Asian Cockroaches to Combat Cotton Pests

Cockroaches are usually deemed as a terrible pest, with no beneficial qualities whatsoever. But little do people know; less than two percent of the total cockroach species actually infests urban habitats. A particular cockroach species from Asia could even help south and mid-US farmers combat cotton pests. Researchers from the US Agricultural Research Service (ARS) are looking into using the Asian cockroach Blattella asahinai, to control lepidopteran pests like the cotton bollworm and the beet armyworm. The cockroach feeds on lepidopteran eggs. Large number of the species — up to 100 or more per square meter — was observed in several soybean fields in Texas, yet it causes no damage on the crops. Since there is a risk, as with the other biological control strategies, of the cockroach being an invasive species, scientists are further studying the ecology and reproductive behavior of Blattella. 

Read the press release at  http://www.ars.usda.gov/is/AR/archive/jan08/roaches0108.htm