Dr. Margaret Collins is my Grandmother. I am thankful to see Her story continue to inspire and enlighten the world. You are truly missed. I pray you are looking down on Us from Heaven. May Peace and Love be upon You and the whole World 🙏🏽🫶🏽
I saw a group of tourists in Florida gazing at something on the ground and remarking how beautiful it was. So I went over to see. I'd seen cockroaches before and recognised the body shape although I'd never seen one this large or this beautiful. It had an iridescence that flashed between metallic green and deep magenta. One person said "Anybody know what it is?" I said "Yes. It's a cockroach". Suddenly there was a united cry of horror and disgust and one guy stamped on it. Such is the power of reputation and prejudice.
Not me. I appreciate them equally as any other insect. I like them a lot actually and will defend them any time people talk bad about them because they're extremely vilified for no justified reason in my eyes. They are just another incredible insect in this world trying to survive as all of us do. :)
They're one of my favorite orders, actually! Don't get me wrong, I will be horrified to find my kitchen infested with German, American, or any other species of pest roaches, but I love finding them in the wild and studying tropical species! I used to maintain two separate roach colonies, dubia and Madagascar hissing, as feeder insects and pets respectively. I miss them so much, but my asthma did not agree with them. I now have the awesome label of "Allergy: cockroach extract" on my medical records and get to explain it to every new doctor I see, so that's fun. ^^;
The most uneventful roach encounter I had was a trip to a McDonald's bathroom. There was a weird hissing noise, I thought it was the vent but stepping out of the cubicle there was a large colorful roach with spots worse it flew at me when I wanted to make sure it was a roach or not. I grew up seeing large roaches before but nothing this brightly colored and why in NYC of all places. I thought it must've been someone's escaped pet, since roaches in the northeast, big or small, don't look like it.
No. At this point NYC has so many people who travel so many places that there's aren't pets. I've seen types of roaches in building etc throughout NYC that are openly living here. As of now none of them have been able to create large colonies that span across the state like German and American roaches. I believe though within the next 50years they will. With the ease of travel now and more countries being accessible it's just a matter of time.
I’ve been keeping all sorts of different roaches for years. My goal since middle school has been to study non-pest cockroaches. I went into entomology specifically because I want to study them. I’ve never met someone before who wasn’t immediately disgusted when I told them that, even many other entomologists. I really hope some day more people will begin to appreciate these incredible animals more. Thanks so much for making a video to introduce people to these unique insects.
If it helps, a mention that mantids and termites are close relatives will usually get people to at least not dig their heels in. It substantially improved my respect for blatella (blattodea? the order, not the genus), as a layman, well before I got into learning about the specifics. :D
Interesting, since I feel like a lot of my mutuals actually haven’t acted grossed out when I’ve mentioned I own a few cockroach species! Most of my friends are actually quite intrigued by them and even handle them. Shame that hate/disgust for cockroaches is so common, you’d think that all entomologists would love them.
If I had the opportunity to go back to school some day, entomology really would be one of those subjects I'd consider. I have so many pet roaches! I don't really want to plug my channel -- but I *do* to talk about my pet roaches with other enthusiasts, all the time. I have some cute roach videos on my channel if you want to watch them. (And if anyone has any cute roach videos to share with me, please do.) Most of my friends are also bug people, so I'm lucky that way.
If you could teach them to pay rent and also work on family planning maybe some birth control people would like them. As of now they're living all over NYC rent free and even entering homes where people are clean. They're rude as guests to be quite frank lol
You can count me as someone immediately disgusted when I read that you keep roaches. I know you and others hope for people like myself to just get educated, understand, and accept -- but the problem is that it's a very deep, hardwired, uncontrollable fear. A proper phobia. It's irrational but it's there -- you can't rationalize it away. I don't want to be afraid of roaches but I am, again it's irrational and cannot be rationalized away.
I watched to the end. I love the story of Margaret Collins. Inspirational. Civil Rights activist and Termite Lady. Cool to see real field researchers doing the work! Loved this segment! Ewww, cool.
Classing termites as members of the Blattodea order still feels weird. It makes sense, but my brain is so hard-wired to place them in order Isoptera that I'm still doing a double take whenever it's broight up. ^^; Change is fun!
Worker termites look similar to newborn roaches without wings. Also, some termite species look very similar to their common cockroach relatives. Like these here on this video: ua-cam.com/video/ncKD0uWBkww/v-deo.html
@@windtalker4191 Oh, yes, no doubt! I totally understand why they're both under Blattodea. A lot of insects look way more similar than most people realize. For example, stick insects, mantids, and cockroaches/termites! IIRC, they're all relatively close on the insect tree of life, which blows people's minds when I point it out. ^^
Kudos to museum curator Dr. Jessica Ware for sharing her fascinating insights into this rather obscure topic. The level of dedication and professionalism is truly commendable!
I think my favorite thing about roaches, and there's lots to love, is that one of their closest relatives are Mantids! It seems so wild until you compare their leg shapes, wing shape, and especially their heads! Mantids and roaches have very similar looking heads. Its crazy to me that I never realized this when I was younger and obsessed with catching and observing every bug I came across lol.
Excellent! 😁 I graduated with a degree in Entomology at Colorado State University. ALMOST went into Medical Entomology. Thank you for a wonderful presentation.
Getting Dr. Ware to host this series was such a brilliant decision. She's got the right personality for video format and her love for insect really shines. I'd love to see A LOT more from her so she too, will be a science hero for the next generation.
I love roaches. They are like little puppies. They stay in the garage and outside. They have plenty to eat. They don't come inside as they have plenty of habitat to explore elsewhere. We just allow the yard to be pesticide free, grow native plants and encourage natural predation. I don't get the fear other than the built in reaction to hearing scuttling when one cannot see what is scuttling. If one makes it inside, we just place them back outside unharmed and near some shelter. The population has been steady for years and the soil is rich in the yard.
Thanks for the lovely video, especially the finale on Dr. Margaret Collins. My scientific heroes are many, but Jane Goodall and Ingrith Deyrup Olsen were two of my earliest inspirations. Dr. Deyrup-Olsen studied slugs and mucus. All of the women who broke into biology in the early and mid-20th century had to be incredibly tough and persistent.
The main issue I’ve heard about roach behavior is their disregard for certain perceived 'boundaries' of behavior. Crawling on your face, in your mouth, in your hair, etc. as well as living in 'zones' considered 'off-limits' by most animal behavior… beds, medicine cabinets, clothes drawers, nurseries, cribs… I think it is this sense of intrusion and unbounded behavior that pushes most people over the edge of dislike into true hatred of the species.
I like roaches just fine, some of them are even cool. But I still don't want them in my house. lol I had them in my first apartment and got so tired of the smell and their droppings and egg cases everywhere. I couldn't leave anything sitting out in the kitchen, not even for a few minutes. I wasn't messy at all but once they come in, they're impossible to get rid of. Pretty sure they were just in the walls so nothing I did really helped, because the management wouldn't treat the whole building. I ended up having to throw a lot of stuff away when I moved because I didn't want any chance of taking them with me to my next place. All that said, I understand that pest species can't really help what they are. I absolutely adore pet rats, but you'd think every rodent personally killed someone's mother the way some people act toward them. My general attitude is that as long as they aren't getting into my stuff and making my home unsanitary, I'll leave all creatures be.
I know this isn't much advice since you already moved out, but from my experience, the only thing that completely eliminates roaches is having house centipedes in your building. They are super deadly to all house pests. I used to live in an apartment next to an addict and couldn't get rid of the roaches no matter how hard I tried. I've noticed that all that time I've never seen a single house centipede. Moved to another building that has an open garbage chute (a common roach infestation source), never seen a single roach - and soon I found out why when I saw a little centipede hanging out on my wall! Once you get used to how they look, you'll see them as your friends.
I'm fine with centipedes, and spiders too. I let spiders live in my house anytime they want. They are nature's pest control. That apartment was back in the early/mid 00's, so it's been years since I left. I've never had a roach (or ant) problem since. I think my apartment management just sucked at that complex, all the rest since then have been really good at keeping their properties pest free.
The end bit about Margaret Collins was so amazing. Such a strength of will it must have taken to continue on as she did: a black, female, in a field of bugs, and cockroaches in particular = so many things that so many people seem to have a burning hatred for, for no real reasons! I cannot imagine a bomb threat, because a black woman was going to give a lecture about bugs. The fragility and fear of certain people (racist, misogynistic people) is ridiculous. So happy to hear she persevered and furthered the march of scientific research and understanding. Thank you, Margaret. I've long said: If you have to cheat, you're not a winner. If I- an able-bodied, adult man- were in a foot race against a two year old, chances are I would win easily. (Unless that child had just been asked "What did you just put in your mouth, let me see", of course- but that's different.). If I felt the need to put in speed bumps and barriers and tripping hazards on the toddler's course and made my course flat and straight and smooth: what am I proving? If I were in a foot race against Jesse Owens: I'm going to lose. Because I'm just some guy, and he was an Olympic champion. If I put up sped bumps and barriers and tripping hazards against Jesse and I somehow won that race, what did I prove? How good I am at cheating maybe- but NOT that I- a white guy- am a "better runner" than him- a black guy. If men were really as superior as many have claimed, the proof would be that no women could succeed in those fields. But they have: so men are not superior. Fact has been facted. If white people were inherently superior to brown people, there would be no contest - but black and brown people have succeeded and achieved great things in all fields, dis-proving the ridiculous claim of white superiority. If you have to threaten a black woman with a bomb to show your own superiority to her, then you are NOT superior to her. How do we have generations of people who cannot understand this basic equality of human-kind, that anyone is equally capable of greatness (or mediocrity) regardless of gender, race, sexuality, etc?
If I show this to my wife, will it cure her disgust and phobia of roaches and inspire in her a deep scientific awe and curiosity for this marvellous creature?
No.. my husband got them on one of his cars because he moves people's homes/belongings in NY. I refused to ever get in the van/truck again even after he bombed it. I was terrified! And literally wanted him to stop doing moving jobs at all 🤢
Very interesting video! I have never had a problem with roaches when I'm outside; I just don't want them in my home! The information on Dr. Margaret Collins is fascinating
Thank you so much for making this, and can you please make more?! These ladies are beautiful, brilliant and I am so grateful that i got to see their brilliance and share in this knowledge :)
I love roaches. Like mice and rats, roaches aren't gross in a natural habitat. Another maligned critter that cares for its young is the earwig, which is an endearing quality of many Polyneoptera species! Roaches are absolutely repugnant when they find their way into our homes because they represent human filth and disease, inescapable if you live in a shared building. As someone who enthusiastically looks for bugs, I've also had some stomach-turning encounters with huge colonies in the South West US when I open some sprinkler control covers.
Same. I wouldn't like roaches infesting my house, i don't think ANYONE would. But they are so cool in their natural environment! I love flipping over a log and finding tons of parcoblatta nymphs.
I am definitely going to look into Dr. Margaret Collins and her work, i would love to find out more about termites and her contributions to the feild. I wish more people could view animals like roaches from a different perspective and appreciate not only their role in the environment but also as amazing organisms. I think people have a hard time not anthropomorphizing animals, especially the ones they dislike, and projecting malice and hatred on them, as if the animals are being antagonistic or spiteful of humans. They dont hate you or want to hurt you, they simply find it beneficial to hang around places with plenty of food. love Dr. Ware's roach pin too!
Saw the termite mounds, thought, "that probably would be the Rupununi savannah in southern Guyana. The bonus information about Margaret Collins and her work here left me so delightfully surprised. As a Guyanese teacher, I must applaud; this was a great video for Agri Science classes.
As much as my entomological excitement extends to almost every little bug and arthropod… It’s like there’s something evolutionarily hardwired in my brain to make me still kinda generally repulsed by roaches
Great video, cockroaches are cool but I'm still glad I don't have to deal with them in the UK 😅 One of my science heroes is Jane Goodall and I got to speak to her once while at university; I was being taught about chimpanzee culture by one of her students! Incredible lady who also blazed a trail for female students and no doubt dealt with horrendous sexism in her day. So lucky to have had that opportunity.
@@nian60🤣 right. People forget that the more WE travel the more THEY travel lmao. They've probably been to every part of the world by now lmao and to think all for free. Free travel, free housing, free food
Roaches always make me think of that one Ray Bradbury short story where two god compete to create the ultimate life form. One creates human and the other creates roaches
I used to hate roaches the first 20+ years of my life. but I loved reptiles. Crickets turned out to be very problematic to keep so I bit the bullet and got a dubia roach colony and over time learned to tolerate them. a couple years ago now I decided to get some hissing roaches as pets and just fell in love with the little guys. now anybtrace of fear or disgust I had is gone and Im actually going into the business of breeding exotic roaches!
I have two cockroach stories. But first, I will say that I am (and always have been) fascinated with the insect world. I respect cockroaches role in nature. If they are outside in my yard, I just leave them alone. If they come into the house, well, sorry to say, that's another story. Then they are fair game! Story #1 Until recently, what they call large "water bugs" down here in the South Eastern U.S....I didn't know that these shed their exoskeleton in order to grow. I was out in my shed a month ago and saw something white and plump on the floor. When I went to investigate, I found that it was a deceased "water bug" that had died while only half way out of it exoskeleton. So, half its brown exoskeleton was still on it. Yet, it clearly had tried to shed the exoskeleton but only made it half way out, then died. So, I had to Google it, because I didn't know "water bugs' shed their exoskeleton...But, sure enough, that's what Google said. So, I thought that was pretty interesting, learning something about them that I had never known before. Story # 2. This story is true, and to this day, I still believe that a cockroach tried to get back at me for spraying it with pest spray. Years ago, I saw a "water bug" (a pretty big one) down here in my bedroom. That's the worst place that I do NOT want to see them. So, I grabbed a can of roach spray and went over and tried to spray the roach. It was on a t.v. stand. When I sprayed it, it ran behind the t v. set. So, I got down on my knees and got close to the t.v. to see where the darn thing went...I didn't want to lose it! Well, all of a sudden, this roach came running out from behind the t.v. and took a flying leap off the t.v. stand directly at me!...at my face! It absolutely felt intentional to me! That roach took a leap of that t.v. stand RIGHT AT ME!!!! RIGHT AT MY FACE!!! It shocked me when it did that and I fell backwards, cause I didn't want it on me. Needless to say, I was the one who won the battle that night. But, I don't care what anyone says...no one will ever sway my belief...THAT ROACH INTENTIONALLY TRIED TO GET ME...There's just no other reason for it doing what it did. That freaked me out!!!!! So, there are my two roach stories.
I feel roaches are alot smarter than people think. I've felt they are intentional as well especially when trying to take over a home. I'm in NY and Im like a vampire hunter when it comes to them. I just think it's so rude to try and come live in someone else's home and on top of that have hundreds of kids and climb on their food etc they don't even try to stay out of the way 🤢
@@marie22213 😂😂😂 I love your sense of humor! I'm like you, if they are inside, they'd better say their prayers, because they are about to meet their maker! Best wishes to you in your bug battles! ☺️
Wow, I can't believe how beautiful some cockroaches are! I never really thought of them other than invading homes and apartments. They are an industrious, critical cockroach community in the wild. Just scary in our homes! Thank you for this informative video ♥🪳🪳🪳🪳🪳
I actually find roachies pretty cute li'l guys, and they don't have venom or a taste for human flesh as some other arthropods might, so I never quite got the panic they often cause, even though I do know they can be a bit of an inconvenience if they get into food. I remember stumbling on the instagram account of a cockroach breeder and being enraptured by all their glorious specimens - instant follow from me. I guess really, they kind of suffer from a similar reputation as wasps, with many people seeing the sort they have unpleasant brushes with to be the only species - not every wasp is a sting-happy yellowjacket, and not every roach is a drain-climbing house roach, but I guess those who generally have no interest in the insect world only have those ones on their radar.
Watching this because my daughter loves bugs and has roach pets. She's hoping to add different species and I have a phobia. I love this. These two scientists are so engaging. Thank you for this.
Really really cool!!!!!!! Reminded me of the movie Nausicaä !! The giant bugs and how they were part of an interlinked and interdependent ecossystem that helped to clean the larger-er ecossystem
I love cockroaches! I think they're really sweet the way they interact with each other. Here in Australia, we have tonnes of different interesting cockroaches and seeing them always brightens my day. I do have a few of them in the house, but they're not doing any harm
I like some. I have hissers and dubia. They are awesome. My roaches will not eat crappy food. I feed vegetables and grains but if im short on food and try to feed a cheap cereal or something, they avoid it. Sometimes they will refuse. Nothing but the best for these bugs...
0:32 I once found a banana roach among the bananas in the store here in Hungary, Europe. I brought her home and kept her in a jar. She laid an ootheca and had around a dozen babies. Unfortunately, I had no male and by the third generation they became too inbred I guess and died out, or contracted some pathogen. They were beautiful and chill and not threatening or disgusting at all.
i feel like a bit of a hypocrite when i defend roaches bc im also scared of the household kind, but ill never stop doing it bc someones gotta remind people even things they dont like still matter
Wonderful to hear! There are several great entomology departments in North America and across the globe-I went to Rutgers University and really enjoyed my experience there, but depending on your interest (applied entomology, systematics, ecology, etc.) certain departments may have the best faculty expertise to match your learning goals. If you are interested in find out more about the field, please check out the Entomological Society of America (entsoc.org), which can point you in the direction of research being done globally in entomology. Please also check out Entomologists of Color (entopoc.org), which provides memberships to entomological societies globally. - Jessica
Yup, you heard right! Bacteria in the hindgut of termites and some roaches allows them to supplement nitrogen shortages in their diet by fixing atmospheric nitrogen-basically, capturing nitrogen from the air and using it to make protein. - Dr. Jessica Ware
In San Diego the sewers were loaded with them. At night they’d creep out of the sewer into the streets and houses if they can. We used to call them “palmettos”. Sounds better than cockroach 🪳
One interesting thing about termites is that there are some species who actually grow fungus, like leafcutter ants. One of my favorite youtubers, AntsCanada, has been trying for several years to found a colony of fungus growing termites. He has discovered that they are a lot more difficult to raise than ants. He also raises roaches, but mostly for ant food.
As an entomologist it always saddens me when whole major groups of insects (or any creature) are maligned because of a handful of species that humans have negative interactions with (through no fault of the animal either). Yellowjackets (which are awesome in their own right) representing all 100k+ species of wasps is another prime example (most wasps are parasitic, tiny, and don't sting!). I adore cockroaches as much as I adore any other insect, which is to say a whole darn lot! I wish people could appreciate or at least respect species for their intrinsic value, instead of entomologists having to justify why they should be allowed to live because of the things these animals can do for humans. It's one of the struggles as a science communicator. But anyways, cockroaches are lovely and I'm always delighted to see a wood roach while on a hike in the woods.
Had a teacher in high school that had two class pet roaches Cheech and Chong. They were hissing cockroaches. Jokers got loose my junior year. I'm pretty sure they populated the town
Roaches get the same deal as every other insect, as long as they're outside or living in my house but unseen and not doing damage, we're fine. But if they're visible or make themselves otherwise known, I must end you.
I've never seen a piece of jewelry made in the shape of a cockroach. I've seen: Dragonflies, Ladybugs, Butterflies, Frogs, and even Beetles. But NEVER a cockroach.
Dr. Margaret Collins is my Grandmother. I am thankful to see Her story continue to inspire and enlighten the world. You are truly missed. I pray you are looking down on Us from Heaven. May Peace and Love be upon You and the whole World 🙏🏽🫶🏽
Peace to you and yours. Whether two legged, four legged, six or eight.
We're so inspired by Dr. Collins's life and legacy. It's a privilege to highlight her career. Thank you for watching!
Wow, that’s amazing.
Way cool!
What an inspirational woman!
I loved hearing about this historical important Black Woman Biologist!
Me too!! Brilliant
I saw a group of tourists in Florida gazing at something on the ground and remarking how beautiful it was. So I went over to see. I'd seen cockroaches before and recognised the body shape although I'd never seen one this large or this beautiful. It had an iridescence that flashed between metallic green and deep magenta. One person said "Anybody know what it is?" I said "Yes. It's a cockroach". Suddenly there was a united cry of horror and disgust and one guy stamped on it. Such is the power of reputation and prejudice.
oh my god, what horrible people! there was no need to stomp it, but happy you got to see it while it was still alive
The world's most misunderstood animal! Even insect enthusiasts tend to get repulsed by them.
Not me. I appreciate them equally as any other insect. I like them a lot actually and will defend them any time people talk bad about them because they're extremely vilified for no justified reason in my eyes. They are just another incredible insect in this world trying to survive as all of us do. :)
@@mariannaluciliasericata4195 same thing here :)
@@mariannaluciliasericata4195I catch them and use them as feeders for my tarantulas and reptiles!
As an insect enthusiast i have never felt disgusted by roaches once. I have always found them to be fascinating.
They're one of my favorite orders, actually! Don't get me wrong, I will be horrified to find my kitchen infested with German, American, or any other species of pest roaches, but I love finding them in the wild and studying tropical species! I used to maintain two separate roach colonies, dubia and Madagascar hissing, as feeder insects and pets respectively. I miss them so much, but my asthma did not agree with them. I now have the awesome label of "Allergy: cockroach extract" on my medical records and get to explain it to every new doctor I see, so that's fun. ^^;
The most uneventful roach encounter I had was a trip to a McDonald's bathroom. There was a weird hissing noise, I thought it was the vent but stepping out of the cubicle there was a large colorful roach with spots worse it flew at me when I wanted to make sure it was a roach or not.
I grew up seeing large roaches before but nothing this brightly colored and why in NYC of all places. I thought it must've been someone's escaped pet, since roaches in the northeast, big or small, don't look like it.
It must be from someone pet
No. At this point NYC has so many people who travel so many places that there's aren't pets. I've seen types of roaches in building etc throughout NYC that are openly living here. As of now none of them have been able to create large colonies that span across the state like German and American roaches. I believe though within the next 50years they will. With the ease of travel now and more countries being accessible it's just a matter of time.
You call that uneventful? I would have been screaming.
@@TheBusyJane My friend did scream when he went in the bathroom.
I’ve been keeping all sorts of different roaches for years. My goal since middle school has been to study non-pest cockroaches. I went into entomology specifically because I want to study them. I’ve never met someone before who wasn’t immediately disgusted when I told them that, even many other entomologists. I really hope some day more people will begin to appreciate these incredible animals more. Thanks so much for making a video to introduce people to these unique insects.
If it helps, a mention that mantids and termites are close relatives will usually get people to at least not dig their heels in. It substantially improved my respect for blatella (blattodea? the order, not the genus), as a layman, well before I got into learning about the specifics. :D
Interesting, since I feel like a lot of my mutuals actually haven’t acted grossed out when I’ve mentioned I own a few cockroach species! Most of my friends are actually quite intrigued by them and even handle them. Shame that hate/disgust for cockroaches is so common, you’d think that all entomologists would love them.
If I had the opportunity to go back to school some day, entomology really would be one of those subjects I'd consider. I have so many pet roaches! I don't really want to plug my channel -- but I *do* to talk about my pet roaches with other enthusiasts, all the time. I have some cute roach videos on my channel if you want to watch them. (And if anyone has any cute roach videos to share with me, please do.) Most of my friends are also bug people, so I'm lucky that way.
If you could teach them to pay rent and also work on family planning maybe some birth control people would like them. As of now they're living all over NYC rent free and even entering homes where people are clean. They're rude as guests to be quite frank lol
You can count me as someone immediately disgusted when I read that you keep roaches. I know you and others hope for people like myself to just get educated, understand, and accept -- but the problem is that it's a very deep, hardwired, uncontrollable fear. A proper phobia. It's irrational but it's there -- you can't rationalize it away. I don't want to be afraid of roaches but I am, again it's irrational and cannot be rationalized away.
I watched to the end. I love the story of Margaret Collins. Inspirational. Civil Rights activist and Termite Lady. Cool to see real field researchers doing the work! Loved this segment! Ewww, cool.
Indeed ❤
Heheheh yes!!! Lovely and strong Termite Lady, Margaret Collins. :)
I didn’t know that termites had been moved into the same order as roaches. That’s interesting!
I can't deal with roaches. I wish I wasn't such a coward with them but they make me freeze and I will just stand there terrified unable to move 💀
Because certain ones (German, oriental, and American roach are disgusting. And thrive on filth
If they are huge they can be very terrifying. Especially if they fly chaotically towards you...
That's because you're WEAK
Classing termites as members of the Blattodea order still feels weird. It makes sense, but my brain is so hard-wired to place them in order Isoptera that I'm still doing a double take whenever it's broight up. ^^;
Change is fun!
Worker termites look similar to newborn roaches without wings. Also, some termite species look very similar to their common cockroach relatives. Like these here on this video: ua-cam.com/video/ncKD0uWBkww/v-deo.html
@@windtalker4191 Oh, yes, no doubt! I totally understand why they're both under Blattodea. A lot of insects look way more similar than most people realize. For example, stick insects, mantids, and cockroaches/termites! IIRC, they're all relatively close on the insect tree of life, which blows people's minds when I point it out. ^^
@@littledreamerrem7021wow! I have so much to learn..
Kudos to museum curator Dr. Jessica Ware for sharing her fascinating insights into this rather obscure topic. The level of dedication and professionalism is truly commendable!
I think my favorite thing about roaches, and there's lots to love, is that one of their closest relatives are Mantids! It seems so wild until you compare their leg shapes, wing shape, and especially their heads! Mantids and roaches have very similar looking heads. Its crazy to me that I never realized this when I was younger and obsessed with catching and observing every bug I came across lol.
i keep roaches as food for the second most hated animal, Spiders! so cool to learn a bit more about em
Excellent! 😁 I graduated with a degree in Entomology at Colorado State University. ALMOST went into Medical Entomology. Thank you for a wonderful presentation.
Getting Dr. Ware to host this series was such a brilliant decision. She's got the right personality for video format and her love for insect really shines. I'd love to see A LOT more from her so she too, will be a science hero for the next generation.
I love roaches. They are like little puppies. They stay in the garage and outside. They have plenty to eat. They don't come inside as they have plenty of habitat to explore elsewhere. We just allow the yard to be pesticide free, grow native plants and encourage natural predation. I don't get the fear other than the built in reaction to hearing scuttling when one cannot see what is scuttling. If one makes it inside, we just place them back outside unharmed and near some shelter. The population has been steady for years and the soil is rich in the yard.
What kind are they?? That's they'd stay outside and not swarm inside your home
Outstanding presentation. Wonderful Margret Collins tribute.
So the roach alien from Men in Black being really upset about bugs being killed is based on reality. That’s cool.
ooh thanks for sharing this! I've never seen men in black but now I'm interested
Thanks for the lovely video, especially the finale on Dr. Margaret Collins. My scientific heroes are many, but Jane Goodall and Ingrith Deyrup Olsen were two of my earliest inspirations. Dr. Deyrup-Olsen studied slugs and mucus. All of the women who broke into biology in the early and mid-20th century had to be incredibly tough and persistent.
This makes me a little less creeped out by them. Thank you! I learned a lot of fascinating things about Roaches. Some are beautiful. 💜✌️
The main issue I’ve heard about roach behavior is their disregard for certain perceived 'boundaries' of behavior. Crawling on your face, in your mouth, in your hair, etc. as well as living in 'zones' considered 'off-limits' by most animal behavior… beds, medicine cabinets, clothes drawers, nurseries, cribs…
I think it is this sense of intrusion and unbounded behavior that pushes most people over the edge of dislike into true hatred of the species.
I like roaches but I full on agree, I picked up a wild roach before but quickly dropped it because it started crawling to my arms and shoulders, icky!
I like roaches just fine, some of them are even cool. But I still don't want them in my house. lol I had them in my first apartment and got so tired of the smell and their droppings and egg cases everywhere. I couldn't leave anything sitting out in the kitchen, not even for a few minutes. I wasn't messy at all but once they come in, they're impossible to get rid of. Pretty sure they were just in the walls so nothing I did really helped, because the management wouldn't treat the whole building. I ended up having to throw a lot of stuff away when I moved because I didn't want any chance of taking them with me to my next place.
All that said, I understand that pest species can't really help what they are. I absolutely adore pet rats, but you'd think every rodent personally killed someone's mother the way some people act toward them. My general attitude is that as long as they aren't getting into my stuff and making my home unsanitary, I'll leave all creatures be.
I know this isn't much advice since you already moved out, but from my experience, the only thing that completely eliminates roaches is having house centipedes in your building. They are super deadly to all house pests.
I used to live in an apartment next to an addict and couldn't get rid of the roaches no matter how hard I tried. I've noticed that all that time I've never seen a single house centipede. Moved to another building that has an open garbage chute (a common roach infestation source), never seen a single roach - and soon I found out why when I saw a little centipede hanging out on my wall! Once you get used to how they look, you'll see them as your friends.
I'm fine with centipedes, and spiders too. I let spiders live in my house anytime they want. They are nature's pest control.
That apartment was back in the early/mid 00's, so it's been years since I left. I've never had a roach (or ant) problem since. I think my apartment management just sucked at that complex, all the rest since then have been really good at keeping their properties pest free.
Pet 🐀 🐀 RATS HAVE KILLED HUMANS. 😮
The end bit about Margaret Collins was so amazing. Such a strength of will it must have taken to continue on as she did: a black, female, in a field of bugs, and cockroaches in particular = so many things that so many people seem to have a burning hatred for, for no real reasons! I cannot imagine a bomb threat, because a black woman was going to give a lecture about bugs. The fragility and fear of certain people (racist, misogynistic people) is ridiculous. So happy to hear she persevered and furthered the march of scientific research and understanding. Thank you, Margaret.
I've long said: If you have to cheat, you're not a winner. If I- an able-bodied, adult man- were in a foot race against a two year old, chances are I would win easily. (Unless that child had just been asked "What did you just put in your mouth, let me see", of course- but that's different.). If I felt the need to put in speed bumps and barriers and tripping hazards on the toddler's course and made my course flat and straight and smooth: what am I proving? If I were in a foot race against Jesse Owens: I'm going to lose. Because I'm just some guy, and he was an Olympic champion. If I put up sped bumps and barriers and tripping hazards against Jesse and I somehow won that race, what did I prove? How good I am at cheating maybe- but NOT that I- a white guy- am a "better runner" than him- a black guy. If men were really as superior as many have claimed, the proof would be that no women could succeed in those fields. But they have: so men are not superior. Fact has been facted. If white people were inherently superior to brown people, there would be no contest - but black and brown people have succeeded and achieved great things in all fields, dis-proving the ridiculous claim of white superiority. If you have to threaten a black woman with a bomb to show your own superiority to her, then you are NOT superior to her. How do we have generations of people who cannot understand this basic equality of human-kind, that anyone is equally capable of greatness (or mediocrity) regardless of gender, race, sexuality, etc?
If I show this to my wife, will it cure her disgust and phobia of roaches and inspire in her a deep scientific awe and curiosity for this marvellous creature?
Yes
show her some beautifully coloured ones
@@AntsCzechDo this, but don't tell her they are roaches until she falls in love
No.. my husband got them on one of his cars because he moves people's homes/belongings in NY. I refused to ever get in the van/truck again even after he bombed it. I was terrified! And literally wanted him to stop doing moving jobs at all 🤢
Spread the word of the bug
The more I learn about these critters, the more fascinated I am. Thank you!
Very interesting video! I have never had a problem with roaches when I'm outside; I just don't want them in my home! The information on Dr. Margaret Collins is fascinating
Thank you so much for making this, and can you please make more?! These ladies are beautiful, brilliant and I am so grateful that i got to see their brilliance and share in this knowledge :)
I love roaches. Like mice and rats, roaches aren't gross in a natural habitat. Another maligned critter that cares for its young is the earwig, which is an endearing quality of many Polyneoptera species! Roaches are absolutely repugnant when they find their way into our homes because they represent human filth and disease, inescapable if you live in a shared building. As someone who enthusiastically looks for bugs, I've also had some stomach-turning encounters with huge colonies in the South West US when I open some sprinkler control covers.
Same. I wouldn't like roaches infesting my house, i don't think ANYONE would. But they are so cool in their natural environment! I love flipping over a log and finding tons of parcoblatta nymphs.
Thank you for teaching me about Margret Collins
I am definitely going to look into Dr. Margaret Collins and her work, i would love to find out more about termites and her contributions to the feild. I wish more people could view animals like roaches from a different perspective and appreciate not only their role in the environment but also as amazing organisms. I think people have a hard time not anthropomorphizing animals, especially the ones they dislike, and projecting malice and hatred on them, as if the animals are being antagonistic or spiteful of humans. They dont hate you or want to hurt you, they simply find it beneficial to hang around places with plenty of food.
love Dr. Ware's roach pin too!
roaches are my favorite animal I'm so happy to see more videos about them!
Roaches are so cool!
Saw the termite mounds, thought, "that probably would be the Rupununi savannah in southern Guyana. The bonus information about Margaret Collins and her work here left me so delightfully surprised. As a Guyanese teacher, I must applaud; this was a great video for Agri Science classes.
Thanks Margaret Collins, a hero, you to hero now
I love these little guys ❤
that piece about Margaret Collins at the end was so cool and interesting!!!
As much as my entomological excitement extends to almost every little bug and arthropod… It’s like there’s something evolutionarily hardwired in my brain to make me still kinda generally repulsed by roaches
Great video, cockroaches are cool but I'm still glad I don't have to deal with them in the UK 😅 One of my science heroes is Jane Goodall and I got to speak to her once while at university; I was being taught about chimpanzee culture by one of her students! Incredible lady who also blazed a trail for female students and no doubt dealt with horrendous sexism in her day. So lucky to have had that opportunity.
Um...I hate to break it to you but I had a cockroach in my London hotel room a few years ago. You have them. 🪳🪳🪳
@@nian60🤣 right. People forget that the more WE travel the more THEY travel lmao. They've probably been to every part of the world by now lmao and to think all for free. Free travel, free housing, free food
I see these on roadkill all the time and they are amazing for cleaning up dead things like vultures do and are very important to ecological health .
Thanks for this very informative video.
I've always loved cockroaches. The hissing cockroach has to be a favourite. I got a chance to study them at an insect exhibit way back in '05
Roaches always make me think of that one Ray Bradbury short story where two god compete to create the ultimate life form. One creates human and the other creates roaches
I hate roaches even more now
So why did watch the video?? Oh wait you're troll I forgot smh
I used to hate roaches the first 20+ years of my life. but I loved reptiles. Crickets turned out to be very problematic to keep so I bit the bullet and got a dubia roach colony and over time learned to tolerate them. a couple years ago now I decided to get some hissing roaches as pets and just fell in love with the little guys. now anybtrace of fear or disgust I had is gone and Im actually going into the business of breeding exotic roaches!
I know now that they are amazing.
I still scream when I see one. ICKICKICK
if there is one cockroach there are a hundred cockroaches nearby
Madagascar hissing roaches are my fav. theyre so big!! and so cute. love them :3
I have two cockroach stories.
But first, I will say that I am (and always have been) fascinated with the insect world.
I respect cockroaches role in nature.
If they are outside in my yard, I just leave them alone.
If they come into the house, well, sorry to say, that's another story.
Then they are fair game!
Story #1 Until recently, what they call large "water bugs" down here in the South Eastern U.S....I didn't know that these shed their exoskeleton in order to grow.
I was out in my shed a month ago and saw something white and plump on the floor. When I went to investigate, I found that it was a deceased "water bug" that had died while only half way out of it exoskeleton. So, half its brown exoskeleton was still on it. Yet, it clearly had tried to shed the exoskeleton but only made it half way out, then died.
So, I had to Google it, because I didn't know "water bugs' shed their exoskeleton...But, sure enough, that's what Google said.
So, I thought that was pretty interesting, learning something about them that I had never known before.
Story # 2. This story is true, and to this day, I still believe that a cockroach tried to get back at me for spraying it with pest spray.
Years ago, I saw a "water bug" (a pretty big one) down here in my bedroom.
That's the worst place that I do NOT want to see them.
So, I grabbed a can of roach spray and went over and tried to spray the roach. It was on a t.v. stand.
When I sprayed it, it ran behind the t v. set.
So, I got down on my knees and got close to the t.v. to see where the darn thing went...I didn't want to lose it!
Well, all of a sudden, this roach came running out from behind the t.v. and took a flying leap off the t.v. stand directly at me!...at my face!
It absolutely felt intentional to me!
That roach took a leap of that t.v. stand RIGHT AT ME!!!!
RIGHT AT MY FACE!!!
It shocked me when it did that and I fell backwards, cause I didn't want it on me.
Needless to say, I was the one who won the battle that night.
But, I don't care what anyone says...no one will ever sway my belief...THAT ROACH INTENTIONALLY TRIED TO GET ME...There's just no other reason for it doing what it did.
That freaked me out!!!!!
So, there are my two roach stories.
I feel roaches are alot smarter than people think. I've felt they are intentional as well especially when trying to take over a home. I'm in NY and Im like a vampire hunter when it comes to them. I just think it's so rude to try and come live in someone else's home and on top of that have hundreds of kids and climb on their food etc they don't even try to stay out of the way 🤢
@@marie22213 😂😂😂
I love your sense of humor!
I'm like you, if they are inside, they'd better say their prayers, because they are about to meet their maker!
Best wishes to you in your bug battles! ☺️
Wow, I can't believe how beautiful some cockroaches are! I never really thought of them other than invading homes and apartments. They are an industrious, critical cockroach community in the wild. Just scary in our homes! Thank you for this informative video ♥🪳🪳🪳🪳🪳
I actually find roachies pretty cute li'l guys, and they don't have venom or a taste for human flesh as some other arthropods might, so I never quite got the panic they often cause, even though I do know they can be a bit of an inconvenience if they get into food. I remember stumbling on the instagram account of a cockroach breeder and being enraptured by all their glorious specimens - instant follow from me.
I guess really, they kind of suffer from a similar reputation as wasps, with many people seeing the sort they have unpleasant brushes with to be the only species - not every wasp is a sting-happy yellowjacket, and not every roach is a drain-climbing house roach, but I guess those who generally have no interest in the insect world only have those ones on their radar.
they do eat dead skin and hair though lol
Joe's Apartment has always been one of my favorite movies!!!
Im used to them,grew up in Louisiana and the flying American roaches were practically housemates!
When you love them, there's nothing you can do! They are just so beautiful :D
This is delightfully cheeky.
The mastery of the craft is clear. Keep inspiring us with amazing work!
That lady's 100% correct. It's the goddamn flying
Watching this because my daughter loves bugs and has roach pets. She's hoping to add different species and I have a phobia. I love this. These two scientists are so engaging. Thank you for this.
Really really cool!!!!!!! Reminded me of the movie Nausicaä !! The giant bugs and how they were part of an interlinked and interdependent ecossystem that helped to clean the larger-er ecossystem
I'm so glad we have people like you guys who love roaches too.
I love cockroaches! I think they're really sweet the way they interact with each other. Here in Australia, we have tonnes of different interesting cockroaches and seeing them always brightens my day. I do have a few of them in the house, but they're not doing any harm
Thank you for the fascinating info. Also thank you for the info about Dr. M Collins.
respect from australia.
Roaches are one of my absolute favorite bugs. I keep several species as pets and plan to expand deeper into it this year. :)
I have learned to love the roach. Thank you
great show!! Thank you
Great video! Thanks!!
love this channel 😍
The spotty cockroaches look surprisingly cute, like big black ladybugs.
I like some. I have hissers and dubia. They are awesome. My roaches will not eat crappy food. I feed vegetables and grains but if im short on food and try to feed a cheap cereal or something, they avoid it. Sometimes they will refuse. Nothing but the best for these bugs...
excellent presentation. eu...cool. very nice. 8th grade science teacher,mr brosius. enthusiastic and very kind.
0:32 I once found a banana roach among the bananas in the store here in Hungary, Europe. I brought her home and kept her in a jar. She laid an ootheca and had around a dozen babies. Unfortunately, I had no male and by the third generation they became too inbred I guess and died out, or contracted some pathogen. They were beautiful and chill and not threatening or disgusting at all.
I love cockroaches so much, they are so cute!!!
I really like roaches… I keep ‘woodies’ to feed my lizards, and find watching their behaviours really interesting and relaxing…
i feel like a bit of a hypocrite when i defend roaches bc im also scared of the household kind, but ill never stop doing it bc someones gotta remind people even things they dont like still matter
"You haven't met the right roach" 🪳 this chick is awesome
Excellent video
Fascinating information about roaches! I had no idea it was such a large and broad family, and no idea that termites were among them!
I am a black woman also considering getting a degree in entomology! What schools would you personally recommend?
Wonderful to hear! There are several great entomology departments in North America and across the globe-I went to Rutgers University and really enjoyed my experience there, but depending on your interest (applied entomology, systematics, ecology, etc.) certain departments may have the best faculty expertise to match your learning goals. If you are interested in find out more about the field, please check out the Entomological Society of America (entsoc.org), which can point you in the direction of research being done globally in entomology. Please also check out Entomologists of Color (entopoc.org), which provides memberships to entomological societies globally. - Jessica
@@pbsterra Thanks! I never heard of these organizations(I’m fairly new), I will check them out.
@@pbsterraI believe it's out of your league but do you know if Brazil has entomology schools?
I hate fleas. I never knew roaches had so many colors and shapes! That's really fascinating.
For me, it’s their particular combination of speed, squishiness, and twitchiness that make them uniquely unsettling.
And an odd shininess that makes them look almost wet.
I love them!!! Just not in my house…
Im sorry, but what was that about nitrigen fixing roaches!?!
Yup, you heard right! Bacteria in the hindgut of termites and some roaches allows them to supplement nitrogen shortages in their diet by fixing atmospheric nitrogen-basically, capturing nitrogen from the air and using it to make protein. - Dr. Jessica Ware
In San Diego the sewers were loaded with them. At night they’d creep out of the sewer into the streets and houses if they can. We used to call them “palmettos”. Sounds better than cockroach 🪳
My science hero is Marie Curie...no explanation needed.
This was so cool. I now have a new respect for roaches. 😮
Packed with information thanks! I didn't know termites switched from ant lineage!
I once ate a cockroach egg in a soup. it makes a loud pop in my mouth. 40 years later i still remember the horror.
Right on!
One interesting thing about termites is that there are some species who actually grow fungus, like leafcutter ants. One of my favorite youtubers, AntsCanada, has been trying for several years to found a colony of fungus growing termites. He has discovered that they are a lot more difficult to raise than ants. He also raises roaches, but mostly for ant food.
We loved roaches in college.
i love roaches
As an entomologist it always saddens me when whole major groups of insects (or any creature) are maligned because of a handful of species that humans have negative interactions with (through no fault of the animal either). Yellowjackets (which are awesome in their own right) representing all 100k+ species of wasps is another prime example (most wasps are parasitic, tiny, and don't sting!). I adore cockroaches as much as I adore any other insect, which is to say a whole darn lot! I wish people could appreciate or at least respect species for their intrinsic value, instead of entomologists having to justify why they should be allowed to live because of the things these animals can do for humans. It's one of the struggles as a science communicator. But anyways, cockroaches are lovely and I'm always delighted to see a wood roach while on a hike in the woods.
Had a teacher in high school that had two class pet roaches Cheech and Chong. They were hissing cockroaches. Jokers got loose my junior year. I'm pretty sure they populated the town
Roaches get the same deal as every other insect, as long as they're outside or living in my house but unseen and not doing damage, we're fine. But if they're visible or make themselves otherwise known, I must end you.
Thanks
I believe I fear roaches more than snakes and I’ve held a python by the head, body in my neck, tail in my hand 💀😂
Amazing. I love science
i love the Blattodea homies!!
“Maybe you haven’t found the right roach?”
But when I signed up for e roach I found the love of my life. Ain’t that right Susan?
“Ssss”
I love non pest roaches. They are so interesting. I've got two colonies of different hissers and I'm trying to establish an emerald roach colony.
I've never seen a piece of jewelry made in the shape of a cockroach.
I've seen: Dragonflies, Ladybugs, Butterflies, Frogs, and even Beetles.
But NEVER a cockroach.