Get Roached! Maltese Naturalist Arnold Sciberras Is Writing ‘The Bible Of The World’s Cockroaches’
How much do you know about cockroaches? How much do you want to know about cockroaches? Well, if there’s anything you’ve ever wanted to know about them, one Maltese naturalist loves them so much, he’s going to document it all. And yes, he really does mean all.
Malta is no stranger to Arnold Sciberras, the local pest controller and entomologist who can hold a very informed conversation about everything from bedbugs to lions. Now, he’s embarked on an exciting project which he started when he was only eight years old… and of course, it’s connected to the critters he fell in love with in the first place.
In an interview with Lovin Malta a couple of years ago, Arnold had said his love for cockroaches started when he was just five years old, feeding them scraps of bread in his grandmother’s kitchen. Since then, he definitely hasn’t looked back, and is now sitting on a mountain of a data on the immense biodiversity that surrounds us.
So how do you go about consolidating a vast knowledge like that? By writing a book, of course!
“Get Roached has been in the pipeline for many years,” Arnold told Lovin Malta of his upcoming project. “Finally, after more than three decades of data, this year it’s all in its final stages.”
Arnold has already been published extensively in the subject of cockroaches, even finding numerous species around the world. Many were firsts for Malta, and some were even new to science in general.
“After all this work, I now want to share this incredible world with the general public,” he smiles. “And of course, a special focus will be attributed to the Maltese community.”
Perhaps one of Arnold’s biggest paradoxes is that he’s a pest controller profession, because you won’t find anyone who loves cockroaches as much as he does.
“I hold an admiration for these so-called invincible species, and actually, only a few of them are actually pest species,” Arnold clarifies. “That handful of pests leaves an awfully bad reputation on the majority of rare, colourful, beneficial, vulnerable and ecologically important species of cockroaches. In fact, only a handful of the 4,600 different cockroach species can genuinely be regarded as pest species.”
Arnold’s book will be looking at cockroaches in a number of different ways, from listing down all the different species to a novel look at their mentions in pop culture. But at the very forefront of it all is the focus on it being reader (and community) friendly.
“I want to collect anything related to them, including any personal stories, observations… anything I can my hands on, really!” he explains. “In fact, I’m asking for any kind of contributions the public can give us through their experiences.”
“Any interesting stories – whether serious or funny – might even be selected for a chapter in the book,” Arnold went on, going on to say participants will also be entering a scheme to win a Do It Yourself pest control kit by his Exterminator service. “All those who have their contributions selected will also get a free copy of the book, of course,” he added.
“At the end of the day, I want to make the book for the general people,” the young naturalist finished, saying anyone who wanted any more information on the project can call on 21436820 and 99887950.
Would you want to own a “cockroach Bible”?
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