Video: Hundreds of cockroach nymphs invade tree in southern Africa

The gregarious spotted cockroaches are able to organise themselves by secreting pheromones from their bodies

Thousands of gregarious spotted cockroach nymphs crawling up the tree (Thomas Wilson)

If you hate cockroaches, probably best to look away now.

A fascinating video has been released that shows thousands of cockroach nymphs invading a tree in southern Africa.

The cockroaches are able to organise themselves in such large aggregations through the secretion of pheromones from the insect’s bodies.

According to Dr Andrew Polaszek, research scientist at the Natural History Museum's Insect Division, the swarm could be in this formation after having freshly emerged from an egg mass.

The video which was posted on Wednesday has already proved popular online, with over 12,000 Vimeo users viewing it.