Ro, Ro, Roaches!

Yesterday, i was cleaning out the little nooks of my closet and much to my surprise (not really) I saw a tiny little cockroach scampering across under my dresser and from there to God know where. That made me think of the number of things about cockroaches and their 100 million+ year old history, that we are don't know. So here are a five fun facts of the tiny little creature that probably disgusts us the most:

#5
The President of Turkmenistan fired 30 employees at a news station, in 2008, because he saw a cockroach walk across the set during a live bulletin.

#4
When baby cockroaches are born, they are white in color and soft. They turn brown once they have come in contact with air.

#3
Cockroaches have tiny sensors on the bottom to which they use to detect air flow and attacks. So if you put a vacuum cleaner behind them they think the attack is coming from ahead and run straight into the cleaner.

#2
Now, this is pretty amazing. There is a tiny little wasp called the Jewel wasp or the Emerald Cockroach wasp that literally has a life cycle revolving around roaches. They sting the roach, that makes them into puts it into this zombie sort of state. Then it takes control of the roach, buries it, more or less alive, lays eggs on it so that its babies can feed of the, still alive, cockroach meat.
PS:- Video not for the faint of heart or churlish of stomach!

 

  

#1
This is probably the most surprising fact about cockroaches. We all get grossed out and intensely repulsed at the sight of a cockroach, but cockroaches are equally repulsed by humans. They absolutely hate us. (and not just because we constantly try to stomp them to death, however that would be a good reason) They would even go so far as to clean themselves if they were touched by humans.
So, i guess, "What goes around comes around"?

Images used from:
http://www.behance.net/gallery/Cockroach/1578443
http://seemikedraw.com.au/
http://www.geek.com/articles/games/tablet-gaming-is-about-to-go-hardcore-20120111/boot-stomping-consoles-2/


Quote of the week:
"If you step on people in this life, you're going to come back as a cockroach."
-WILLIE DAVIS

Have a Great week!

-Husein