1/28/2023: The joys of keeping cockroaches

by Kyle Kandilian · January 28, 2023

Wrapping up a series of photos I took while patrolling the bug room at night with child-like bliss, I’d like to wax poetic on the emotional joys of keeping roaches.

Unlike most of the other invertebrates I keep, observing a cockroach colony at night truly brings unrivaled joy. There’s something about seeing so many cool insects in one place feeding, interacting, or just hanging out that just can’t be beat. Even though isopods and beetle colonies have a similar vibe, they just really don’t compete with the color and texture palette provided by a big roach colony clamoring over a piece of a fruit or arranged with tantalizing geometric spacing over a piece of bark or wood.

This is really what initially got me into roach keeping: seeing a colony grow over time and reach the point that it almost looks like a tiny civilization. There is something very emotionally rewarding about seeing your colony at its best and at its peak time, and I would encourage those on the fence about roach keeping to romanticize this idea to help them take the plunge.

This picture epitomizes the wonders of roachkeeping, portrayed in the casual frenzy of different life stages eager to get at some premium frontage on a freshly added apple.

-Kyle