A sharing by Ling Sing Lin
Some of you may remember this line from the 1994 Singapore’s first English drama serial Masters of the Sea, said with vengeance by actress Margaret Chan.
No Love Lost
Like most people, I hate cockroaches. I would stamp on them and snuff out their lives and entrails.
So it was surprising that many years back when I was on vacation leave and booked a government chalet (civil servants have that perk), where for some reason I decided I was calm and chill, and was not going to kill any cockroaches I would come across.
I was in the toilet on the throne, and a cockroach which apparently could read my mind, approached me. He just sat there, cocked his head, and looked at me with his beady eyes. I just sat on the throne and looked back at him. No chase with my slipper as a weapon. That lucky cockroach got to live another day or days.
Do vermin have a role?
At a high tea with a group of friends, who helped to keep this blog alive with their writings, we talked about whether mosquitoes had any value in the ecosystem. As typical self centered humans, we all regarded mosquitoes as disease-bearing insects and a nuisance besides with their bites. I informed them of the role of mosquitoes in the ecosystem, as I had recently written a blogpost on it. See http://slap! Yay, I killed a mosquito. So that was how this blogpost was born. Another pesky insect.
Cockroaches’ Role
Besides being a food source for other living creatures, cockroaches have a significant role in the ecosystem. Forest roaches consume leaf litter and other plant materials. The microbes in their bellies help them break down the degrading plant material into easily absorbed nutrients. Cockroaches are professional recyclers, eating just about anything, including dead plants and animals and animal waste. In the wild, the waste of roaches nourishes growing plants, continuing the cycle.
The US has 55 species of cockroaches of which only 12 prefer human dwellings. The rest live outside without bugging us.
People around the world eat insects on a regular basis, and this includes cockroaches. In fact, cockroaches are farmed as an inexpensive protein source, and eaten boiled, fried and deep fried.
When I was in the US recently visiting my elder daughter and her family, she discovered to her horror a dead cockroach amongst her laundered clothes in the clothes dryer. Mum, do I have to rewash all the clothes? Nah, this cockroach is clean enough to eat! Was my nonchalant reply.
lingsinglin
Dr Ling Sing Lin is a medical doctor by training. She worked in MOH HQ for many years, in policy making and administrative positions, until her retirement.
