Cockroaches could plausibly endure the aftermath of a nuclear blast, but other insects would be better able to handle the task. 
 
 View Caption + #7: A spolight is exactly where a cockroach wouldn't want to be 
 
 A cockroach's defenses isn't always enough, as was the case with this roach when it encountered an emerald cockroach wasp. 
 
 The Madagascar hissing cockroach might seem large, but seem roach species are even bigger. 
 
 Even though a single cockroach might be easy to kill, there's no way to eradicate all of these insects. 
 
 The American cockroach (Periplaneta americana) is usually considered a pest, but in traditional Chinese medicine, they can be a sought-after commodity. 
 
 At least one million cockroaches have escaped a farm in China where they were being bred for use in traditional medicine, a report said. 
 
 Play Video Why Don't Cockroaches Die? Cockroaches are one of the most resilient creatures on this Earth. Find out why they are so hard to exterminate. Corbis Images 
 
 The cockroaches fled the facility in Dafeng, in the eastern province of Jiangsu, for surrounding cornfields earlier this month after an "unknown perpetrator" destroyed the plastic greenhouse where they were raised, the Modern Express newspaper said. 
 
 VIDEO: Why Don't Cockroaches Die? 
 
 Disease control authorities have sent five investigators to the area to come up with a plan to stamp out the insects. 
 
 Farm owner Wang Pengsheng invested more than 100,000 yuan ($16,000) in 102 kilograms of Periplaneta americana eggs after spending six months developing a business plan, the report Friday said. 
 
 The cockroach is generally considered a pest, but believers in traditional Chinese medicine -- which uses both plants and animals, including endangered species -- say extracts from it can treat diseases including cancer, reduce inflammation and improve immunity. 
 
 PHOTOS: Bugs Make Art 
 
 By the time the greenhouse was damaged, more than 1.5 million cockroaches had hatched and were being fed food including "fruits and biscuits" every day, Wang was quoted as saying. 
 
 He had expected to make around 1,000 yuan profit for every kilogram of cockroaches sold, according to the report, but was now facing losses of hundreds of thousands of yuan. ||||| Illustration. At least one million cockroaches have escaped a farm in China where they were being bred for use in traditional medicine, a report said. At least one million cockroaches have escaped a farm in China where they were being bred for use in traditional medicine, a report said. 
 
 The cockroaches fled the facility in Dafeng, in the eastern province of Jiangsu, for surrounding cornfields earlier this month after an "unknown perpetrator" destroyed the plastic greenhouse where they were raised, the Modern Express newspaper said. 
 
 Disease control authorities have sent five investigators to the area to come up with a plan to stamp out the insects. 
 
 Farm owner Wang Pengsheng invested more than 100,000 yuan ($16,000) in 102 kilograms of Periplaneta americana eggs after spending six months developing a business plan, the report Friday said. 
 
 The cockroach is generally considered a pest, but believers in traditional Chinese medicine—which uses both plants and animals, including endangered species—say extracts from it can treat diseases including cancer, reduce inflammation and improve immunity. 
 
 By the time the greenhouse was damaged, more than 1.5 million cockroaches had hatched and were being fed food including "fruits and biscuits" every day, Wang was quoted as saying. 
 
 He had expected to make around 1,000 yuan profit for every kilogram of cockroaches sold, according to the report, but was now facing losses of hundreds of thousands of yuan. 
 
 Explore further: Panda cub, mother reunited at Taiwan zoo ||||| Modern Express reports that one million cockroaches have escaped a nursery in Dafeng, Jiangsu province. One million cockroaches. One. Million. Cockroaches. 
 
 The incident occurred on August 20 when an "unknown perpetrator" destroyed a nursery used to breed the bugs for use in Chinese traditional medicine. Authorities from the Jiangsu Board of Health performed a "large-scale disinfection" of the area on August 22, and urged residents to stay calm. 
 
 A worker at the nursery described the one million figure as a "conservative estimate" of how many bugs had escaped. 
 
 So if you live in the Dafeng area, yes, that noise you hear right now is the sound of thousands upon thousands of cockroaches making their way towards you. 
 
 [Image via Wikipedia // Via: Chris Buckley // Obligatory "I for one..." reference]
– Roach motel proprietors take note: At least a million cockroaches are on the lam after escaping a greenhouse in China, where they are used so much in traditional medicine that roach-farming can be highly profitable, PhysOrg reports. The breakout apparently happened after an "unknown perpetrator" tampered with a greenhouse where 1.5 million of the bugs were kept, sending them into adjacent cornfields. Shanghaiist notes that Jiangsu province health officials carried out a "large-scale disinfection" of the area two days after the Aug. 20 breakout. Discovery News reports that the bug breeder spent $16,000 purchasing the eggs, and was feeding them a daily diet of "fruits and biscuits" at the time of their escape. His expected profit for his troubles? A hair over $70 per pound of cockroach. (The US is dealing with a different kind of bug invasion.)