ROACH SCHOOL

”Hey, easy now…” ”Heeeeeellllppp!!!” //
”My roaches are not at all used to be held on hand so they really freak out about it. I’m sure they get used to it eventually but maybe I could train them a little.” //
”If they could connect being held to something nice… Maybe they’d like to eat jam if I put some on my hand.” //
Tony didn’t care about jam. ”There’s jam.” ”Oh. Well, I’ll just sit here.” //
Bruce didn’t even notice the jam. ”There’s jam – ”Ruuuuuunnn!” //
Neither did Steve. ”There’s j – ” ”Aaaaaahhh!” //
But Clint… ”Hey, what’s this –?” //
”Oh boy, JAM! Munchmunchmunchmunchmunchmunch…” Clint might be the brain of the operation.

THE ROACHVENGERS

”Most roaches are apparently bought for food for pet lizards….” ”Well, then you can be like…” //
”You have been chosen! You have been saved!” ”<3" //
In reality: "Most of these cockroaches are bought to be pets. People buy the smaller species for food." //
"You have been… Hey, don't go!" "Escaaaaaape!"

”Years ago we zoo summer guides had our own ’summer roaches'”. Someone had named them Wanda, Thor, Black Widow and Hulk.” //
”So they were all super heroes, which I found hilarious. I named my own roach boys according to the same principle.” //
”Bruce, after Bruce Banner, a.k.a. the Hulk; Steve, after Steve Rogers, a.k.a. Captain America; Tony, after Tony Stark, a.k.a. Iron Man; and Clint, after Clint Barton, a.k.a. Hawkeye.” (Hawkeye is a bit ironic name for a creature that sees very little.)

BRUCE
– all black
– the largest of the roaches
– the left antenna has broken
– a feisty fellow with very loud hissing
STEVE
– easy to recognize by the brown splotches on his sides
– broken antennae
– almost as large as Bruce
– hisses a lot and often jump out of your hands
TONY
– all black
– smaller and wider than Bruce
– very long and elegant antennae
– pretty calm personality
CLINT
– dark brown back
– very skinny abdomen
– rather calm fellow
– possibly the brain of the bunch

ROACHES COME TO THE HOUSE

”I again worked in the zoo throughout the summer and showed cockroaches to people every day. And many really liked them, despite of not expecting it!” //
”And, well, I like them, too.” //
”I’ve always liked animals, but I can’t (at least for now) have a cat or a dog. I wouldn’t have the time to take care of one.” //
”Nut roaches! They’re really easy to take care of, and at the same time they’re fashinating little creatures!” //
I got a used terrarium for them. //
”Cockroaches don’t eat that much. One apple is enough for a bunch of them for two weeks.” //
”After decorating the terrarium I was ready to get some new friends.” //
”But, many might ask… what are these roaches like?”

”There are approximately 4,500 species of cockroaches in the world! That’s about as many as species of mammals.” //
Cockroaches have a rather bad reputation even though they’re mostly totally harmless and important decomposers. //
”My roaches are Madagascar hissing cockroaches, often just called ’hissers’. They are popular pets.” //
Madagasgar hissing cockroach (Gromphadorhina portentosa)
– Smells and feels its surroundings with antennae
– Has no wings, therefore doesn’t fly.
– Can climb up a class wall with the hooks and suckers of its feet.
– Females can reproduce without males so I only got males. These roaches don’t lay eggs but give birth to live young!
– Eats fruit and other plant material.
– The head is under the body. Poor eyesight.
– Males have humps in their front back, females lack the humps.
– One of the largest species of cockroach – up to 8 cm long!
– When they get scared they let air out of the breathing tubes in their abdomen producing a strong hissing sound – hence the name!
– Coloration varies from mahogany brown to all black.

Torakoiden seikkailut jatkuvat… // The roach adventures will continue…