Cockroaches have established themselves as some of the most frustrating pests to infest your home. The sheer irritation and disgust these spikey-legged insects evoke naturally make avoiding them our first instinct!
However, you may have noticed that these cockroaches emerge during the night when all lights are off, and humans are asleep. This poses the question: do cockroaches avoid humans?
- Cockroaches react in a way that can be perceived as a desire to avoid humans
- Cockroaches tend to attempt to flee contact with a human
- Cockroaches consider humans as dangerous
It is apparent that as much as we wish to avoid cockroaches, their approach regarding the situation is similar to ours! Their desire to stay hidden in dark and warm places is the number one sign that they avoid humans and consider us a threat to their survival.
Let’s look a little closer.
Do Cockroaches Avoid Humans?
To simplify it, yes, cockroaches do avoid humans. Cockroaches operate fairly defensively and, therefore, tend to avoid anything that may cause harm to them or potentially be dangerous to their survival and ability to multiply.
Humans are a major example of this.
Although cockroaches seem invincible because these creatures are capable of surviving without their heads, they are immensely cowardly at heart.
Although cockroaches seem invincible because these creatures are capable of surviving without their heads, they are immensely cowardly at heart.
These deep-brown creatures stay away from noise, light, or any signs of activity simply due to potential threats. They aren’t stupid!
Why do cockroaches stay hidden?
The interesting thing about cockroaches is that they are nocturnal insects that prefer to stay hidden while you’re awake.
If they’re out during the daytime, they ensure to avoid sunlight and hide away in warm and dark areas within the home. They usually begin their hunt for food when they are alert at night.
If they’re out during the daytime, they ensure to avoid sunlight and hide away in warm and dark areas within the home. They usually begin their hunt for food when they are alert at night.
Cockroaches choose the night to hunt for food because they recognize that they are less vulnerable to predators during the night. In this case, these creatures are evolved enough to know that humans are awake during the daytime and can potentially harm them.
Why do cockroaches fear humans?
More than fear, cockroaches have an immediate reaction of disgust towards humans and, therefore, choose to avoid them. It is evidence-based on real experiences that suggest cockroaches are disgusted by or perhaps fear humans.
The logic: cockroaches consider the presence of a human as a sign of instant danger.
Roaches almost always flee from humans, though sometimes they have an odd behavior where they move toward a human, freak you out, and then scurry to escape.
Most times cockroaches want nothing to do with humans, though if you’re sleeping, they may be less concerned. In fact, there are some terrifying cases of cockroaches entering human ears, but it is very unusual that they enter your mouth.
Typically roaches just want to stay far away from you, even if you’re asleep.
Why do cockroaches clean themselves away from humans?
Cockroaches tend to clean themselves when they’re away from humans, at their nests. There is solid reasoning behind this phenomenon. Cockroaches are highly evolved insects and have various methods to self-clean.
Their main cleaning method involves running their legs and antennae through their mouth. However, cockroaches tend to slow down when cleaning themselves and are much more vulnerable to an attack.
Since these insects cannot move at high speeds when self-cleaning, they prefer performing this activity when they’re safe.
Since humans are a sign of danger for these insects, they prefer to self-clean in hidden places. This cleaning activity is not based on emotions but on a natural response that is a result of evolution, particularly aimed at keeping themselves alive.
How do cockroaches sense danger?
Although these sneaky insects crawl around our homes and evoke the feeling of disgust within us, they are fairly intelligent. Cockroaches can’t operate the way humans do and, therefore, do not process or know danger as well as we might. However, they have their ways of processing danger.
Cockroaches have their own set of reactions to various changes in lighting, specific frequencies, and vibrations that often help them sense fear. These senses are similar to humans and integral to a cockroach’s survival.
Therefore, like a human being, a cockroach reacts based on what it sees.
However, it does not have the mental capability to weigh different options and the repercussions of each of the options.
Where do cockroaches hide to avoid humans?
As we already know, cockroaches are nocturnal insects and hide in dark and warm places during the day. However, we have a few possibilities for cockroach hiding spots within your home if you grow curious about their escape plan to avoid you. These include:
- Behind or beneath appliances such as refrigerators and stoves
- Underneath sinks in your bathroom or kitchen
- Near your drying machines or washer
- Sometimes inside the walls or light switches
- Couped up in piles of papers, debris, supplies, and boxes
Conclusion: Cockroaches avoid humans out of fear!
We have established that cockroaches effectively respond to fear and sense danger. In response, they tend to hide away, which is one reason why cockroaches avoid humans. Over time, these cockroaches have evolved enough to know what poses a danger to them and what doesn’t.
These insects are aware that humans threaten them, and therefore, they avoid humans at all costs.
If you are going through a cockroach infestation, you need to determine where they are nesting, and eradicate the nest. You should probably get professional help.
