Any true Floridian knows that it’s not a question of if you’ll ever have to squish a cockroach with a shoe, it’s a question of when. And now, apparently, there’s a new species to splatter with whatever inanimate object is nearby.
It’s called a pale-bordered field cockroach and its name aptly describes its appearance. According to Tampa Bay Times environmental reporter Craig Pittman, the roach looks like a “chocolate-covered skateboard with a snazzy tan trim and a ruby-like jewel set in its leading edge.”
The guy who found it said it was pretty. The rest of Florida just says “eeek” and runs away screaming. Bug loathers from the Atlantic to the Gulf Coast are gearing up for extra nightmares now that there’s an extra bug.
But, before you go running for a shoe in preparation for some extra roach thumping, keep in mind this new buggy prefers the outdoors so it may not wind up crawling through your kitchen or, gulp, your bedroom.
And according to Pitman, the little dudes are actually good for the environment outside. The pale-bordered field cockroach, or Pseudomops septentrionalis, aids in the decomposition process – the “insect version of buzzards.”
The man who discovered the new-to-Florida roach is Marc C. Minno, a Florida entomologist. According to him, the insect may have been pushed north as a result of rising temperatures.
In any case, for those of us who are not bug-lovers, a new species of cockroach is never good news.
