Madagascar hissing cockroaches invade Moscow's underground facilities

Passengers of the Moscow metro say that they can see large Madagascar cockroaches crawling on central metro stations

Entomologists are certain that the exotic insects appeared in Moscow owing to tourists' efforts: the damp and warm atmosphere of the Moscow metro turned out to be the perfect environment for the cockroaches to breed in. Spokespeople for the metro administration said, however, that they would soon launch a powerful system to disinfect train cars, tunnels and stations with the help of ultraviolet radiation.

Madagascar cockroaches were originally trying to hide in cellars. However, they could not face the competition with rats in cold underground corridors, until they made their way to the Moscow metro. Specialists say that the environment of the underground transportation system fits the exotic creates perfectly. The cockroaches may enjoy comfortable temperatures and humidity there all the year round. There are no problems with food either.

Passengers of the Moscow metro say that they can see large Madagascar cockroaches crawling on central metro stations, such as Pushkinskaya, Tverskaya, or Lubyanka. “Wingless insects can penetrate into underground facilities through numerous cracks and tracks that lead to the tunnels,” the chairman of the Moscow underground research center, Vadim Mikhailov said. “It is not easy to get rid of those insects. Russian-Madagascar cockroaches are more viable than our traditional cockroaches. Madagascar beetles do not transmit infections. They do not bite and are quite cleanly,” the specialist assured.

The Madagascar hissing cockroach is one of the largest cockroaches in the world. Adult species may often grow to the size of a mouse. The lifespan of these insects reaches 2.5 years. An adult Madagascar cockroach is a large beetle, about ten centimeters long. Madagascar cockroaches can be kept at home as exotic pets: they do not produce revolting smell. In addition, one can feed them to lizards and tarantulas, Newsru wrote.