About one percent of cockroach species are household pests. The other 99 percent live outdoors, mainly in tropical regions. With over 4,000 species, cockroaches can be found almost everywhere. In fact, to escape from cockroach territory, you would have to live in the arctic. My view of cockroaches has been permanently shaped by an experience I had as a volunteer at the Metro Washington Park Insect Zoo.
Volunteers handle a tropical species of cockroach, the Madagascar hissing cockroach, for the public.
The first time I held this cockroach was during my orientation as an insect zoo volunteer. I sat in the chair wondering what creature was going to emerge from the transportable plastic home. The curiosity overwhelmed me. The creature was taken from the transport case and set on my outstretched hands. Its body looked like polished wood with a deep brown coloration and the golden hue of honey.