Well, today is a sad day. I found my giant male roach dead on the bottom of his cage. Poor Mr. Darcy… I had him almost 3 years, and he was an adult when I got him, so he had a good, long life. I never expected to enjoy my roaches as well as I do, especially since the only reason I have them is because a student dumped them with me at the end of a semester, but I really enjoyed Mr. Darcy. He was one charismatic little insect and I’m sad that he’s gone. Who knew I could get so attached to a bug!
So rest in peace Mr. Darcy. I will miss your angry, loud hissing that I could hear three rooms away. I’ll miss how you pushed your young ones around and dominated the log in your cage. I’ll miss taking you to classrooms where you distracted the kids by loudly and viciously attacking the other roaches in the cage. I’ll miss how you hissed at me every time I got your cage out to add water, dog food, and veggies and when I poked you a little every now and again just because I knew it would annoy you. You were a good roach. The best roach.
Mr. Darcy
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The Dragonfly Woman 
My condolences. I always enjoy the stories about your roaches; my stepson had some for a while, and they were surprisingly engaging.
Thanks. I’m not as sad as I would be if I lost my dogs or anything, but I’m still pretty bummed about it. Mr. Darcy was quite the character and I’m sad he’s gone.
a very nice photo,what did you use?
Thanks! I used a Nikon D80 with an AF-S VR Micro-NIKKOR 105mm f/2.8G IF-ED lens and the R1 closeup speedlight system with 2 flashes.
Sorry about your loss . . . I know what great teaching assistants Hissing Cockroaches are (I traveled with a bunch of them doing science outreach and they were a hit with kids every time).
Kids do love hissers. I actually only got to know my roaches a few semesters ago when I was helping lead a program aimed at teaching science and doing outreach programs every week. Handling them constantly and working with them helped me realize what cool animals they actually are.
Awwww. :( Sorry to hear.
Thanks. It’s always sad to lose a pet, even if it’s just a big bug.
That is the best obituary I have ever read about a roach, in fact, I think it’s the only one… I feel like composing a hissing requiem for Mr. Darcy. R.I.P.
I’m sure he would have appreciated a hissing requiem. Might have even joined in!
LOL! :-D (forte)
HISSSS, HIIIISSSSSSSS, HIIISSSSSSSSSSS!!!
Ha ha! Love it.
He sounds like quite a roach! They are great ambassador insects, and it sounds like he was even more engaging than most. Great tribute. RIP, Mr. Darcy.
Yeah, Mr. Darcy was a fun roach, very full of piss and vinegar and personality. And they do make excellent ambassadors. Big enough to actually feel like you’re holding something worth keeping alive, but still very insect-like. I really love taking them to classes! The kids LOVE them. Well, the ones that don’t shriek in horror and back away as fast as they can. Everyone else loves them.
Oh dear, you are a most extraordinary girl.. i am guessing you have never been afraid of cockroaches then, The insects i really love are the stick insects we have in NZ, they are amazing. c
No, roaches really don’t bother me. I feel like they should as even most entomologists I know aren’t very fond of them, but I’ve never been squeamish of them – any of them! And I can see why you’d like the stick insects in your area. They’re spectacular from the photos I’ve seen! I hope to see one in person someday.
:(
a sad day in hiss-story. RIP mr. darcy.
Is it bad that I laughed a little about “hiss-story?” Thanks for making me laugh!
There aren’t many animals that outlive humans. It is always a sad reminder of this fact when we lose one of the small folk we’ve grown attached to.
Mr. Darcy touched more lives than most cockroaches could ever dream of.
True. He was beloved by many small children.
Awww rest in peace Mr. Darcy! What a charming name for such a charming roach. What a beautiful photo you took of him :)
Thank you! He was a charming roach, and he has a personality that fit his namesake quite well.
What a good post! I’m glad you shared.
Nancy
I’m glad you liked it.