Thai Cockroach Farm Earns More Than 100,000 Baht a Month

Phitsanulok Cockroach Farm Turns Fishing Bait Into Six-Figure Monthly Business

A 29-year-old woman in Phitsanulok is earning more than 100,000 baht per month by breeding live cockroaches for anglers to use as fishing bait. Nattaliya Amahasimae started the venture after noticing strong demand among fishermen near the Yom River, who told her cockroaches often worked better than other insects or shrimp. She raises the insects in clean conditions on chicken feed and fresh water, harvesting them shortly after moulting when they turn from white to light brown. Each bottle contains about 50 cockroaches and sells for 130 baht, with the farm moving more than 30 bottles a day and demand now exceeding supply. Nattaliya has also begun buying live farm-raised stock from other suppliers for resale and plans to expand the business after roughly a year of operation.