Who let the (exotic) bugs in? Internet buyers

[fangsalot]

this is news from 2years ago but maybe some of you have never seen it http://www.tampabay.com/news/bizarre/article921344.ece

 

[ZephAmp]

Post 3 is golden.
Periplaneta americana came from Africa. Most of the other roaches in Florida came from South and Central America. (Pycnoscelus surinamensis, Panchlora nivea) Periplaneta australasiae came from... Well, you know .
The funny thing about the article is the dishfuls of errors it has; Lizards will eat anything, (just because they will, doesn't mean they should) roaches will infest houses, (the day Blaptica dubia infests a house is the day I die) and, to top it off, the statement that it's illegal to import roaches into Florida. (Only Gromphadorhina portentosa, no other species; not even its cousins who share the same genus name.) Besides, the worst another species of cockroach could do is... Eat some more dead leaves. Just like all the other Florida roaches do...

 

[zonbonzovi]

I always thought it strange that Floridians would buy roaches. I was there not long ago and it is not hard to find multiple species, native and not so native.

 

[Alejandro45]

keeping roaches in FL is like farming rodents you must follow strict rules and be responsible. It just does not make sense that I can keep venomous reptiles from the genus naja,dendroaspis, and bitis all of which would thrive in South FL.

 

[Louise E. Rothstein]

It makes no sense to ban Madagascar hissers,either-these totally wingless creatures are less "infestive" than human beings.