Question about insects

CountryJoe

Hi Guys,
I hope I am posting this question in the right forum, but here goes.

I was reading this article in the Irish Times the other day http://www.irishtimes.com/news/health/rats-blood-cockroaches-found-in-closure-order-food-premises-1.1637624 .

Now Rats I can picture being found in eateries, but cockroaches? I have never seen one on these shores in my life. I seem to recall last year places in Dublin were shut down because of cockroaches also. It was always my belief that they were a tropical insect. So my question is, do they live on our shores?

Alun

Cockroaches are found pretty much everywhere in the world, although the ones we get here in Europe tend to be relatively small. Some of the tropical species can get quite large, and some people even keep them as 'pets'. So yes, they're definitely here and they love messy places with lots of crumbs and other food residues, like badly cleaned kitchens.

CountryJoe

Alun wrote: »

Cockroaches are found pretty much everywhere in the world, although the ones we get here in Europe tend to be relatively small. Some of the tropical species can get quite large, and some people even keep them as 'pets'. So yes, they're definitely here and they love messy places with lots of crumbs and other food residues, like badly cleaned kitchens.

Ah right, thanks for clearing that up

fryup

but cockroaches are not native to ireland?? they came as stowaways from ships??

olly_mac

In a former life I was an archaeologist I was involved in excavations around the Coombe area in Dublin, and we had some environmental specialists with us. We were finding cockroach remains by the ton! The earliest traces could be put in the 17th century horizon, and they peaked in the early 19th century.

Anyhow, the accepted theory is that people started dinking tea in the mid to late 17th century, and the cockroaches were present in the cargo originating in the East, China and India etc. The environmental boffins actually recognised the beasties as being of an Asian type

The increased importation of rice etc. in the more recent times can also be factored in to allow for the increase in cockroach numbers today.

Desmo

fryup wrote: »

but cockroaches are not native to ireland?? they came as stowaways from ships??

You are correct in saying that they are not native; traditionally, you got them in large industrial places like hospital kitchens and factories/breweries that had heating and food for them to eat. There are 2 or 3 commonly found with the english names: American, German and Oriental cockroaches (Periplanetta, Blatta and Blatella I think). The former 2 are big and make a noise when they run (scuttle). I have not seen any in ages but, as the article suggests, they are around.

Chisler2

They are one of the most successful and widespread species on the planet. :eek::eek: I believe - though I've not corroborated this by any research of my own - that cockroach have an enviable physiology which helps them adapt to a wide variety of situations, larvae being resistant to even fire. They are very very difficult to eliminate, once they get into a building.