Kamala Harris Roach Wins NJPMA's 21st Annual 'Cockroach Derby'

BRANCHBURG, N.J. – The Kamala Harris roach won the 21st Annual “Cockroach Derby” at Raritan Valley Community College in yesterday race, which accurately predicts 84 percent of presidential winners and candidates.

© credit | NJPMA

The race is part of the New Jersey Pest Management Association’s (NJPMA) 75th Annual Clinic, Trade Show & Clambake with more than 600 professionals attending. Two Madagascar hissing cockroaches raced as part of the event, each with a caricature of the presidential candidates glued to its back.

The roach is selected because of its big size (about 2.5 inches long) and ability to respond to race stimuli. The hissing name is apt due to the signature sound made by drawing air into its body and then forcing it through ports on the sides of its body.

“Of our two roaches, Kamala Harris started slow but overtook Donald Trump to win the race handily. This is a tremendous event that gives pest management professionals attending our annual seminars a light-hearted break,” said Leonard Douglen, NJPMA’s executive director. “It’s all about fun – we’ve had runaway victories and we’ve had controversies like when the Bush cockroach was disqualified against Clinton since it took flight during the race.”

After the Cockroach Derby, industry experts held informational and training courses on various pest topics such as bed bugs, ants, mosquitoes, rodents, beetles, cockroaches, and termites. Other topics include business, health, safety, and management sessions. Presenters include Dr. Bobby Corrigan, Dr. Changlu Wang, Dr. Fred Whitford, Dr. Stanton Cope, Dr. Chad Gore, Dr. Phil Koehler, and many more. Some of the session were:

-Invasive Mosquito Species – What Does it Mean to Your Business?
-New Jersey Women in Pest Management
-Small Flies Causing Big Problems
-Termites – Understanding the Pest and Looking to the Future
-Pesticide Safety

The event brought together at least 50 exhibitor booths manned by distributors and manufacturers, and CEU credits from the state of New Jersey (valid in New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, and Delaware) were available to licensed professionals.