You Wish You Had Mites Like This Hissing Cockroach Deep Look

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Not all roaches are filthy. The Madagascar hissing cockroach actually makes a pretty sweet pet, thanks to the hungry mites that serve as its cleaning crew. Check out Antarctic Extremes on PBS Terra: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EvRAuy1ZmTc SUBSCRIBE to Deep Look! http://goo.gl/8NwXqt DEEP LOOK is a ultra-HD (4K) short video series created by KQED San Francisco and presented by PBS Digital Studios. See the unseen at the very edge of our visible world. Explore big scientific mysteries by going incredibly small. --- As the weather starts to warm and cold days give way to balmier, sunny days, one rite of spring returns every year, just like spring flowers: cockroaches. Most people run to buy a can of bug spray or to call the exterminator when they see the scurrying little insects in their kitchens or outside their homes. But not all roaches are pests. Some are pets – like the Madagascar hissing cockroach. They can be bought at pet stores or online for $5 or less. They don’t bite and don’t carry diseases. They are also much larger than the run-of-the-mill roach, with adults averaging about 3 inches long. They live up to five years. They are slow-moving and mellow – kind of like an old tabby cat. But with antennae. And an appetite for fresh vegetables. ---+ Read the entire article on KQED Science: https://www.kqed.org/science/1955611/you-wish-you-had-mites-like-this-hissing-cockroach --- Why do the cockroaches hiss? They’ll hiss when they’re sounding an alarm or startled, trying to attract a mate or protecting their territory from another male. --- Are the mites harmful to the cockroaches? No – they actually help prolong the cockroaches’ lives. --- What happens to the mites if its host cockroach dies? The mites will mate, give birth to their young and feed on the same cockroach their entire lives – so they’ll usually die within a few days after the cockroach dies, too, and not seek a new home. ---+ For more information: UC Davis Bohart Museum of Entomology http://bohart.ucdavis.edu/ ---+ More Great Deep Look episodes: It’s a Bug’s Life: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLdKlciEDdCQA1MVDuyxZPVloYV3wpunMO ---+ Shoutout! 🏆Congratulations 🏆to the following fans on our YouTube community tab who correctly identified the creature from a past episode most closely related to cockroaches - the termite! Keroro407 John Marvin Accad Battledroid0521 Tiny Stash Jeanne Cabral Termites are basically social roaches. More info: https://gizmodo.com/termites-are-finally-being-recognized-for-what-they-rea-1823437375 ---+ Thank you to our Top Patreon Supporters ($10+ per month)! Amber Miller Aurora Aurora Mitchell Bethany Bill Cass Blanca Vides Burt Humburg Caitlin McDonough Carlos Carrasco Chris B Emrick Chris Murphy Cindy McGill Companion Cube Daisuke Goto Daniel Weinstein David Deshpande Dean Skoglund Edwin Rivas Egg-Roll Elizabeth Ann Ditz Geidi Rodriguez Gerardo Alfaro Guillaume Morin Jane Orbuch Joao Ascensao johanna reis John King Johnnyonnyful Josh Kuroda Joshua Murallon Robertson Justin Bull Kallie Moore Karen Reynolds Katherine Schick Kathleen R Jaroma Kendall Rasmussen Kristy Freeman KW Kyle Fisher Laura Sanborn Laurel Przybylski Leonhardt Wille Levi Cai Louis O'Neill luna Mary Truland monoirre Natalie Banach Nathan Wright Nicolette Ray Nikita Noreen Herrington Osbaldo Olvera Pamela Parker Richard Shalumov Rick Wong Robert Amling Robert Warner Roberta K Wright Sarah Khalida Mohamad Sayantan Dasgupta Shelley Pearson Cranshaw Silvan Wendland Sonia Tanlimco SueEllen McCann Supernovabetty Syniurge Tea Torvinen TierZoo Titania Juang Trae Wright Two Box Fish WhatzGames ---+ Follow KQED Science and Deep Look: Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/deeplook Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kqedscience/ Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/kqedscience KQED Science on kqed.org: http://www.kqed.org/science Facebook Watch: https://www.facebook.com/DeepLookPBS/ ---+ About KQED KQED, an NPR and PBS affiliate in San Francisco, CA, serves Northern California and beyond with a public-supported alternative to commercial TV, Radio and web media. Funding for Deep Look is provided in part by PBS Digital Studios. Deep Look is a project of KQED Science, the largest science and environment reporting unit in California. KQED Science is supported by The National Science Foundation, the Dirk and Charlene Kabcenell Foundation, the Vadasz Family Foundation, the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation, Campaign 21 and the members of KQED. #hissingcockroaches #insect #deeplook

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