Cockroach poofs (fwd)

[Stuart Fullerton]

this is not a lot of hot air. sorry to cross post. please send replies to
david george gordon (above/below) although it might be of interest to us
all. you will all be please to know that i will be away from the closet
for three weeks from 30 june to 23 july.

cheers!!! and thanks, rof

Stuart M Fullerton ROF, Research Associate in charge of Arthropod
Collections (UCFC), Biology Dept. University of Central Florida, Orlando,
Florida, 32816, USA. stuartf at pegasus.cc.ucf.edu


---------- Forwarded message ----------
Date: Mon, 24 Jun 1996 14:25:58 -0800
From: David George Gordon <dggordon at olympus.net>
To: "Stuart M. Fullerton" <stuartf at pegasus.cc.ucf.edu>
Subject: Cockroach poofs

Hi Stuart-- you did such a great job with my last question that I'm hoping
you can pass this one along to the appropriate experts.  Someone sent me a
page from The Best of The Globe and Mail's Daily Miscellany of Information
by Michael Kesterton.  This author makes the claim that "A cockroach breaks
wind every 15 minutes, reports a Dutch physicist; it also continues to
release methane for 18 hours after death."  The author goes on to state
that  "Insect flatulence accounts for 20 percent of all emthane emissions,
and cockroaches may be among the worst bugs in contributing to the
greenhouse effect. "

So here's a three-parter for you:  1)  Who is the Dutch physicist?  2)  Are
the statement about cockroaches possibly true?  3)  Is insect flatulence a
serious problem-- for insects (especially the social ones) or people
(ditto).

Whatever light you can shed on this will be greatly appreciated.

DGG