A new study uses genetics to chart cockroaches’ spread across the globe, from humble beginnings in southeast Asia to Europe and beyond. The findings span thousands of years of cockroach history and suggest the pests may have scuttled across the globe by hitching a ride with another species: people.

“It’s not just an insect story,” said Stephen Richards, an assistant professor at Baylor College of Medicine who studies insect genes and was not involved with the study. “It’s an insect and humanity story.”

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[–] givesomefucks@lemmy.world 25 points 5 months ago (3 children)

Hawaii is fucking wild with roaches...

I think every single species is active, at least on Oahu.

There's "B52s" that live outside in dumpster/trash. They're big enough that if you see one on the ground you immediately think it's fake. And when they're flying at night you can't see them in the air, but you can fucking hear them which is even more terrifying. They're technically just American cockroaches, but because the island life (especially Waikiki) is pretty much perfect for them, they just keep getting bigger and bigger on the island.

Plus with all the people around, they're not really scared of humans. These aren't the roaches in movies that scatter when a light comes on or they see a person. They're used to us by now.

And with so many people riding scooters...

Getting hit with a giant flying cockroach in the face at 40mph isn't exactly fun, but it's definitely memorable.

All the hotels, restaurants, and buildings are infested with the smaller breeds. There's just nothing to do when conditions are fine for them to live outside all year. Even if you somehow killed every one in your building, more are just going to come in from outside to fill the void.

[–] Plopp@lemmy.world 9 points 5 months ago

Plus with all the people around, they're not really scared of humans. These aren't the roaches in movies that scatter when a light comes on or they see a person. They're used to us by now.

I'm picturing a dark alley late at night. A human opens a door, and the light from inside spills out on the ground just outside. Right there, an enormous cockroach grimaces slightly from the sudden light, takes a drag on a tiny cigarette and nods hello at the human.

[–] Naboo_calls_for_aid@sopuli.xyz 7 points 5 months ago

scratch Hawaii off of list of places to visit

[–] paddirn@lemmy.world 3 points 5 months ago (1 children)

That’s horrifying, reminds me of a Stephen King short story about giant cockroach things that basically end human civilization, similar-ish to The Road in a way (father/son story).

[–] givesomefucks@lemmy.world 1 points 5 months ago

Eh, the further South you go the more common it is to just see them out in nature.

South Carolina has "palmetto bugs" which are the same species as Hawaii's B52s, just a little smaller.

In places where roaches can survive outside making it impossible to really prevent them from coming inside, people just tend to call them a new name.