6 Facts About American Cockroaches

Nobody needs to hear the unfortunate details before they realise they find cockroaches repulsive. Their existence might appeal to you, when you take their contribution to the ecosystem into consideration, as they chew stuff up, break it down and turn it into fertilizer.

But the devil is in the details. And if you’ve got these little devils in your house, your restaurant or your business, you’re going to want to get rid of them ASAP! And like every other fight, the first rule is “Know thy enemy.”

So, here are 6 facts about American Cockroaches, that would blow your mind;

1) They Can Live Without Food for One Month

American Cockroaches can go on for long periods of time without sustenance because they are cold-blooded insects. However, they can not survive for more than a week without water, which is why you will most commonly find them in humid or high-moisture areas around the home, such as basements and bathrooms.

But if cockroaches do manage to infiltrate your house, starving them would be a lost cause. Their system can digest just about anything, including wall paint, grease, paper, toe nails, leather, book bindings, hair, dead insects and food crumbs of any kind.

2) They Are Older Than Dinosaurs

Cockroaches have been on this planet way longer than human beings or even our ancestors have. Studies conducted in the recent past places their origin as far back as 359 million years ago.

To be fair, cockroaches themselves cannot be described as ‘old’. The average lifespan of a cockroach is approximately one year, but some insects have managed to stick around for much longer.

According to PennState College of Agricultural Science, the fossil evidence shows that cockroaches have existed for well over 300 million years! So by that means, even dinosaurs and cavemen had to endure cockroach infestations to some degree.

3) They Can Hold Their Breath For Up To 40 Minutes

The American Cockroaches can hold their their breath for long periods of time by regulating water loss in their system. They don’t breathe through their mouth, instead they take in air through the holes in their bodies called spiracles. And sometimes in order to prevent can keep their spiracles shut for up to forty minutes underwater, a trick which serves as an effective escape measure.

4) They Can Fly

If the sight of these gross critters creeping on the ground is not traumatic enough, imagine one of them flying over your head. American Cockroaches in their immature (nymph) state do not have wings, but both male and females upon reaching adulthood begin to grow their wings.

They are inherently fast creatures and can run upto three miles in an hour but they can only fly small distances with their delicate wings.

5) They Can Survive a Week Without a Head

Yes! Cockroaches are capable of living for approximately one week without a head!

Reason being, they don’t use their mouths to breathe. Instead their open circulatory system allows them to breathe through the little holes in each of their body segments. Hence they are not dependent on the mouth or head to breathe. They use these tiny holes (spiracles) in their body to inhale and transport oxygen. Combine this with the fact that they can survive without food for a month and you have an insect that can last without its head for a week!

6) They Are Dangerous

And the most dreaded detail of all — American cockroaches are in fact, dangerous. And not because they sting (they don’t) or bite (they could, but rarely do), but by spreading diseases. They live, breed, and feed in filth of the very worst kind — the stuff inside sewers, rotting garbage, and decaying flesh.

And wherever they go they carry with them all of the dangerous bacteria and germs. Dragging them along as they crawl in your restaurant, house, or apartment building in search of food.

Studies have shown that these crawling insects have been linked to triggering asthma and some other allergies as well!

I have only written after getting my home pest controlled. Pest control in Kolkata is super important for us to stay away from these weird-ass creatures.