A 32 year old man recently died after eating live cockroaches during a contest to win a snake.
The store, which sells reptiles, promoted the contest for days on its popular Facebook page and was offering a prize of an “ivory ball python” to the winner.
Participants competed in several different rounds with different insects. The last contest involved eating the roaches, which were 3 or 4 inches long. The winner ate 60 grams of meal worms, 35 three inch long super worms and part of a bucket of roaches.
The 32-year old won the contest but was nowhere to be seen afterwards. The announcer told the audience that the winner was vomiting somewhere and that they would congratulate him when he returned.
According to the Broward County Sheriff’s Office, the winner collapsed in front of the store. He was taken to a hospital where he was pronounced dead. Authorities are awaiting the autopsy results to determine the cause of death.
Experts are puzzled by the man’s death.
“We know cockroaches shed a lot of allergens, but they are not toxic in and of themselves,” Bill Kern, a professor of entomology at the University of Florida, told the Miami Herald. “Very few (human) cultures tend to eat cockroaches because they store large amounts of uric acid and nitrogenous waste. And they tend to be scavengers and feed on things most people wouldn’t consider to be desirable.”
Mike Tringale, vice president of external affairs at the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America, told the Associated Press it’s possible that the winner “hit his tolerance level to cockroach allergens” and went into anaphylactic shock.
The winner’s death has caused officials at Six Flags Great America in Chicago to review whether to continue with its “Friday Night Feast”, a contest they hold weekly that invites guests to eat five Madagascar hissing cockroaches.
“We were sorry to learn about the unfortunate incident at the reptile store in Florida and our hearts go out to the gentlemen’s friends and family”, park officials said, according to the Sun-Times. “We are confident our eating contests are safe as the insects we use are raised specifically for human consumption. Insects are considered a delicacy in many cultures; however, even though this appears to be an isolated incident, we are reviewing the eating contests at our parks to ensure we maintain a safe environment for our guests.”
“Termite” Terry says that contests like this may be fun, but he doesn’t recommend it because of the potential risks. He suggested that it might be better to consider holding a hot dog, pancake or pie eating contest, instead.
“Termite Terry” also wanted to remind parents that this man’s death should be a reminder to parents that they should try and keep their homes pest-free. He said, “You know how kids are; They always put everything in their mouths and the last thing you want your kids to be doing is eating crickets, spiders or roaches. That is why an effective pest control program is so important for young families.”
Do you have an insect problem at your home? Do you have kids crawling on the floor and putting everything in their mouths? If so, you need to call us at (949) 631-7348 or use our online order form and ask for a FREE Pest Audit. This audit will give you a lot of valuable information and you’ll learn how you can provide your family with a safer environment!
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