Tag: cockroaches

Cockroach: “I’m Not Dead Yet”

“I’m not dead. . . I don’t want to go in the cart.”

cockroach-15093_640That’s what the old man exclaimed when someone brought him to the “death cart,” where a man repeatedly yelled out, “Bring out your dead! Bring out your dead!” in the 1975 classic film Monty Python and the Holy Grail. A conversation continues between the three as to whether the man should or should not go on the cart.

Cockroaches don’t die easily. Many attempts are made to rid roaches from homes and businesses, but they do not go away easily, which is why millions have turned to pest management professionals to eliminate them from structures. Instead, they mock you with their presence in your home or facility, proclaiming, “I’m not dead yet!”

Why don’t they die easily? Several reasons:

A cockroach can live without its head for several days

It’s not a myth — it’s a reality. Some entomologists say that roaches can live for up to a month without its head. Others have said that it can live nine days without its noggin. Despite the length — whether it is a week or up to a month — the statistic is, nonetheless, disturbing.

The reason for this is because cockroaches do not need their heads to breathe. Instead, they breathe through spiracles in each of their body segments. Their blood pressure is different from other creatures, such as mammals. Therefore, they do not bleed uncontrollably.

Thus, if you want them to die a month from now, round them all up and rip off their heads. If you want them to die sooner, call a pest management professional. Additionally, catching all the roaches will prove to be a daunting task.

Cockroaches can survive a nuclear attack

Atomic bombs dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki gave evidence to this belief, as cockroaches were among the very survivors. Mythbusters tested this theory as well. A month after they “bombed” the roaches, half of them were still alive.

So in case you were considering it, do not try using nuclear bombs or missiles to rid your home of the insects. This may raise some concerns with Homeland Security. On a related matter, enriching uranium to kill cockroaches can be expensive.

Cockroaches multiply quickly

This is not to suggest that cockroaches are good at arithmetic, because there haven’t been any credible studies showing how good or bad they are at mathematics. Rather, they reproduce quickly.

German cockroaches, for example, are professional rapid reproducers. The female can drop four to eight egg capsules in her lifetime. Each egg capsule contains thirty to forty eggs, hatching out in less than a month, usually. And you thought rabbits multiply quickly.
Because of their rapid reproduction, roaches quickly infest a structure, making it difficult to keep up with their growing population. Their strength is in their numbers.

Cockroaches eat anything organic

While you may have many criticisms concerning cockroaches, you can’t say that they’re picky eaters; they’re not. Also, by “organic,” we don’t mean that they avoid GMOs for health reasons. Rather, these omnivores eat anything that is carbon-based.

They eat anything organic, which includes (but is not limited to) grease, sweets, meats, starches, sewage, decaying wood, goetta, pizza (with or without anchovies), and chicken parmigiana with a side of asparagus.

They have even been known to eat paper, clothing, and hair. They eat other cockroaches as well as their own droppings. Therefore, with these appetites, roaches usually don’t have to scavage far to find food; it is readily available and plentiful.

While removal of these items is best, sealing food containers and proper sanitation are great ways to help control cockroaches. Starving them to death will not be an easy task. Also, don’t use their appetite as an excuse not to clean your kitchen.

Cockroaches are thigmotropic

Thigmotropic means that the roaches like to feel a solid surface on the sides of their bodies, preferably on all sides. They like to be touched. But this doesn’t mean that you should let your children pick them up and pet these nasty disease carriers.

Because they prefer such environments, they hide in tight spaces, in cracks and crevices in walls and other out of the way areas — areas in which they are hard to find in order to kill them.

So if you want to play hide and seek, don’t play the game with a cockroach, as you will lose the game if you are a seeker.

Cockroaches are fast

“I feel fine. . . I think I’ll go for a walk.” (Yes, another Monty Python reference). Or, maybe, “I think I’ll go for a run.”

While we don’t know how well they would do in a long distance marathon, we do know that roaches are great sprinters. They have been known to sprint at 80 centimeters per second. That’s considerably fast for a half inch long roach.

Chasing them down and smashing them with a shoe may be satisfying when you succeed at squashing them, but your level of success in doing so may not be too satisfying.

Other Interesting Roach Facts:

  • A cockroach can hold its breath for 40 minutes. If you want to drown one, you’ll have to keep it under water for a long time.
  • The world’s largest cockroach is about six inches long, with a wingspan measuring about 12 inches.
  • Roaches can live for a month without food, but only a week without water.
  • The female cockroach has to mate only once in order to reproduce. She carries the male’s sperm inside her for the rest of her life.
  • Genetically, the termite is a cockroach’s cousin.

Appetite for Destruction

An Appetite for Destruction:  Why German Roaches are Not Welcome in the Kitchen

It’s nighttime and you walk into your kitchen with the intention of having a late night snack.  You flip on the light just to notice insects scurrying back into the cracks and crevices of your cupboards, under the sink and behind the appliances.  

Most likely, you have encountered a german cockroach infestation.  “Forget the snack,” you think to yourself.  “I don’t have an appetite.”

An Epicurean Appetite

German roaches always have appetites. They will eat anything that is organic, including crumbs, grease, sweets, and other insects — including other German cockroaches.  They will also eat soap, glue and paper.  They scavenge around, spending much of the evening and early morning hours eating and drinking.  Because their diets are so versatile, they easily adapt and are found everywhere humans live.   

Not only do German cockroaches have a healthy appetite for food, they also have a healthy appetite for reproduction as well, as they multiply very fast. The female emits a pheromone, while the male detects the scent, drawing him to her.german cockroach

A female produces between four and six egg cases in her entire lifetime. Each case contains anywhere between 30 and 48 eggs. This case is carried on her body until just a few days to the time when the nymphs emerge from those eggs. This happens when the egg case is about 28 to 35 days old. The lifespan of these pests is about 100 to 200 days, with females living a little longer than males.

Their appetites for both food and reproduction leads to large infestations of these insects.  Moreover, these disease-carrying roaches are one of the most common reasons people call pest control professionals to evict them from their homes.  

Identification

German cockroaches, blattella germanica, differ from other cockroach species in that are about half an inch in length, light brown in color and have two distinctive stripes running down from the back of their heads, right up to the wings. They have wings, but do not fly.

These cockroaches are very secretive and nocturnal by nature. It is very hard to see them during the day since they hide away from daylight and motion. When cockroaches are present during the day, it is usually a sign of a large infestation because their numbers have increased so much that they are now competing for hiding places. They spend the daytime hours hiding in crevices, cracks and other hiding places that are close to their food sources. In fact, German cockroaches rarely roam beyond five feet from their food and shelter points.

German cockroaches prefer to live in places such as kitchens, bathrooms, garbage bins and behind toilets. In short, any atmosphere providing warmth and moisture can be a haven for these creatures.

Signs of Infestation

The obvious sign of infestation has already been described:  sightings at night time when someone flips on a light switch, just to see them scurrying around.  Carcasses and body parts may be found lying around, as well as empty egg cases and shed wings.  Dark smudges of fecal smears on surfaces will be present where they have been moving the most.

Why They Are A Problem

German cockroaches cause concern because their droppings contaminate human and animal food. They carry an array of disease-causing germs such as those causing food poisoning, allergies, dysentery, diarrhea and asthma. German cockroaches can also cause a lot of damage to walls and household items such as books.

Control Measures

All control measures begin with a careful and inspection. A good inspection makes it easier to identify nesting sites, which leads to quicker control of the roaches.  

Perhaps one of the most important methods of control is sanitation. Sanitation helps deny German cockroaches of shelter and food, helping them to die out. It is therefore important to keep trash cans and dumpsters empty, promptly wash all used dishes, pick up pet food leftovers and keep all kitchen appliances such as toasters very clean at all times. Degreasing and sanitizing, particularly in and around appliances helps to reduce the roach’s food source.

Baits, by far, are the best insecticides to use in order to control German cockroaches. Aerosols, traps, dusts and insect growth inhibitors also help eliminate roaches.  However, when trying to eliminate cockroaches, it is important that certain types of insecticides are not used simultaneously.  For example, combining baits with other control methods such as aerosols may render the bait ineffective.  

This is where a well-qualified pest management professional can provide the best results, as he or she knows not only the best methods, but also knows which specific products will get the job done.   Furthermore, insecticides can be harmful to humans if not applied correctly, per the label instructions.  

Interesting Cockroach Facts

  • Cockroaches cannot form any memories in the morning hours. Could that be another reason why they are inactive during the day?
  • The nerve cells of cockroaches can actually kill germs! This special ability may be because the roaches need to defend themselves against the germs that they live in close proximity with.
  • A cockroach can survive for a week without its head. It only dies because of thirst since it can’t drink water without its head.
  • Cockroaches can survive without food for a month, but they can’t exceed a week without taking water.
  • Cockroaches can feed on anything because they get vitamins and amino acids from the bacteria that live in their bodies.
  • While cockroaches take up to six weeks to mature, a newly born cockroach can run as fast as an adult on the very day it emerges from the egg.