Farting Cockroaches?!

Recently we went home for my husband's grandfather's 80th Birthday party and had the opportunity to visit with family and friends that we don't get to see very often. It was great!

One evening, Aunt Kathi, Uncle Lonnie and I were discussing different ways to kill outdoor pests. Example: Slugs like beer, just stick a can outside and they'll crawl in and drown or pour salt on them and they'll dissolve. And all of a sudden the discussion takes a very intellectual turn!

April: I saw a GIGANTIC cockroach outside the other day! (everything is gigantic in TX, you should see the mosquitos!)

Uncle Lonnie: (smirking) Just pour baking soda on the ground. They'll eat it and die because the sodium bicarbonate causes a build up of gas and cockroaches can't fart so they explode.

April: (pause) Are you serious? (starting to laugh) They just go boom! (laughing now)

Uncle Lonnie: (laughing) Yes they explode!

April: You know this is great material for my blog. No seriously! I'm going to blog about this! =D

So I Googled "Do cockroaches fart?"! Here is what I found on one site: "Cockroaches are among the biggest contributors to global warming, since they break wind every fifteen minutes. Furthermore, they continue to release methane gas for eighteen hours after they die."

And on another site: “Insect flatulence may account for one-fifth of all the methane emissions on this planet. (Termites are also prodigious farters; indeed, dogs trained to sniff out termites are actually following their farts.) Cockroaches are among the biggest contributors to global warming, since they break wind every fifteen minutes. Furthermore, they continue to release methane gas for eighteen hours after they die.”

Seriously?!?!?!

How do people know that cockroaches fart?! Do they put their ears right up to the little suckers backsides and listen for one?! Eww Eww Eww!

So I guess Uncle Lonnie was wrong! I guess you just have to step on them!

Save the planet! Kill a farting cockroach!