Atticus Posted October 11, 2006 Share Posted October 11, 2006 I am 34 years old. I grew up in Houston, Texas. One doing so will inevitably encounter cockroaches. Here's a pic for those of you who are fortunate enough not to have to deal with these stealthy and determined survivors: When I was young I was taught to hunt and fish, and in doing so I encountered many kinds of what we would refer to as "critters," ranging from harmless sorts such as worms, lizards, grasshoppers, doodlebugs and mantises, to the creepier sorts (at least to a child) such as scorpions, snakes and tarantulas. I've handled snakes and spiders and worms, and other little ones I'm sure I'm forgetting. But as I sit on my patio at home playing geetar and having a few beers and probably annoying the neighbors in general, if one of these little cockroaches so much as blinks near the wife and me, we seem to launch into a state of panic akin to the news that a tornado is down the street. We scurry, we find sprays and spray them, we may even beat the poor creature into a pulp, just to insure certain death. This makes no sense, and I've decided to try and attack this apparent phobia. I'm not alone in this eccentricity--it appears that there is a large number of folks who just can't stand these prehistoric terrors, who pose absolutely no immediate threat to our safety (unless, of course, they are invading us like I'm told every 5 seconds on AM radio the "hispanics" are doing). What gives? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
caliber66 Posted October 11, 2006 Share Posted October 11, 2006 Explanation: You're a pussy.Recourse: Grow some balls. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Sir Stewart Posted October 11, 2006 Share Posted October 11, 2006 I killed one of those fuckers yesterday here at work. It was the length of my index finger. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
jhc Posted October 11, 2006 Share Posted October 11, 2006 doodlebugs Do they hit you with a nickel bag? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
deepseacatfish Posted October 11, 2006 Share Posted October 11, 2006 Explanation: You're a pussy.Recourse: Grow some balls. Cockroaches are a pain in the ass, no matter how hard you try you will never get rid of them. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Atticus Posted October 11, 2006 Author Share Posted October 11, 2006 Explanation: You're a pussy. pinched. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
caliber66 Posted October 11, 2006 Share Posted October 11, 2006 Explanation: You're a pussy.Recourse: Grow some balls. Okay, seriously. I'll come down there and kill your cockroaches if you'll come up to Providence and clear the basement of the ghosts that walk up behind me on the stairs when I'm getting the laundry. Even trade. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Albert Tatlock Posted October 11, 2006 Share Posted October 11, 2006 I've eaten fried grasshoppers (not bad, but legs get stuck between the teeth). Maybe imagine them more as a food resource. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Sir Stewart Posted October 11, 2006 Share Posted October 11, 2006 Okay, seriously. I'll come down there and kill your cockroaches if you'll come up to Providence and clear the basement of the ghosts that walk up behind me on the stairs when I'm getting the laundry. Even trade.I'm starting a new thread based on this post if you're not kidding about teh ghosts. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Atticus Posted October 11, 2006 Author Share Posted October 11, 2006 Okay, seriously. I'll come down there and kill your cockroaches if you'll come up to Providence and clear the basement of the ghosts that walk up behind me on the stairs when I'm getting the laundry. Even trade. the thing is, we really don't have many of them. I don't think I've seen one in the apartment in ages. I just know that wherever I am, when I encounter one of these little bugs, I seem to react as though a giant bear were loose from the zoo... Quote Link to post Share on other sites
caliber66 Posted October 11, 2006 Share Posted October 11, 2006 I'm starting a new thread based on this post if you're not kidding about teh ghosts. I'm kidding, but I'm not. I'm seriously on the verge of a heart attack when I'm down there, and the way the stairs creak and shift, it sounds like someone's walking up behind you, but when you turn around THERE'S NOBODY THERE. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Atticus Posted October 11, 2006 Author Share Posted October 11, 2006 maybe I should enlist the help of PETA: Cockroach eating contest bugs animal group Quote Link to post Share on other sites
MrRain422 Posted October 11, 2006 Share Posted October 11, 2006 Cockroaches are gross and they live forever. Fearing them seems reasonable. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Pocahontas Posted October 11, 2006 Share Posted October 11, 2006 Cockroaches are gross and they live forever. Fearing them seems reasonable. I agree with ya, those little bastards are one of the hardest things to kill, they never want to die. When I see one I just cringe. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Edie Posted October 11, 2006 Share Posted October 11, 2006 We have water bugs in our building and I live in fear. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Sir Stewart Posted October 11, 2006 Share Posted October 11, 2006 We have water bugs in our building and I live in fear.Are they different from cockroaches? My boss was trying to convince us the cockroach in the sink yesterday (which looked exactly like the pic at the top of this thread) was actually a waterbug. I thought he was bullshitting. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
watch me fall Posted October 11, 2006 Share Posted October 11, 2006 We call them palmetto bugs around here. I especially hate the flying ones but none of them can be stopped. I get my house sprayed on a quarterly basis and still see some around. Well no wonder. From Wikipedia: The cockroach is also one of the hardiest insects on the planet, capable of living for a month without food and remaining alive headless for up to a week. It can also hold its breath for 45 minutes and has the ability to slow down its heart rate. Cockroaches are notoriously hardy animals. Radiologists have found that humans can safely withstand a one-time exposure of 5 rems (A "rem" is the dosage of radiation that will cause a specific, measured amount of injury to human tissue). A lethal dose is 800 rems or more (people are exposed to about 16 rems during their lifetime). The lethal dose for the American cockroach is 67,500 rems and for the German cockroach it is between 90,000 and 105,000 rems [5]. In addition, cockroaches can survive on very little; it has been discovered that cockroaches will eat the glue off of the back of stamps! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Edie Posted October 11, 2006 Share Posted October 11, 2006 Are they different from cockroaches? My boss was trying to convince us the cockroach in the sink yesterday (which looked exactly like the pic at the top of this thread) was actually a waterbug. I thought he was bullshitting. They are a larger form of roach that seems to live primarily in pipes etc. They do not seem to climb so they do not infest kitchen cabinets etc. I occasionally see one dashing across the floor, so they are not ghosts. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Atticus Posted October 11, 2006 Author Share Posted October 11, 2006 I occasionally see one dashing across the floor, so they are not ghosts. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Edie Posted October 11, 2006 Share Posted October 11, 2006 basic image: Quote Link to post Share on other sites
darkstar Posted October 11, 2006 Share Posted October 11, 2006 I would guess most people are scared of roaches is because they are equated with nastiness. For example you always see roach infested places on the news or in movies, etc. They make you think of filth and squalor. Myself...I hate the little fuckers. I never saw one in my life until I moved down south. (There are some serioulsy LARGE ones in Florida that fly...and have attitudes). A good way to kill them is to spray them with BrakeClean (it's a product you can get at auto supply stores, used to clean and degrease parts) one good blast of that and they almost instantly dry up and croak. Seriously...there is something in that stuff that penetrates into them and just kills 'em flat. It's actually kind of fun to do so (in a sick way) but whatever....I used to burn ants with a magnifying glass when I was a kid so there ya have it. I know a lot of people don't want to kill even bugs but I'm higher up on the food chain so fuck 'em.......I have declared war on all bugs I see that get into my place. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Elixir Sue Posted October 11, 2006 Share Posted October 11, 2006 whatdisay, that's how I am with spiders. Last night there was one in the shower, and since I was the only person home I had to "sack up" and kill it myself. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
jenbobblehead Posted October 11, 2006 Share Posted October 11, 2006 Okay, seriously. I'll come down there and kill your cockroaches if you'll come up to Providence and clear the basement of the ghosts that walk up behind me on the stairs when I'm getting the laundry. Even trade.dude that wasn't a ghost. that was a RAT!!!! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Saint Genevieve Posted October 11, 2006 Share Posted October 11, 2006 When I moved to Texas, I was absolutely astounded at how big these fuckers get. Soon my apartment became a battleground as I stalked and killed an insect escapee from "Jurassic Park" nearly every day. I found out that you can't just whack them, because they can flatten their bodies and slide out from under whatever heavy lourde you drop on them. You have to sort of... smear them. Anyway, just remember that you're bigger and smarter than they are, even though their species will outlast yours. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Sir Stewart Posted October 11, 2006 Share Posted October 11, 2006 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
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