The demand for using cockroaches in the production of medicine, cosmetics, and animal feed has attracted many farmers and businesses to establish cockroach farms.
The large-scale cockroach farming industry is booming in China. Currently, there are hundreds of cockroach farms in the country, with the total number of farmed cockroaches exceeding the global population. These cockroaches are primarily used for the production of medicines and cosmetics, or as animal feed.
Gooddoctor’s high-tech cockroach farm. (Photo: SCMP)
In 2018, the Chinese pharmaceutical company Gooddoctor reported revenue of $684 million from the sale of cockroach-based medicines, which are used annually by thousands of hospitals and millions of patients to treat respiratory ailments, stomach issues, and various other diseases. However, the use of cockroaches in China is not limited to the pharmaceutical and beauty industries. This protein-rich insect is also processed and used as organic meat in poultry farms, helping to manage food waste and included in special menus at some restaurants.
Cockroach farming is a lucrative business in China. Unlike traditional animal farming, the cost of building a small cockroach farm is very low and requires minimal resources. Furthermore, cockroaches reproduce very quickly. For example, in just one year, a German cockroach and its offspring can produce an additional 300,000 cockroaches. They also rarely get sick and do not have special dietary requirements. Cockroaches can thrive on available food waste. “I once thought about raising pigs, but with traditional farming, the profit margins are very low. With cockroaches, you can invest 20 yuan and earn back 150 yuan,” said Wang Fuming, one of the largest cockroach producers in China.
The world’s largest cockroach farm, owned by Gooddoctor, is located in Xichang, Sichuan. A report in 2018 revealed that Gooddoctor’s AI-operated farm produces 6 billion cockroaches each year. The company processes cockroaches for animal feed and uses them in various medicinal products.
Many Chinese believe that products derived from cockroaches are highly effective in treating scars, baldness, respiratory disorders, stomach issues, and even cancer tumors. Although there is very little reliable scientific evidence to support this belief, scientists have recently discovered that cockroaches can live their entire lives in filthy environments without getting sick because they produce strong antibiotics. Some scientists believe that cockroaches could be beneficial in developing drugs to combat antibiotic-resistant bacteria like MRSA.
Cockroach-derived medicines have long been popular in China. Gooddoctor’s best-selling health product made from cockroaches is used by over 40 million patients to date. In an interview with Insider, Wen Jianguo, the manager of Gooddoctor’s cockroach farm, affirmed that extracts from cockroaches are very effective in treating mouth and stomach ulcers, skin wounds, and even stomach cancer.
In fact, the American cockroach (scientific name Periplaneta americana) appears in the ingredient lists of many Chinese medicines and cosmetics. The cockroach business is attracting not only large companies but also farmers and small traders. Li Bingcai, a mobile phone shop owner who became a cockroach farmer in a remote village in Sichuan province, has a farm that houses over 3 million cockroaches. Li shared that he earns good revenue from selling dried cockroaches to pig, fish farms, and pharmaceutical companies.
Zhangqiao District in Jinan City is home to a large cockroach farm that was initially established to process food waste but later became a source of organic feed for livestock. Businessman Li Yanrong, the owner of this farm, believes that cockroaches can become a healthier protein-rich alternative for fish, poultry, and pigs.
“If we can farm cockroaches on a large scale, we can provide beneficial protein for the entire ecological cycle. We can replace antibiotic-laden feed with organic feed that is good for animals and the soil,” Yanrong said. According to Yanrong, the cockroaches on his farm consume 50,000 kg of food waste daily, making this insect very useful for managing food waste.
However, imagine millions of cockroaches escaping from a farm and crawling across the streets of a city. In 2013, such an incident occurred when a greenhouse in Dafeng District, Yancheng was destroyed. Over a million cockroaches escaped and crawled across nearby cornfields, homes, and apartments. Local residents were horrified to see thousands of cockroaches crawling around. To control the situation, the Jiangsu Health Council had to conduct widespread disinfection. To prevent a similar disaster, the farm operated by Gooddoctor is surrounded by a water moat filled with fish that eat cockroaches.
