Don’t reach for the bug spray: crickets stroke a sore antenna, as cues suggest insects feel pain

The behavioural cue of ‘flexible self-protection’ is a way to establish whether an animal feels pain, scientists say Sign up for climate and environment editor Adam Morton’s free Clear Air newsletter here Get our breaking news email , free app or daily news podcast Do insects feel pain? Crickets certainly seem to, according to new research which finds they stroke and groom a sore antenna in much the same way as a dog nurses its hurt paw. Associate Prof Thomas White, an entomologist from the Univ