Are Cockroaches Harmful? A Springtime Pest Dilemma

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Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around the presence and perceived harm of cockroaches, particularly in residential settings during spring. Participants express concerns about their aesthetic appeal, potential health risks, and the challenges of managing infestations. The conversation includes personal anecdotes and varying opinions on the nature of cockroaches.

Discussion Character

  • Debate/contested
  • Conceptual clarification
  • Exploratory

Main Points Raised

  • Some participants express disgust towards cockroaches, questioning their utility and aesthetic impact.
  • Others mention that cockroaches can carry diseases on their bodies and may trigger allergies in a significant portion of the population.
  • A few participants share personal experiences with cockroach infestations and suggest that cleanliness does not prevent their presence.
  • There are claims that cockroaches can be found in various regions, with some participants asserting that certain areas are free from them.
  • One participant notes the historical resilience of cockroaches, having survived for millions of years, and mentions cultural perspectives where some species are considered delicacies.
  • There are warnings against consuming cockroaches, with a humorous take on potential recipes that include them.
  • Anecdotes about unusual encounters with cockroaches, such as one participant's story of a cockroach in an ear, highlight the discomfort they can cause.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants generally agree on the unpleasantness of cockroaches and their potential health risks, but there is disagreement regarding their prevalence in different geographic locations and the effectiveness of pest control measures. The discussion remains unresolved regarding the overall harm they pose.

Contextual Notes

Some claims about the health risks associated with cockroaches depend on specific contexts and individual experiences, which may not be universally applicable. The discussion also reflects varying cultural attitudes towards cockroaches.

N_Quire
It's spring, warm and humid and the place is crawling with huge brown cockroaches. They are disgusting looking things but they don't make a lot of noise, unlike crickets. I have noticed they can go anywhere, including up walls and across the ceiling. I try to keep my place spotless but it does not deter the creatures. They come in through vents and under doors and are really bugging me (sorry!). How harmful are they? I don't like the idea of them crawling across anything I might eat but is their awfulness most aesthetic?
 
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Cockroaches can carry diseases, not inside of them like mosquitoes, but on the outside, they then walk across your food (eating it sometimes) and contaminate it, it is also estimated that 10-15 million Americans are allergic to cockroaches.

The thing is, they aren't good for anything, for human's that is...you can crush them up and put them on wounds though, it relieves pain:wink:
 
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They look completely good for nothing too.
 
Everyone must live with them, they are everywhere and impossible to stop. I know some friends in florida that keep everything in tuperware.

Cockroaches are known to secrete a fluid that can irritate humans and overall they are a sign off filth.
 
yes they are disgusting, unfortunately once they have infested a place it doesn't matter how clean you keep things, they manage to survive regardless. i am a pacifist to the point to where i catch spiders and take them out side when i find one on my house, but roaches are pretty much stuck there unless you kill them all. i rented this really neat place back in collage that turned out to have silverbacks running rampant, basically just little cockroaches but none the less disgusting things. best thing to do is just get an exterminator and if you are renting the financial responsibility is that of your landlord, don't let them try to tell you otherwise either.
 
Originally posted by Greg Bernhardt
Everyone must live with them, they are everywhere and impossible to stop.
Haha, not everyone must live with them. Come to Utah or Idaho and you will never see another cockroach again (probably colorado, montana, wyoming, too but i have never lived there soo...). Its wonderful to not have to live with these disgusting things that everyone talks about, seriously one of the best parts of living in the west. Allthough you do have to put up with other things like box elder bugs, but they aren't nearly as bad as cockroaches.
 
Does the pest control man come to your house and spray for them? We don't have a roach problem in our house because the bugman comes out and sprays, but I've been in other buidlings around louisiana where it is very bad.
 
Originally posted by climbhi
Haha, not everyone must live with them. Come to Utah or Idaho and you will never see another cockroach again (probably colorado, montana, wyoming, too but i have never lived there soo...). Its wonderful to not have to live with these disgusting things that everyone talks about, seriously one of the best parts of living in the west. Allthough you do have to put up with other things like box elder bugs, but they aren't nearly as bad as cockroaches.

I'm lucky enough to live in Illinois, we get cockroaches and box elder bugs, worst of both worlds!
 
The fact that they have survived for more than 300 million years shows how resistant these things are. Almost in any old building which had either coal kitchen or heating systems they are present. But since they usually come out at night, they are not excessively disgusting, up you find them in a really unpleasant place.
But think that in some places in Asia some kinds of cockroaches are considered an exquisite speciality.
 
  • #10
If you are a poor and starving student, you mught be tempted by these cockroach recipes. A word of warning: don't eat cockroach sushi or roaches that you haven't killed yourself. http://www.stars.com/lifestyle/101706098373366.htm
 
  • #11
Originally posted by rutwig
...up you find them in a really unpleasant place.

They can show up in weird places, my friend was camping a couple years ago and he woke up in excruciating pain, screaming and such, from a pain in his ear. He went to the hospital and the doctor's ended up pulling a cockroach out of his ear, it had 'burrowed' down into his ear and was scraping against his ear drum. Everytime I think of cockroaches I think of that story
 
  • #12
it had 'burrowed' down into his ear and was scraping against his ear drum
I'm sure to get some sleep tonight
 
  • #13
Originally posted by N_Quire
If you are a poor and starving student, you mught be tempted by these cockroach recipes. A word of warning: don't eat cockroach sushi or roaches that you haven't killed yourself. http://www.stars.com/lifestyle/101706098373366.htm

I seriously doubt that students will be tempted by these recipes.
On the other hand, some years ago grasshoppers in chocolate were a boom. Diversity makes the world interesting...
 

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