Cockroaches
Cockroaches are a pest that appears in The Sims: Livin' Large and The Sims 2. They are spawned if a lot is dirty, and they will randomly move about the lot, further decreasing Room[TS:LL] or Environment[TS2] score.
The Sims: Livin' Large
In The Sims: Livin' Large, having roaches on a lot can cause considerable distraction, as Sims and visitors will autonomously "Freak Out", neglecting their motives in order to go and stomp on roaches on the other side of the lot. However, roaches can easily be killed by instructing a Sim to spray them. If the Sim instructed to spray them is in a good mood, they will automatically spray every group of roaches on the lot, until there are no more roaches left or their mood goes too low. The maid will also spray them, and if Unleashed is installed, cats can hunt them. Once killed they disappear and leave no trace. Roaches in The Sims can pass through walls, and so may be able to get to places that Sims can't.
There is an unfixed bug that causes the roaches to increase in value from nothing to §460 the midnight after they spawn. While roaches cannot be picked up or sold in buy mode without using the "move_objects on" cheat, this will still add to the household's net worth.
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Demonstrating the value of roaches with move_objects on.
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A Sim freaks out over some roaches.
The Sims 2
In The Sims 2 roaches are more difficult to get rid of: while Sims can sprays them, the maid will not, and spraying by Sims is not as effective as calling an exterminator. Upon seeing live roaches, Sims will get a bad memory; in addition, going near roaches carries the risk of flu, so hiring an exterminator is overall the safest and most effective option. However, roaches that have been killed by either an exterminator or a Sim will remain in a pile that decreases Environment score, and must be cleaned up: this can be done by either a Sim or the maid. If The Sims 2: Apartment Life is installed, the spell Corruptus Locus, which the evil High Witch casts automatically upon entering a lot, will summon swarms of roaches.
The Sims 3
Roaches appear as an insect which can be collected and donated to the science facility.