Those wonderful cockroaches

[ZEROPILOT]

I have hissers!

We have roaches running around outside here too. I contain and breed them indoors in my roach bins to make sure they are gut loaded and free of parasites or pesticides that might be picked up by the wild ones living outside. My colony of Blata lateralis was started from a couple dozen wild caught ones here.

I can't bring myself to actually touch one with bare fingers.
Irrational? I know. But I just can't.
The ones I've HAD to deal with are strangely silky and smooth.
Now I'm looking around the house.
I feel a presence nearby.

 

[TammyJ]

Picked up a used cordless telephone base station and additional satellite phones many years ago at a garage sale. Brought the box full of electronics home and tossed the box on my favorite, most comfortable, leather recliner. Immediately a dozen or more roaches swarmed over the top edge of the box and scurried into the folds and crevices of the beloved chair. Without even giving a second thought I grabbed that chair - with the box still perched on the seat - drug it out of the house, heaved into the back of my truck, and took it to a Goodwill drop-off location. I figured the chances of me EVER sitting in that chair again, reading a book, and finally falling asleep with my mouth open...well, it was just never going to happen again. When my wife asked what happened to the chair, I relayed the sequence of events and she heartily endorsed the swift action - and she was the one who bought me the chair for my birthday.

Aahhh come on man! Overkill! As for the Goodwill drop-off........well now........ahem.

 

[TammyJ]

I hear an old song.....Somebody.....bip bi dip di dip bip.......Kill that roach!

 

[Tom]

I can't bring myself to actually touch one with bare fingers.
Irrational? I know. But I just can't.
The ones I've HAD to deal with are strangely silky and smooth.
Now I'm looking around the house.
I feel a presence nearby.

I am highly entertained by people's reactions when I grab a wild one and hold it up to them. They just can't believe someone would actually touch one...

I usually offer to teach them how to sex a cockroach. Few take me up on the offer.

 

[TammyJ]

I am highly entertained by people's reactions when I grab a wild one and hold it up to them. They just can't believe someone would actually touch one...

I usually offer to teach them how to sex a cockroach. Few take me up on the offer.

ROFL!!!!

 

[ZEROPILOT]

I am highly entertained by people's reactions when I grab a wild one and hold it up to them. They just can't believe someone would actually touch one...

I usually offer to teach them how to sex a cockroach. Few take me up on the offer.

I can relate to that.
Just put it back, man.

 

[ascott]

HA! "Water bugs" in the desert? I'll bet you've got Blatta lateralis out there. The females look like what most people call "water bugs", and the males are a dark tan color with wings. Sound familiar?

You can make fun of my roach interest. Its a weird thing and most people feel the way you do about it. I'm definitely the odd ball here, so I don't mind some ribbing. Having them around just makes feeding any insectivore so easy, and I have some insectivores. My chickens and my aquarium fish love them too!

Horrifying, yes, you are absolutely correct....especially horrible are the tan flying beasts....ick.

Tom, I can pick up other bugs--stinks bugs, some spiders, peel bugs, lady bugs and some others...but not these...ick.

 

[TammyJ]

The worst things to me are slugs. I cannot pick them up, unless it was a matter of life and death - then I could. My life, their death.

 

[Tom]

Horrifying, yes, you are absolutely correct....especially horrible are the tan flying beasts....ick.

Tom, I can pick up other bugs--stinks bugs, some spiders, peel bugs, lady bugs and some others...but not these...ick.

I won't touch the stink bugs. You can't even wash that smell off your hands with BLEACH!

What's a peel bug? Like a roly poly? Isopod?

 

[Pastel Tortie]

They sure are doing just fine here!
I spend a lot of money killing them and keeping them out of the house and I'm still losing the battle

I know the feeling, here in North Florida. Especially because I don't want to use anything that would be toxic to any animals that would eat said roaches/bugs. I have no idea whether my almost 4" Gulf Coast box turtle would eat them or not, much less whether it would be safe.

 

[Pastel Tortie]

I agree with @Tom -- No touching the stink bugs! Long-lasting stench that won't come off easily. Love bugs leave behind quite a stench when smushed, too.

Earwigs I can handle. Roaches, not so much.

 

[Tom]

I know the feeling, here in North Florida. Especially because I don't want to use anything that would be toxic to any animals that would eat said roaches/bugs. I have no idea whether my almost 4" Gulf Coast box turtle would eat them or not, much less whether it would be safe.

My GC box turtle LOVED roaches.

 

[ZEROPILOT]

I agree with @Tom -- No touching the stink bugs! Long-lasting stench that won't come off easily. Love bugs leave behind quite a stench when smushed, too.

Earwigs I can handle. Roaches, not so much.

Earwigs are cool.
I wonder if they're on a decline?
I used to see them very often. Now I haven't noticed one in years.

 

[Pastel Tortie]

Earwigs are cool.
I wonder if they're on a decline?
I used to see them very often. Now I haven't noticed one in years.

That's funny... I had to get pill bugs sent from another TFO member, but earwigs are available in abundance around here. Same environmental conditions as pill bugs and earthworms. Right now, they're probably hiding from the heat.

 

[Pastel Tortie]

My house is not exactly airtight. The earwigs found their way into the GC box turtle's indoor enclosure. At first it annoyed me, until I dropped one in my boxie's soaking water and asked, "Do you eat these?" Her answer was yes. So the earwigs got to stay.

 

[ascott]

I won't touch the stink bugs. You can't even wash that smell off your hands with BLEACH!

What's a peel bug? Like a roly poly? Isopod?

I have never had one stink me before....maybe because I have not startled them...I usually lay my hand on the ground and they just crawl on up...and yes, peel bug aka roly poly...when we were kids the grown folks likely were saying pea bug and we kids heard peel bug, so that is just what stuck...lol

 

[ascott]

Earwigs are cool.
I wonder if they're on a decline?
I used to see them very often. Now I haven't noticed one in years.

Ick...no earwigs...my Grandma told us they should be killed if you find them in the house because they can climb into our ears and lay eggs. We certainly did not want them eating our brains, and I certainly figured that meant we would be either dead or dumb.....I know, I know....not rational at all, but still somewhere in the back of ones mind once that is planted. This is the same Grandma that would squash water bugs with her bare feed...ick...

 

[ZEROPILOT]

Ick...no earwigs...my Grandma told us they should be killed if you find them in the house because they can climb into our ears and lay eggs. We certainly did not want them eating our brains, and I certainly figured that meant we would be either dead or dumb.....I know, I know....not rational at all, but still somewhere in the back of ones mind once that is planted. This is the same Grandma that would squash water bugs with her bare feed...ick...

I was told the same thing.
Did our parents know each other?
Or is this true?

 

[Pastel Tortie]

I was told the same thing.
Did our parents know each other?
Or is this true?

Widely circulated myth, but not true.

 

[ascott]

Widely circulated myth, but not true.

How do you know this? You are positive? Your source is 100% for sure? I am hesitant here...