Richard Collins: 250-year-old cockroach mystery solved 

The German cockroach is of special interest to science — mystery surrounds its origins. No population has even been found living outside of a man-made structure. Where did it come from and who were its wild ancestors?

There are about 3,500 cockroach species, living mostly in the warmer parts of the world. Two of them are relatively common in Ireland —  one is known as the ’German’ cockroach, a flat oval-shaped yellow-brown creature up to 14mm from nose to tail, with long swept-back antennas

Cockroaches, the rats of the insect world, are among the most loathed of wild creatures. Dirty food-processing plants, and seedy restaurants, with their greasy cookers are these scavengers’ Disneyland. Their name comes from the Spanish ‘cucaracha’, meaning ‘crazy bug’.

In Vietnam’s humid town Hoi An, giant cockroaches flew around at night, crashing into street lights and falling on people. You had to disentangle the writhing monsters, as big as wrens, from hair and clothing in the steamy darkness. They can bite, I was told, but I wasn’t bitten. Most cockroaches can fly, but they prefer to scurry around on their six hairy legs.