It’s been years for me too. I remember I was in my 20s in New York City, staying with a friend, and I walked into her kitchen late at night, turned on the light, and there were THOUSANDS!
On the awful coffee shop counter, downstairs from the office of the worst job I ever, had a cockroach strolled across in front of me. That was it. I found a new job.
(1) I’d put a stamp on a roach, too, if I knew to what country I should mail it.
(2) Back in Kansas City, there was a car dealership known as Jack Roach Cadillac. The ads always boasted the “Roach approach.” I never approached that dealership.
(3) My friend Hal has two roaches. The small one is named Stan. The large hissing one is named Ollie. Together, they’re quite comedic.
(4) What do you call a cockroach if it’s a female? My pet ladybug, who is a male, wants to know.
(5) A roach should never encroach upon human territory.
It turns out cockroaches ate the gum off postage stamps when one had to lick stamps to affix them to envelopes (re your first point 🙂 ) Warmest regards, Theo
Yep: “Cockroaches eat anything. Human and animal wastes, feces, spoiled food, fresh foods, rotting carcasses, glue, and even their fellow cockroaches.”
Which makes you wonder why: “Cockroaches are food to some cultures. China, Thailand, and Mexico are some of the countries where cockroaches are prepared fried, grilled, sautéed, or boiled.”
I would never eat those filthy disease-carriers, even fried!
(Though apparently the ‘edible ones’ are bred specially, and not around anything dirty. So I was assured in China. I still didn’t eat them)
I hate cockroaches! I get goosebumps when I see one ! It has to be eradicated with killer spray ! They live in sewers and spreads all kinds off infection !
I read that they are adapting to all known forms of pesticides. Very soon, it will be impossible to kill them, except by using baited traps.
Best wishes, Pete.
Am I unusual when I say I’ve never encountered one? I can understand your revulsion, of course, and with regard to pets, I suppose the old aphorism “it takes all sorts to make a world” applies: my younger daughter likes snakes! I have the idea that I’ve seen somewhere that crushing them doesn’t stop them proliferating, but I could be wrong there. I would like to think I would dispose of it humanely if I did encounter one, but that remains to be tested……. I always like to let houseflies escape out of a window when they appear: that said, I had a loft-full of them recently, so I will confess that I used a killer spray to eradicate them, although a few did manage to escape the killing zone into the living area, and they did eventually make it to freedom 😉 Cheers, Jon.
I never spare the life of anything that spreads disease, or can bite or sting me. All flies and wasps are killed on sight, using fly-swats, not sprays. (Because of my dog, I don’t use fly spray) Cockroaches are common in communal buildings like flats, hospitals, and hotels. They like to use the ducting to live in, and it enables them to move around unseen. They are also more common abroad, in my experience. I have never seen one inside my house, but would kill it instantly if I did. This is what the filthy things are capable of, Jon.
Wherever cockroaches go, they leave behind traces of their existence. Signs that you have a cockroach infestation include feces, saliva, and parts of their bodies that they shed or that fall off. Similar to dust mites, these parts of a cockroach contain specific proteins or allergens that may cause allergies or can even trigger asthma symptoms.
In addition to these proteins that the cockroaches naturally carry, there have been tests done on cockroaches that examine the pathogens in their bodies. The scary thing is that cockroaches can carry some serious diseases. Salmonella Typhi, which causes Typhoid, has been found in cockroaches. Poliomyelitis, which causes Polio, has also been found in these insects. They can also cause Dysentery, a disease that causes severe diarrhea that may include bleeding.’
I first saw them in Geneva! They live in the ventilation shafts, and if you went into the kitchen at night and switched the lights on you would see them scuttling around! Not as bad as the huge ones seen on my overland trip though…
I remember them in hospital corridors at night. Hundreds of them scuttling around! A nurse told me that they swarmed over the hospital kitchens after they closed for the night.
Best wishes, Pete. x
Pets???? Who in their right minds would keep them as pets?🤔🤔😂😂
Well…no brainer here really, I hate these as much as you do. Only one time I felt sorry for one, was back in a zoo, where one ended up on his back and it couldn’t get back up. I really wanted to help it then, as no one beast deserves to die in that way. Never know if it made it back up again though….🤔🤔🤔
They are kept as pets by thousands of people. I don’t get that either. As for the one on its back, the zoo keepers should have been on the case, but I can’t say it bothers me how things like that die, as long as they die! 🙂
Best wishes, Pete.
I used to see them in hospitals and industrial premises when I lived in London. I have never seen one in Norfolk, fortunately. They were also a ‘feature’ on some foreign holidays. I hate the way they scuttle around!
Best wishes, Pete.
I saw something like that in Kenya. A huge flying thing. I asked the waiter what it was, and he said ‘Roach’. Made me shiver! Fortunately, I never saw one again while I was there, or since.
Best wishes, Pete.
Many years ago a teacher at school kept one. The children loved it, and it hissed. Creepy!
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I would have stamped on it. Sorry. 🙂
Best wishes, Pete.
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Sounds great, Jennie! Its biology at first hand. Michael
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It was!
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Cant say that I have ever come across any, and I’m happy with that 🙂
Apparently you can cut the head off a cockroach and it will survive until it starves to death!
https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/fact-or-fiction-cockroach-can-live-without-head/
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Stamping finishes them off immediately! 🙂
Best wishes, Pete.
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I scrolled through all 50+ comments to see if there was anyone who liked cockroaches. I couldn’t find one. Apparently, the verdict is unanimous.
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No cockroach pet owners have come forward yet, Pete. 🙂
Best wishes, Pete.
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oh i hate those!
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Glad to hear that, Wilma.
Best wishes, Pete.
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Ugh! That picture!!! I cannot bear those things.
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Not getting one as a pet then, Peg? 🙂
Best wishes, Pete.
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Nope! Glad we don’t have them where I live now!
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I really really hope I never see another cockroach in my entire life.
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I haven’t seen any since I moved out of London, I am pleased to say.
Best wishes, Pete.
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It’s been years for me too. I remember I was in my 20s in New York City, staying with a friend, and I walked into her kitchen late at night, turned on the light, and there were THOUSANDS!
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On the awful coffee shop counter, downstairs from the office of the worst job I ever, had a cockroach strolled across in front of me. That was it. I found a new job.
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Understandable!
Best wishes, Pete.
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OMG! Why, just why would they?
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No idea. But I am prepared to stamp on their ‘pets’!
Best wishes, Pete.
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Amen, Pete, both the insect and the human verities.
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I didn’t bother to mention the human variety. We have had our share of those these past few years. 🙂
Thanks, Don.
Best wishes, Pete.
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Stamping on cockroaches could have gotten you a role in Men In Black. 🙂 Warmest regards, Theo
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I could have trained for a career in cockroach stamping. I might even work for free!
Best wishes, Pete.
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(1) I’d put a stamp on a roach, too, if I knew to what country I should mail it.
(2) Back in Kansas City, there was a car dealership known as Jack Roach Cadillac. The ads always boasted the “Roach approach.” I never approached that dealership.
(3) My friend Hal has two roaches. The small one is named Stan. The large hissing one is named Ollie. Together, they’re quite comedic.
(4) What do you call a cockroach if it’s a female? My pet ladybug, who is a male, wants to know.
(5) A roach should never encroach upon human territory.
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This post was a gift for you in every way, David. And you unwrapped it!
Best wishes, Pet.
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It turns out cockroaches ate the gum off postage stamps when one had to lick stamps to affix them to envelopes (re your first point 🙂 ) Warmest regards, Theo
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Yep: “Cockroaches eat anything. Human and animal wastes, feces, spoiled food, fresh foods, rotting carcasses, glue, and even their fellow cockroaches.”
Which makes you wonder why: “Cockroaches are food to some cultures. China, Thailand, and Mexico are some of the countries where cockroaches are prepared fried, grilled, sautéed, or boiled.”
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I would never eat those filthy disease-carriers, even fried!
(Though apparently the ‘edible ones’ are bred specially, and not around anything dirty. So I was assured in China. I still didn’t eat them)
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Pets? Seriously? Ewww!
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I know, but look it up. Giant Hissing Cockroaches are apparently very popular pets! Get one near me, and it gets stamped on!
Best wishes, Pete.
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Eww, gross, yuck, nightmares!😱
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I hate cockroaches! I get goosebumps when I see one ! It has to be eradicated with killer spray ! They live in sewers and spreads all kinds off infection !
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They do indeed, Srikanth. They are filthy things that can make humans very ill.
Best wishes, Pete.
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EEEwwwwwwww! The sooner you stomp the better. chuq
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Filthy things that don’t deserve to live, as far as I am concerned.
Best wishes, Pete.
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Here in the South we have 3 different species of roaches….all need eradicating the sooner the better. chuq
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I read that they are adapting to all known forms of pesticides. Very soon, it will be impossible to kill them, except by using baited traps.
Best wishes, Pete.
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Plus they will be here even after a nuke bomb….how do we fight that? chuq
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Am I unusual when I say I’ve never encountered one? I can understand your revulsion, of course, and with regard to pets, I suppose the old aphorism “it takes all sorts to make a world” applies: my younger daughter likes snakes! I have the idea that I’ve seen somewhere that crushing them doesn’t stop them proliferating, but I could be wrong there. I would like to think I would dispose of it humanely if I did encounter one, but that remains to be tested……. I always like to let houseflies escape out of a window when they appear: that said, I had a loft-full of them recently, so I will confess that I used a killer spray to eradicate them, although a few did manage to escape the killing zone into the living area, and they did eventually make it to freedom 😉 Cheers, Jon.
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I never spare the life of anything that spreads disease, or can bite or sting me. All flies and wasps are killed on sight, using fly-swats, not sprays. (Because of my dog, I don’t use fly spray) Cockroaches are common in communal buildings like flats, hospitals, and hotels. They like to use the ducting to live in, and it enables them to move around unseen. They are also more common abroad, in my experience. I have never seen one inside my house, but would kill it instantly if I did. This is what the filthy things are capable of, Jon.
Wherever cockroaches go, they leave behind traces of their existence. Signs that you have a cockroach infestation include feces, saliva, and parts of their bodies that they shed or that fall off. Similar to dust mites, these parts of a cockroach contain specific proteins or allergens that may cause allergies or can even trigger asthma symptoms.
In addition to these proteins that the cockroaches naturally carry, there have been tests done on cockroaches that examine the pathogens in their bodies. The scary thing is that cockroaches can carry some serious diseases. Salmonella Typhi, which causes Typhoid, has been found in cockroaches. Poliomyelitis, which causes Polio, has also been found in these insects. They can also cause Dysentery, a disease that causes severe diarrhea that may include bleeding.’
Best wishes, Pete.
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I would stamp on them, too. But – on the other hand – they gave us “La Cucaracha”. 😉
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I could dance to that as I stamped on them, Pit. 🙂
Best wishes, Pete.
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LOL
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I think it’s impossible to exterminate them – aren’t they the only creature reputedly able to survive a nuclear holocaust?
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I think that’s not conclusively proven, but they have adapted to survive almost all known insecticides.
Best wishes, Pete.
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I first saw them in Geneva! They live in the ventilation shafts, and if you went into the kitchen at night and switched the lights on you would see them scuttling around! Not as bad as the huge ones seen on my overland trip though…
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I remember them in hospital corridors at night. Hundreds of them scuttling around! A nurse told me that they swarmed over the hospital kitchens after they closed for the night.
Best wishes, Pete. x
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Same reason I guess, living in the ventilation shafts.
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Ugh!
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My reaction too, Sue.
Best wishes, Pete.
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Ghastly critters…and pets??
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The Giant Hissing Cockroach is widely kept as a pet. I was appalled! 😦
Best wishes, Pete.
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As am I
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Eeks! Pets!!
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Yes, it’s true! Giant ones!
Best wishes, Pete.
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Again another Eeks! 😀
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Pets???? Who in their right minds would keep them as pets?🤔🤔😂😂
Well…no brainer here really, I hate these as much as you do. Only one time I felt sorry for one, was back in a zoo, where one ended up on his back and it couldn’t get back up. I really wanted to help it then, as no one beast deserves to die in that way. Never know if it made it back up again though….🤔🤔🤔
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They are kept as pets by thousands of people. I don’t get that either. As for the one on its back, the zoo keepers should have been on the case, but I can’t say it bothers me how things like that die, as long as they die! 🙂
Best wishes, Pete.
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I don’t kill things as a rule but I’m with you here too. I can’t stand the things – in India there were huge ones all over the place. Shudders!
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I used to see them in hospitals and industrial premises when I lived in London. I have never seen one in Norfolk, fortunately. They were also a ‘feature’ on some foreign holidays. I hate the way they scuttle around!
Best wishes, Pete.
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Yep, me too. The flying ones are even worse
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I saw something like that in Kenya. A huge flying thing. I asked the waiter what it was, and he said ‘Roach’. Made me shiver! Fortunately, I never saw one again while I was there, or since.
Best wishes, Pete.
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Urgh.
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That’s what I say when I see them. 🙂
Best wishes, Pete.
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