A cockroach appeared from bean-jam pancake
Aug.13,1998. M.Sekine
The cockroach, belonging to the order Blatteria, was on earth for millions
of years before man. Cockroaches can be found throughout every habitat of
the earth, but most of them live in the tropics. Australian cockroach, Periplaneta
australasiae, is reddish brown with
narrow pale yellow margins on the base of the wings. The yellow
color is more prominent in the top parts of the prothorax ; here the basic
reddish brown shows as two dark round spots. This species started its wanderings
from its native Malaysia and is now found in many places. In Japan, Periplaneta
australasiae is found in Ogasawara Islands and Ryukyu Islands.
In 1981, a dead Australian cockroach appeared from a loaf of a bean-jam
pancake baked in Kobe. The bread and buns we eat are made in big plants.
Japanese bakeries import tremendous amount of ingredients for the bread
and other bakery products from foreign countries. Bakeries import autoclaved
azuki beans from Taiwan. Perhaps, a cockroach, Periplaneta australasiae,
was carried into Kobe from Taiwan by accident.