Image provided by: Texas A&M University
About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (Nov. 13, 1987)
1 5- Friday, November 13,1987/The Battalion/Page 3 State and Local 8- 11 Researchers study effects of environment on roaches Wild ; tin S IS on i By Mary Kay Mulvaney Reporter Texas A&M researchers are Idj, studying the effects that seasonal changes and other factors have on one of nature’s most enduring crea tures— the roach. John Paige, who is working on his I doctorate in urban entomology at Texas A&M, is doing research on German cockroaches to determine stloi how seasonal changes affect the be- ipet havior and population dynamics of domesticated roaches. “We pretty much know that there |aren’t as many roaches in the winter because you just don’t see them,” „ Paige said. “We are studying the in- vfltricacies of the population. Does it BlUflaffect the age and sex? Is it the ■ adults running around in the winter ■ or the nymphs (young roaches)?” Harry Howell, a research asso- ■ ciate in urban entomology, ex- ■ plained that there are 3,000 species I of roaches in the world and 40 spe- ■ cies in Texas. Of the 3,000 species, ^only six live in households, which leaves a large percentage of roaches that live in the wild. The two most common species of roaches that live in homes are the German cockroach and the brown- banded cockroach. Paige recently assisted five stu dents with a speech communications project to help the community be come aware of steps it could take to prevent roach infestation in homes or places of business. It helps to not keep paper sacks or cardboard boxes that are not needed around the house or place of busi ness because that is where these roaches tend to lay eggs, he said. Al though this hasn’t been backed up by research, it just makes common sense, he said. He also suggested storing break fast cereals in plastic or glass con tainers instead of leaving them in the cardboard boxes that they come in. As part of their research, the five students went with Paige to the ento mology lab to observe these pests that infest the Bryan-College Station area. German cockroaches are their main area of interest, but they also saw roaches from Madagascar, I Africa. ^ The Madagascar roaches range PICUS ~T~RELEL3, M AN GitNQ BASKETS , CACTUS, FE-RN3, PALMS SATURDAY NOV 14, 1387 IOa.m-2pm. dO M MO MS qua a UJ 3&OCK ST. plant SAL * LAMAR ST Photo by Sam B. Myers These Madagascar cockroaches hiss in order to fend off predators and to attract mates. 7 ,' from two to three inches long, are black and tan, have hard, ribbed backs — and hiss. Although it is possible that some of the roaches have escaped from the lab, it is unlikely that too many of them could survive, Howell said. “Anything possibly could escape, but they wouldn’t be able to live in this climate,” Howell said. “They wouldn’t be able to survive one mild winter here. “I’m sure we’ve had many escap es.” He said it is important to know which roaches live in the homes and which ones live in the wild when try ing to control them. & that “If a German roach appears in your house, you know they’re here to stay,” he said. “But if a large, his sing, Madagascar roach appears you know that it is probably the only one that is in your house.” Roaches are not as bad as they seem, Howell said, explaining that they are important in recycling nu trients. Roaches are constantly cleaning themselves, he said. 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