Cockroaches are some of the most common unwanted pests to invade homes. Some things that draw these pests into your home include dirty dishes, pet food on the floor, crumbs on the kitchen counter, and garbage.Â
There’s nothing fun about a roach infestation! But these creatures are incredibly interesting. We’ve put together this list of 11 fun facts about cockroaches.
Our favorite? The fact that roaches can live for days and even reproduce without a head! That’s astonishing. Let’s learn some more about these tiny aliens.
Fun Facts About Cockroaches
Here are a load of fascinating facts about roaches!
1. What Is the Lifespan of a Roach?
The lifespan of a cockroach is about 1 to 1.5 years. This number depends on whether or not the pest has access to water and food. They’ll survive for quite a while if they’ve got access to food, or even cardboard boxes.
2. Roaches Can Survive Without Their Heads
These insects have three segments: the thorax, abdomen, and head. Their head conducts important functions, like helping them smell and feel vibrations, thanks to their antennae.
As we mentioned in the intro, a cockroach can survive without their head or the part that contains the mouth that assists in breaking down food.
The cockroaches survive without their heads because they have an open-breathing system. This means that these insects breathe through the small holes in their abdomen (spiracles).
Nevertheless, a cockroach will eventually die when its head is cut off due to a lack of food and water. This is because a cockroach’s head facilitates the intake of its food and water.
But it can reproduce even without a head.
3. Cockroaches Can Run Fast
When you turn on the lights, have you ever seen a roach zoom to a dark corner in a flash? Have you ever wondered how they scurry so fast? Although this might seem mind-blowing, looking at the bigger picture is that this ability means that a cockroach can spread dirt and bacteria faster all over your home.
Thanks to their long antennae, they can feel vibrations on the walls, giving them a head start. In addition, cockroache eyes have around 2000 lenses and provide 360′ vision, which helps them detect multiple things simultaneously. Crazy, right?
4. Baby Roaches Can Run as Fast as Their Parents
A baby cockroach, just one day old, can sprint nearly as quickly as its parents. You’re in for a shock if you think you have a chance of killing newborn roaches more easily than adults.
5. Roaches Can Hold Their Breath for a Long While
A human being can hold their breath for about 1 to 2 minutes. The longest time a human being has ever held their breath is 11 minutes and 34 seconds.
In contrast, a cockroach can hold its breath for up to forty minutes, including under water. Holding their breath is an adaptability feature that cockroaches attained due to living in dry climates. Cockroaches hold their breath to retain water while supplying oxygen to their cells.
A cockroach can hold its breath for up to forty minutes.
6. There Are More Than 3,000 Cockroach Species
If you have encountered a cockroach in your home, you might have encountered a German cockroach, or maybe the American or Oriental cockroach. The German roach is the most common species that many people have come across.
But across the world, there are more than 3,000 species of cockroaches, and termites have now been classified as a species of cockroach.
So there’s a high chance that you will encounter various species.Â
7. Cockroaches are Nocturnal
How many times have you come across a cockroach during the day? Maybe on rare occasions. On the other hand, how often have you switched on your kitchen lights at night and encountered several roaches on your kitchen counter? This discovery might make you wonder why it is easier to spot a cockroach at night than during the day.
Cockroaches are active at night. This means if you spot one or two cockroaches when you switch on the lights, there’s a chance that others are hidden in the crevices of your kitchen cabinets. The roaches are hiding, waiting for you to go to sleep so that they can start their day – at night.
8. Cockroaches Love a Good Alcoholic Drink
If you’re a lover of adult beverages and love saving a bottle or two in your house, chances are you might be sharing your drink with other uninvited guests.
Cockroaches love alcohol, not because they love the boozy wobble, but for another reason.Â
Cockroaches love alcohol.
Alcohol contains sugars, and this is one of the cockroach’s favorite meals. The presence of sugar is why cockroaches love cheese, veggies, grease, rotting fruits, or anything that has sugar and a strong smell.
9. Roaches Can Survive Without Food
It is very challenging for a person to go one day without food. Just imagine surviving for nearly a month without eating anything, just water. On the other hand, roaches can! These hardy insects can survive almost a month without food, just water for sustenance.
Therefore, cockroaches will hang around places with water or high-moisture levels like your basement.
10. Cockroaches Have Been Around Longer Than Dinosaurs Have
Research has indicated that these murky insects have been around for more than 280 million years. To put it into perspective, cockroaches have survived pandemics, wars, distinctions, and more! Think about it.
Surviving all those years is why scientists have claimed that cockroaches will continue to survive whether human beings are there or not.
The reason why these insects have survived so long is their ability to adapt to different environments. But unfortunately, this means that if you want to do away with roaches in your home, you will have to do a little bit more.
11. Cockroaches Are Cannibalistic
Cockroaches can eat anything. These insects are not picky in their diet, and adding their fellow roaches to the diet regimen is also an option!
These selfish insects can eat others to fend off competition. Fending off competition means more food to go around the swarm of roaches.
12. Roaches Can Survive High Levels Of Radiation
Some people believe that roaches can survive a nuclear blast. The truth is that they can’t survive a nuke, if they’re close to the explosion. But they can absolutely survive the aftermath of a nuclear explosion, as radiation does not damage roaches like it does to other animals.
Conclusion
Now that you know some fascinating facts about cockroaches, you can better understand what will work to keep them off your home. In addition, when you spot a cockroach in your kitchen, the first thought will not be how to crush it but to take a moment to admire the kind of insect you have encountered. Although you might still kill it.
