There are many wonders of nature that we often ignore or simply take for granted. One of the wonders of nature that often goes unnoticed is the ability of insects to communicate among themselves through insect pheromones. Have you even wondered how locusts could travel in swarms like a well organized army? Or have you even wondered how insects know that a female is in heat even the female is located miles away?

As early as 1959, insect have been the subject of studies by scientists and researchers. Earlier studies in this area noticed that insect functions as a kind of messaging system. Messages such as alarm, availability of food and sex are conveyed by insects through the secretion of chemical substances known as the insect pheromones.

According to studies, the message contained in the insect includes a genetic coding of the type of the species that secrete the same. By leaving a genetically coded message, the insects are only able to convey the message to their own species. If ever they encounter insect coming from other species, they will know that it is not intended for them and they usually ignore it.

Perpetuation of the Species

One of the main functions of insect is the perpetuation or the survival of their species. Note that insect may contain messages such as an alarm. If you notice, such forms of insects would attack in unison if you disturb their home. Although the general disturbance may have triggered the attack, insects send out an alarm message to the members of their colony in the event of their home being disturbed. Such messages could reach a wide radius and that is why all colony members that get the message will return immediately to defend

their turf.

On the other hand, in instances where a certain member of the colony finds food, it sends out a message to the other members of its colony. When you leave food in a place where it is accessible to ants, chances are, you will find a group of ants on it in just a few minutes. The ants will then work as a team to carry the food into their mound. Ants can carry fairly large chunks of food by working together. According to scientists, the insect play an active role in the ants’ concerted efforts to carry the food to its destination.

Another very important role of the insect is that it facilitates reproduction. Insects release chemical when they are ready to breed. Such chemical or insect serve as an invitation to the other insects of the same species for procreation.