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The growth of cockroach farms in China is exploding due to the demand of Chinese medicine practitioners and pharmaceutical companies. Even those squeamish around cockroaches may find the wealth that could be gained from them enough to overcome their fear. The growth of cockroach farms in China is exploding due to the demand from Chinese medicine practitioners and pharmaceutical companies. In addition to promoting them as protein sources in animal feed and as delicacies to be enjoyed by humans, cockroaches are believed to have medicinal properties for everything from hair loss and facial aging to AIDS and cancer. So millions of cockroaches are being farmed, killed by boiling, sun dried, and then ground into a powder for use in various medicinal products. Many companies don't advertise their "secret ingredient" though. Farmers can earn anywhere from $20 to $89 per pound for the cockroaches. Currently the largest farmer with about 10 million cockroaches, 43-year-old Wang Fuming said, "I thought about raising pigs, but with traditional farming, the profit margins are very low." With minimal start-up costs, easy maintenance, and easy slaughter, more and more inexperienced farmers are getting into the cockroach business. However, many are concerned about escapes and farms being built on neighboring properties.