While stereotypically considered a household pest that simply will not die, Hung Ting-yang’s (洪鼎揚) experience with Archimandrita tesselata, commonly called the peppered roach, might change a person’s mind.
The peppered roach originates in South America, is omnivorous and, as it is capable of growing to 7cm to 9cm long, is a giant compared with other roaches, which have an average length of about 4cm.
The peppered roach goes through six separate chrysalis stages and takes nine months to reach full maturity. Mature roaches have wings, but cannot fly and can only glide. They have an average lifespan of three years.
Photo: Lee Hui-chou, Taipei Times
As his parents were against letting him keep dogs or cats as a child, Hung said that he raised insects and has been infatuated with them ever since.
He was introduced to peppered roaches when he was visiting an exhibition overseas, Hung said.
“My first thought when seeing the roach was: ‘Cool!’” Hung said.
Hung said that he started looking up information about the roaches after returning to Taiwan, and after discovering that there were others in Taiwan who kept them as pets, he decided he would join them.
“Raising the peppered roach’s larvae is more like raising stag beetles. You observe their every little movement, arrange better environments for them and enjoy watching them become a chrysalis,” Hung said.
It is important to raise the roaches in a perpendicular case, or simulate an environment with trees, as gravity’s pull on the cocoon is an imperative step in the roach’s survival, he said.
The golden-flecked membranous wings of the peppered roach are beautiful when viewed under the light, Hung said.
He stressed that the owner must constantly monitor the humidity and temperature of their habitat, as Taiwan is hotter than their original habitat.
“I keep the air conditioner on all day,” Hung said, adding that the roaches find it difficult to escape, as they are unable to walk on smooth surfaces.
He said he is not concerned about the roaches breeding if they escape, as they have many natural enemies.
“I hope that more people will come to appreciate their beauty,” he added.
China has reserved offshore airspace in the Yellow Sea and East China Sea from March 27 to May 6, issuing alerts usually used to warn of military exercises, although no such exercises have been announced, the Wall Street Journal (WSJ) reported yesterday. Reserving such a large area for 40 days without explanation is an “unusual step,” as military exercises normally only last a few days, the paper said. These alerts, known as Notice to Air Missions (Notams), “are intended to inform pilots and aviation authorities of temporary airspace hazards or restrictions,” the article said. The airspace reserved in the alert is
More than 6,000 Taiwanese students have participated in exchange programs in China over the past two years, despite the Mainland Affairs Council’s (MAC) “orange light” travel advisory, government records showed. The MAC’s publicly available registry showed that Taiwanese college and university students who went on exchange programs across the Strait numbered 3,592 and 2,966 people respectively. The National Immigration Agency data revealed that 2,296 and 2,551 Chinese students visited Taiwan for study in the same two years. A review of the Web sites of publicly-run universities and colleges showed that Taiwanese higher education institutions continued to recruit students for Chinese educational programs without
A bipartisan group of US senators has introduced a bill to enhance cooperation with Taiwan on drone development and to reduce reliance on supply chains linked to China. The proposed Blue Skies for Taiwan Act of 2026 was introduced by Republican US senators Ted Cruz and John Curtis, and Democratic US senators Jeff Merkley and Andy Kim. The legislation seeks to ease constraints on Taiwan-US cooperation in uncrewed aerial systems (UAS), including dependence on China-sourced components, limited access to capital and regulatory barriers under US export controls, a news release issued by Cruz on Wednesday said. The bill would establish a "Blue UAS
The Republic of China Army Command yesterday relieved Kinmen Defense Battalion commander after authorities indicted the officer on charges connected to using methamphetamine. The Kinmen District Prosecutors’ Office on Wednesday detained Colonel He (何) after the Coast Guard linked him to drug shipments and proceeded to charge him yesterday for using and possessing crystal meth. The man was released on a NT$50,000 bail and banned from leaving Kinmen, the office said. Army Chief of Staff Lieutenant General Chen Chien-yi (陳建義) told a news conference yesterday that He has been removed and another officer is taking over the unit as the acting commander. The military
RSS