# behav: to avoid zombification (among humble cockroaches)

<< The emerald jewel wasp (Ampulex compressa) is renowned for its ability to zombify the American cockroach (Periplaneta americana) with a sting to the brain. >>

<< many cockroaches deter wasps with a vigorous defense. Successful cockroaches elevated their bodies, bringing their neck out of reach, and kicked at the wasp with their spiny hind legs, often striking the wasp's head multiple times (..) >>

<< Thus, for a cockroach not to become a zombie, the best strategy is: be vigilant, protect your throat, and strike repeatedly at the head of the attacker. >>

Catania K.C. How Not to Be Turned into a Zombie. Brain Behav Evol. 1-15 Oct 31, 2018.  doi: 10.1159/000490341

https://www.karger.com/Article/Abstract/490341

Karate kicks keep cockroaches from becoming zombies, wasp chow. Vanderbilt University. Oct 31, 2018.

https://m.phys.org/news/2018-10-karate-cockroaches-zombies-wasp-chow.html

Also

<< cockroaches aren’t a nuisance. They’re "gregarious insects" that can teach us about how groups approach collective decision-making. >>

Erin Blakemore. Cockroaches Have Personalities, Too. Smithsonian.com Feb 4, 2015.

https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/cockroaches-have-personalities-too-180954140