This bug blog is in video format, you can find it at the top of the page.

Video Script:

You probably grew up being taught that cockroaches are evil creepy crawlies capable of surviving a nuclear apocalypse. To an extent, you would be right. However it’s more the latter rather then the former. Cockroaches, much like other bugs, play an important part in the environments that they are apart of. They are decomposers that are omnivours, they break down material that would otherwise pile up. Vegetation, dead animals, food tailings, basically anything that no longer serves the rest of the ecosystem and takes up space. They can be considered pests if they get into your house. It’s no fun finding a cockroach in your food pantry. This is likely why they get a bad rap. If they get onto your prep surfaces, dishes, utensils, unsealed food, anything that is likely to come into contact with something you digest, directly or indirectly, they can give you dysentery, E. Coli, Salmonella, and food poisoning. The bad rap is kinda deserved but they don’t really know better. They are a bug after all. A bug does what a bug do.

Me and Tina were in the middle of something outside when we stumbled upon a swarm of Oriental Cockroaches (Blatta orientalis). They were attempting to climb the wall outside of our apartment complex, and failing I might add. Some had managed to get inside but they did not seem to last very long once in. (insert image of dead roach) Don’t worry, it’s just sleeping. (it’s not, RIP Jerry) The Blatta orientalis is a common cockroach. They are large, females can get to be 27mm and the males can get to be 29mm . That’s as long as a .38 special! They are generally black or dark brown, although this one is a brownish red. The males have wings that span most of their body while females at first glace don’t seem to have them. They do however have tiny wings. It’s important to note that these cockroaches can’t fly, however, there are cockroaches that can. It’s generally wise to not disturb ones that you have not identified unless you want an angry bug in your face.

Speaking of flying roaches... In September 2007, Russian scientists sent a cockroach named Nadezhda (Hope) into space on the Foton-M 3 bio-satellite flight. There she conceived 33 babies which makes cockroaches the second earthling species to conceive in space. Unfortunately, Japanese rice fish take the title as the first. These space roaches for the most part developed as they would have on earth outside of microgravity. However, their carapace (upper section on the exoskeleton) darkened much earlier then their earth born counterparts. These space roaches proceeded to conceive regular cockroaches once back on earth. All of this to say that these little guys are though and can survive most whatever could be thrown at them. They can live for a week without a head, a month without food, pesticides, even survive being microwaved. The idea that they can survive a nuclear blast however, is not true. While they can survive lower doses of radiation better then most other animals, they cannot withstand the direct impact of a nuke since that vaporizes everything within range. Say they managed to survive the blast or be out of range of it, if they are too close to the detonation site the radiation levels will still kill them. Nothing gets to cheat death when it comes to radiation.