Awhile ago, I wrote a post about the infestation of my coffee pot and its sad demise. That was way back in August of 2017, over a year ago. Today, I am sad to announce that we have not fully extricated the German roaches. Apparently, they really are a strong, stubborn group. In fact, a ‘group’ of them is referred to as an ‘intrusion’. Could there be a more fitting description?

If you live in Florida, you probably have roaches. You may not see them, but they’re there, hiding in the cracks, lurking in the shadows, waiting for the darkness to descend so they can come out and feed. But, do you know their ethnic backgrounds? Let me enlighten you…

They can be American, Australian, Asian, German, and Oriental. They can also be Brown-Banded and Smokey Brown, which sound more like eye pencils than bugs. They can spread disease and contaminate our food. According to an article by Paul Dube, they can spread at least 33 different kinds of bacteria and six kinds of parasitic worms. Makes being a Floridian kind of scary. But let’s get back to their ethnicity…

Americans are also known as Palmetto bugs, a polite euphemism. They are the largest of the species. Males and females both have wings, but the males are bigger, proving that even in the insect world, size matters. They like squeezing under your doors, gliding through your windows, and eating your dog food. They prefer dim lighting and long walks through your kitchen, but will settle for your bathroom or laundry room in a pinch.

Australians look like Americans, but we knew that. They have wings, but the Australian males do not have wings as big as the Americans. Just so you know. They prefer starchy foods, greenhouses, sinks, and toilets. So, a bathroom in your greenhouse stocked with crackers would be great!

Asians look like Germans. Wait, what? They can fly long distances, which they have proven, and prefer to fly towards the light. Maybe there is still hope for them. They are also attracted to television. I know for a fact that this is true.

Germans are the most common, but maybe some of them are Asians just pretending to be Germans. The world may never know. Females only need to mate once and can breed for the rest of their lives. I don’t know about you, but I find this impressive. I’m thinking that’s why there are so many of them. They are very content and will eat almost anything soap, glue, toothpaste…anything. They have no trouble living anywhere in your home and prefer tiny, comfy spaces.

Orientals are actually from North Africa, confusing but what can I say. They dwell in darkness and are afraid of humans. Thankfully, they prefer the out-of-doors and dark, dank, stinky sewers.

Italians, not on the list but a recent find, are red. Leave it to the Italians to always be colorful! They infested most of Naples a while back but, so far, haven’t found their way here. If they do, well, I guess we’ll just welcome them to the land of the free.  After all, it’s really not that big a deal.