# sterilizing roaches

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sterilizing-roaches/265863>\
**Category:** Cecil's Columns/Staff Reports\
**Created:** [September 24, 2004, 12:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sterilizing-roaches/265863 "2004-09-24T12:56:46Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 6\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![klaa22](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/d6d6ee/32.png) [@klaa22](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/klaa22)\
**Post date:** [September 24, 2004, 12:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sterilizing-roaches/265863/1 "2004-09-24T12:56:46Z")

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Read “The Screwfly Solution” by Raccoona Sheldon aka James Tiptree,Jr. aka Alice Bradley Sheldon (her real name). It speaks opn what happens when you mess around with the reproductive functions of insects.

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**Author:** ![Khadaji](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Khadaji](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Khadaji)\
**Post date:** [September 24, 2004, 1:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sterilizing-roaches/265863/2 "2004-09-24T13:58:09Z")

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Hello klaa22, welcome. It is considered a courtesy to link to [The column in question](http://www.straightdope.com/classics/a2_066.html)

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**Author:** ![foolsguinea](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/foolsguinea/32/14751_2.png) [@foolsguinea](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/foolsguinea)\
**Post date:** [September 29, 2004, 6:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sterilizing-roaches/265863/3 "2004-09-29T18:20:26Z")

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My question is, what’s with the following crack?

> [@](#):
>
> Nobody knows quite how these chemicals work, but basically you spray them on the roaches when they’re little–in the “nymph” stage, to be precise–_and they fail to reach sexual maturity, much like graduates of the University of Notre Dame._

(emphasis mine)

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**Author:** ![Zakalwe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zakalwe/32/270_2.png) [@Zakalwe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zakalwe)\
**Post date:** [September 29, 2004, 7:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sterilizing-roaches/265863/4 "2004-09-29T19:19:33Z")

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> [@foolsguinea](#):
>
> My question is, what’s with the following crack?(emphasis mine)

Ummmm…it’s funny?

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**Author:** ![The\_Long\_Road](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/b5a626/32.png) [@The\_Long\_Road](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Long_Road)\
**Post date:** [October 8, 2004, 7:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sterilizing-roaches/265863/5 "2004-10-08T19:07:08Z")

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> [@klaa22](#):
>
> Read “The Screwfly Solution” by Raccoona Sheldon aka James Tiptree,Jr. aka Alice Bradley Sheldon (her real name). It speaks opn what happens when you mess around with the reproductive functions of insects.

It’s a story about aliens taking over the world. If we start to sterilize roaches it means aliens will invade us?

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**Author:** ![PussyCow](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/22d042/32.png) [@PussyCow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PussyCow)\
**Post date:** [October 8, 2004, 7:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sterilizing-roaches/265863/6 "2004-10-08T19:41:27Z")

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> [@foolsguinea](#):
>
> My question is, what’s with the following crack?(emphasis mine)

Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha!

Yay! I get to go through puberty again!