While some, like me, believe cockroaches are a vile menace that should be exterminated with extreme prejudice, others actually believe it’s their duty to make more of them and then sell them for a major profit.
According to Australia’s Department of Climate Change, Energy, Environment and Water, that enthusiasm has grown into a thriving exotic cockroach breeding scene and underground market, as demonstrated by the country’s largest-ever seizure of exotic invertebrates.
The Associated Press reports that Australian Authorities recently confiscated more than 100,000 live cockroaches from a commercial breeder in Bathurst, New South Wales. Primarily Madagascar hissing cockroaches and dubia cockroaches, the gross haul was valued at roughly AU$200,000, or about US$142,000.
Officials in Australia Just Seized 100,000 Illegal Live Cockroaches Worth $142,000, and Apparently That’s a Business
Bet you didn’t know, or maybe didn’t care to know, that cockroaches are huge in the exotic insects trade. Certain species have become hugely popular among reptile owners, insect collectors, and breeders, with the Madagascar hissing cockroach in particular prized for being just so big and disgusting.
As someone who, as you may have guessed by now, truly despises cockroaches and has had far too many run-ins with big, fat, juicy ones that fly, I conducted some independent research to try to figure out why cockroaches are so big in the exotic insect black market. The only thing I could find is this 2019 National Geographic article in which the author spoke to a SoCal reptile shop owner who said they make “great pets.”
I sincerely doubt that, but okay. Some people like a cute, cuddly dog that can play fetch and snuggle. Others, like an alien, scream at them. Different strokes, I guess.
That said, Australian officials think many of the confiscated roaches were likely destined for the reptile food market, with their horrifying size making them a nice, big, efficient meal for lizards and other exotic pets. Madagascar hissing cockroaches and Dubai cockroaches are illegal to import, keep, breed, or sell in Australia to prevent invasive species from damaging wildlife and ecosystems.
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