queen substance in termites is produced and once picked
by younger female become sterile and perform work as workers.
(13) Cause recognition of plant host i.e. orchids produce odors which an association with
specific insects i. e maize at silk stage.
Pheromones determine inset plant relationship also animals insect / pest relationship e. g
– In ticks’ pre-detection sites – is due to chemicals.
Uses
-Used by pest that attack stored products they can worsen the pest infestation thus enhance
the pest status of a particular thus on a crop.
- Used to monitor the population of pest on crops or animals.
- Pheromones occur within a certain range / radius depending on the concentration. The
longer the distance and the less concentrated then shorter the distance.