Are There Hissing Cockroaches in California Are there Madagascar hissing cockroaches in California?
The answer is a resounding yes. Madagascar hissing cockroaches first arrived on the California movie scene in 1975 when these unique creatures were chosen by directors and producers for starring roles in films like “Bug,” “Damnation Alley” and “Starship Troopers.” By 2002, one of these easy-to-direct critters was chosen by artist Garnet Hertz to be the model that underpinned his mobile robotic artwork.
This exotic cockroach was also tasked with appearances on TV shows like “Fear Factor.” Alison Sweeney, star of “The Biggest Loser” and the award-winning soap opera “Days of Our Lives,” lost a wager to eat one on “Fear Factor,” which could be the price even a bug has to pay for fame. As a final insult, the amusement park Six Flags Over Great America ran a 2006 promotion to attract visitors: Anyone willing to consume a hisser was granted unlimited access to rides.
Indignities aside, Madagascar hissing cockroaches have found a more respectable venue in California where they are studied and given the respect they deserve: the R. M. Bohart Museum of Entomology, founded in 1946 and located on the University of California, Davis campus. They teach visitors about their unique habits and behaviors. Members of the vast collection are especially beloved by kids who learn that unlike ordinary roaches, this elite species makes a terrific pet for adults and kids alike.
How do Madagascar hissing cockroaches do in the wild?
As long as the weather stays warm, there is no reason these clever creatures can’t adapt perfectly well to freedom should they escape from their habitats. They won’t upset the ecosystem, don’t bite and don’t carry diseases. Because they are clever, they adapt well to environments that suit their habits. They can live up to five years and because they do well alone, they don’t need a community around them to thrive.
Sustenance in the wild is no problem. Unlike other roach species willing to forage on a wide range of disgusting cast-offs that include their own skin, other roaches, blood and excrement, Madagascar hissing cockroaches feast on plants, rotting wood, leaf litter and fruit. Their palates are more discriminating. Because they emit little to no odor, they may not fall victim to other creatures by remaining undetected, and they tend to be cleaner, tidier creatures because their bodies host mites that take care of hygiene matters.
What are the worst spots for cockroaches in California?
Because roaches are cold-blooded creatures, they cannot handle temperature extremes, which means that California’s wide span of weather patterns determines their ability to survive. This is particularly impactful for Madagascar hissing cockroaches whose only habitat on the planet is off the African coast where temperatures range between 77- and 84-degrees F year round.
Death Valley, with its extreme highs, could not sustain roach populations including Madagascars, and neither could areas in the vicinity of Mt. Shasta and Bishop, where lows of 36- to 37-degrees are typical. No roach species can survive in 0-degree F temperatures, even if they hibernate. Their systems can’t tolerate extremes.
Are cockroaches common to California?
Not only are they common but a couple of areas in the state have recently set new records for infestations according to multiple media sources. Authorities tracking this trend have named these areas as California roach epicenters:
- -Riverside/San Bernardino, where dampness and temperatures as high as 90-degree F attract roaches,
- -The Los Angeles/Long Beach area is what scientists call “another case of a hot city by the water,”
- -Downtown areas in Sacramento and Davis where the Turkestan, Oriental cockroach and American cockroach populations have exploded in the past few years,
- -Folsom and Vacaville are also hot spots in California for roach proliferation.
California entomologists have proclaimed the Turkestan roach the biggest “problem children” in very wet areas. Turkestans love damp, cool spots like concrete cracks and they are quickly replacing Orientals throughout the valley. Since hard freezes are infrequent in this area, they tend breed and mature at fast rates.
That stated, there exists a unique breed known as the California roach, but it’s actually categorized as a fish that is found in select streams throughout the middle of the state. Scientists identify Bear Creek, within the Berryessa-Snow Mountain National Monument, as their natural habitat.
Differences between California roaches and Madagascar hissing roaches
- California roaches live in streams and bodies of water because they are bottom feeders; Madagascars prefer urban, temperate environments where natural refuse collects. Other California roach types are happy to sojourn anywhere that’s hospitable.
- California and Madagascar roaches can both grow to be 4-inches long.
- California roaches eat insects and detris; Madagascars are vegetarians.
- Diverse California roach species are disease carriers. Madagascar hissers are not.
- Male California roaches must make physical contact with females to confirm their sex; hissers can tell from a distance.
- Madagascar hissing roaches are perfectly happy alone; most California roaches prefer colony living.
- California roaches are rarely sold in pet stores or online; Madagascar hissing roaches are so popular, they can be found for sale everywhere.
- Madagascar hissing roaches are easy-to-care for pets; that can’t be said about other California species.
- Madagascar Hissing roaches hiss. The other guys usually prefer to remain silent.
Is it legal to keep Madagascar hissing cockroaches in California?
It is legal and they are sold at pet stores throughout the state, but not every Madagascar hisser is considered legal because they can’t be shipped from other states unless one has a permit to do so. Bugs fall under the same laws as do livestock.
That said, enforcement is another matter. Plenty of California collectors engage in buying and selling without permits, so this begs the question: Are you willing to flaunt laws to increase your Madagascar stock? Who could show up on your doorstep if decide to adopt out-of-state hissers? Fish and game professionals are most likely to knock at your door if they can prove that your terrarium happens to be home to “illegals” that crossed borders in search of better lives!
Resources Cited
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/03/080317123243.htm
https://www.kqed.org/science/1955611/you-wish-you-had-mites-like-this-hissing-cockroach
https://www.vulcantermite.com/pest-profiles/what-areas-of-the-country-have-the-fewest-pests/
https://pestlockdown.com/will-cockroaches-freeze-to-death/
https://www.climatestotravel.com/climate/madagascar
http://coolweather.net/statetemperature/california_temperature.htm
https://www.pests.org/top-15-worst-cities-for-roaches/
https://www.abc10.com/article/news/local/california/why-californias-cockroach-population-is-magnificently-huge-this-year/103-e9e63711-8db4-4670-8585-2a89817fc774
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/California_roach
https://entomology.ucr.edu/ebelingchapter6
https://arachnoboards.com/threads/keeping-hissing-cockroaches-in-california.153698/
