Are there Madagascar cockroaches loose in the U.S.?
I ask because I think I have seen two in my apartment. I am not an
entomologist and I could be wrong but the ones in my apartment looked
like some that I saw in a bug lab a few years back; really big, flying
cockroaches. The first one I saw was dead, unfortunately, the second
was alive. My nieghbors just got evicted and I am afraid that their
apartment may be a mess. Any help would be very appreciated. I am
especially interested in what I can do to prevent infestation without
using pesticides.
Thanks in advance.
In article <3sql0g$…@usenet.srv.cis.pitt.edu>, bkr…@pitt.edu says…
>Are there Madagascar cockroaches loose in the U.S.?
>I ask because I think I have seen two in my apartment. I am not an
>entomologist and I could be wrong but the ones in my apartment looked
>like some that I saw in a bug lab a few years back; really big, flying
>cockroaches. The first one I saw was dead, unfortunately, the second
>was alive. My nieghbors just got evicted and I am afraid that their
>apartment may be a mess. Any help would be very appreciated. I am
>especially interested in what I can do to prevent infestation without
>using pesticides.
>Thanks in advance.
If the roaches you saw had wings, they definitely weren’t Madagasgar
hissing Cockroaches, which are wingless and fairly slow-moving (for a
cockroach). Chances are what you saw was the good old American cockroach,
which is the largest of the common "native" species (not truly gigantic,
but they always look bigger when they’re in your kitchen!).
One possible control mehtod you could try is to spread boric acid powder
around in any dark damp places (under sink, in back of fridge, etc.). It
is a fairly non-toxic compound to humans and much safer than your typical
aerosol insecticide. The other option is to get a pet gecko, if you don’t
mind chattering reptiles climbing your walls
In article <3sql0g$…@usenet.srv.cis.pitt.edu>,
Brian <[Default: blank]> wrote:
>Are there Madagascar cockroaches loose in the U.S.?
>I ask because I think I have seen two in my apartment. I am not an
>entomologist and I could be wrong but the ones in my apartment looked
>like some that I saw in a bug lab a few years back; really big, flying
>cockroaches. The first one I saw was dead, unfortunately, the second
>was alive. My nieghbors just got evicted and I am afraid that their
>apartment may be a mess. Any help would be very appreciated. I am
>especially interested in what I can do to prevent infestation without
>using pesticides.
>Thanks in advance.
It is not a Madagascar roach. They are slow and wingless. My guess is
that they are probably American cockroaches, Periplaneta americana, since
you say they are large and can fly. Hope this helps. TTFN. Marvin.
–
Marvin W. Gunderman, Technical Co-ordinator
Biology Dept., LSB Rm.116, McMaster University, Hamilton, ONT.
E-Mail:gunde…@mcmaster.ca (905) 525-9140 Ext.23556
Brian (bkr…@pitt.edu) wrote:
: Are there Madagascar cockroaches loose in the U.S.?
: I ask because I think I have seen two in my apartment. I am not an
: entomologist and I could be wrong but the ones in my apartment looked
: like some that I saw in a bug lab a few years back; really big, flying
: cockroaches. The first one I saw was dead, unfortunately, the second
: was alive. My nieghbors just got evicted and I am afraid that their
: apartment may be a mess. Any help would be very appreciated. I am
: especially interested in what I can do to prevent infestation without
: using pesticides.
: Thanks in advance.
I think you might have American cockroaches or palmetto bugs. The can be very
large and thrive in areas of warmth and humidity. I’ve seen them in the sauna
at my gym. They may have wing looking things on their back but I am uncertain
about their ability to fly. Madagascar roaches on the other hand are without
anything that look like wings or wing coverings on their backs. They are also
known for their hissing noise when agitated.
hope this helps.
Jim
They’re popular as pets – here and in the US – goodness knows why. In
Malaysia, the servants used to tread on them in their bare feet. As
you’re in America perhaps a small callibre gun would be the answer?
regards,
Mark Burgess
In article <3sql0g$…@usenet.srv.cis.pitt.edu>, bkr…@pitt.edu (Brian) says:
>Are there Madagascar cockroaches loose in the U.S.?
>I ask because I think I have seen two in my apartment. I am not an
>entomologist and I could be wrong but the ones in my apartment looked
>like some that I saw in a bug lab a few years back; really big, flying
>cockroaches.
Madagascar roaches do not have wings. American cockroachs can get really big under the right conditions. I would try a boric acid based control method such as "Roach Pruff".
The first one I saw was dead, unfortunately, the second
- Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -
>was alive. My nieghbors just got evicted and I am afraid that their
>apartment may be a mess. Any help would be very appreciated. I am
>especially interested in what I can do to prevent infestation without
>using pesticides.
>Thanks in advance.
In article <3tf0p2$…@bubba.ucc.okstate.edu> y…@somehost.somedomain (Your Name Here) writes:
>From: y…@somehost.somedomain (Your Name Here)
>Subject: Re: Madagascar Cockroach?
>Date: 5 Jul 1995 21:38:42 GMT
>In article <3sql0g$…@usenet.srv.cis.pitt.edu>, bkr…@pitt.edu (Brian) says:
>>Are there Madagascar cockroaches loose in the U.S.?
>>I ask because I think I have seen two in my apartment. I am not an
>>entomologist and I could be wrong but the ones in my apartment looked
>>like some that I saw in a bug lab a few years back; really big, flying
>>cockroaches.
>Madagascar roaches do not have wings. American cockroachs can get really big under the right conditions. I would try a boric acid based control method such as "Roach Pruff".
A comment:
Some Madagascar roaches have wings. As a teenager I lived in Madagascar from
1966 to 1972, and I know for a fact that some of these species fly. When my
family first got to the island, we lived in old apartment above a carpentry
business. My mother went into the kitchen in one night to investigate a
noise, and when she turned the light on several hundred startled roaches
immediately flew off the walls and started swirling around the room. I ran
in from my room to find my mother in the center of a roach tornado, covered
with them and screaming her head off. Most of these were in the 3-inch range.
The French people who owned the apartment were much amused at my mother’s
experience. The owner’s wife asked my mother if she had ever lived in the
tropics before…
And then there were the rats, but that’s another story.
So yes, there are flying Madagascar roaches, but there is also the Madagascar
hissing roach, which I have never seen with wings. While living in Fort
Dauphin (South-East Madagascar), I woke up one night with one eating the
callus off of my feet. It was so big that the tips of its legs wrapped
around to the upper sides of my foot. Left a nice big hole on the
underside…
For fun, we used to step on them, and they would let out all of their air in a
strong hiss, and then would scuttle away when we lifted our feet. Also, they
would congregate at night on the window screens of lit rooms. You would hear
the pitter-patter of little feet until you turned the lights off…
With the importation into the U.S. and breeding of Madagascar roaches by
researchers, the film industry, and various other bug wranglers, I wouldn’t
be surprised to find some of these critters have escaped. My suggestion:
A Colt 45….
John Hairell (jhair…@ccmail.gsfc.nasa.gov)
In a previous article, jhair…@ccmail.gsfc.nasa.gov (John L. Hairell) says:
>So yes, there are flying Madagascar roaches, but there is also the Madagascar
>hissing roach, which I have never seen with wings. While living in Fort
>Dauphin (South-East Madagascar), I woke up one night with one eating the
>callus off of my feet. It was so big that the tips of its legs wrapped
>around to the upper sides of my foot. Left a nice big hole on the
>underside…
Wow, I’ve always wished that humans had the equivalent of cleaner shrimp,
for exactly that purpose, John! If I get some Madagascar hissing
cockroaches and put them to work in that manner, will I have the
smoothest skin in town? :-)
—
Julie K. Stahlhut, Petite Mutant en…@cleveland.freenet.edu
"Peer pressure is what you do to people who are not, in your
opinion, peers."
– Dogbert
In article <3ueerm$…@usenet.INS.CWRU.Edu> en…@cleveland.Freenet.Edu (Julie K. Stahlhut) writes:
- Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -
>From: en…@cleveland.Freenet.Edu (Julie K. Stahlhut)
>Subject: Re: Madagascar Cockroach? (a horror story)
>Date: 17 Jul 1995 19:49:09 GMT
>In a previous article, jhair…@ccmail.gsfc.nasa.gov (John L. Hairell) says:
>>So yes, there are flying Madagascar roaches, but there is also the Madagascar
>>hissing roach, which I have never seen with wings. While living in Fort
>>Dauphin (South-East Madagascar), I woke up one night with one eating the
>>callus off of my feet. It was so big that the tips of its legs wrapped
>>around to the upper sides of my foot. Left a nice big hole on the
>>underside…
>Wow, I’ve always wished that humans had the equivalent of cleaner shrimp,
>for exactly that purpose, John! If I get some Madagascar hissing
>cockroaches and put them to work in that manner, will I have the
>smoothest skin in town? :-)
>–
>Julie K. Stahlhut, Petite Mutant en…@cleveland.freenet.edu
> "Peer pressure is what you do to people who are not, in your
> opinion, peers."
> — Dogbert
I guess that depends on how smooth your skin is now… :-)
John Hairell (jhair…@ccmail.gsfc.nasa.gov)