6 Myths About Cockroaches

Cockroach Myths

The infamous cockroach creates quite the commotion when it is found in a home or a business. There are so many myths around this insect that are commonly accepted by the public, but they paint a false picture of how these insects look and behave. They are definitely pests and require pest control treatment to ensure they’re truly gone, but there are certainly some false claims that we can dispel here.

Nothing can Kill Them

Anyone who has had the misfortune of dealing with these pests knows how easy it is to believe that they are indestructible. There is even a myth that they can survive a nuclear explosion and will be the last surviving creatures on Earth! Common solutions that work on the average pest don’t even seem to faze cockroaches. But there are plenty of treatments, either done by a homeowner or a technician, that take care of these insects. Glue traps are next to impossible for pests to escape from, and they are easy to be placed in the common new habitats of roaches. Chemical treatments are always a possibility, but caution must be taken when handling any sort of pesticide, so it is best to leave this one to the professionals.

They’re Clean

Just because roaches have shiny outer shells does not mean they are clean houseguests. They carry all kinds of nasty diseases and can cause a few health problems in humans who are in their proximity for a while. Their legs have spines that collect germs and diseases like E. Coli and salmonella, and can cause allergies to flare up. A person constantly inhaling dust with roach DNA or feces in it can even develop asthma. Cockroaches make themselves comfortable everywhere in a home, including in food, so it is important to take care of a roach problem as soon as you are aware of it. Cockroaches are dangerous pests, not because they’re known to  bite or sting, but because they can slowly affect the health of the residents without their noticing for a while. It’s not necessary to do a full bleach-using, floor-scrubbing cleaning routine every day, but wiping up crumbs and keeping opened food containers closed goes a long way in terms of keeping the roaches away.

They Only Like Dirty Homes

When a person thinks of cockroaches, they may think of old cartoons depicting a dirty home with trash piled up, food crumbs, and scattered leftovers, with cockroaches crawling all around and through the dirtiest parts of the house. But this is not always the case in real life. Roaches certainly love mess and food, but they do not exclusively seek out “dirty” homes. They want a shelter with food and water, and they can find the latter resources quite easily in any environment. If you have a roach problem, it may be a small comfort to know that the infestation does not mean you have a dirty home. It simply means that the cockroaches found a way into the home by means of pipes, holes, openings, or cracks. A good method of roach prevention (and pest prevention in general) is sealing all cracks and holes, and ensuring that windows and doors have a tight seal when closed. 

It is also worth noting that cockroaches multiply very quickly, so seeing one cockroach in the home likely means that there are more hidden somewhere nearby. Cockroaches leave pheromones in the air and in their excrement that attracts other cockroaches, so where one cockroach goes, others are sure to follow. This is why it is important to keep a generally clean home and keep checking for roaches, especially in the kitchen and bathrooms, if they seem to favor your area. 

They Hate the Light

Due to their nocturnal nature and the sound of scurrying that occurs when a light is turned on, it is logical to believe that cockroaches despise the light and always stay in the dark. But this is not necessarily true either. Many roaches do not like the harsh light, especially after they have been in the dark for so long, but they’re not vehemently opposed to it. They actually seem to be more afraid of the human turning on the light than the light itself. Since cockroaches do their food searching at night, they naturally prefer the dark, but they are able to function in the light. Certain species even prefer the light and will go towards any light source. The typical preferred environment of a cockroach is warm, humid, and dark for at least a while. 

A question can arise about safety at this point: since the cockroaches don’t like when a light is suddenly turned on, is there a chance that they will bite whoever turned it on? Fear not! The only instances of a cockroach biting a human is when there is a lack of food or a human somehow gets very close to it, so the major concern is not getting bitten in the case of a roach infestation. 

The Larger They Are, the Worse They Are

An instinctual guideline we often live by is that larger insects and arachnids are worse than the small ones. This may be true sometimes, depending on the creature, but it is not in the case of roaches. A large cockroach is no different than a small one in terms of the damage they can do. Both carry dangerous diseases, and both leave droppings that can heighten allergies and bring on asthma. A roach infestation involving any size of cockroach is a problem that needs to be solved. The bigger ones may be scarier to look at, but both small and large cockroaches are equally pests and need to be taken care of.

They Have to Eat All the Time

Since cockroaches are attracted to food and it is possible to find their droppings in our food containers, it seems like cockroaches always have to eat. They are driven by their search for food, so doesn’t that mean they need to constantly be consuming? 

Not necessarily. While roaches aren’t picky with the food that they eat – crumbs, dog food, gum, grease, glue on paper, soap – they don’t have to eat twenty-four/seven. They can actually go quite long without eating, and they don’t even need to drink water every day. They are food-driven insects, but they are often more concerned with being safe and warm than eating a bunch of food. One fact to note is that they will die if they go without food for a month, but it would be quicker and more effective to involve some form of pest control than to wait for them to starve. 

Pest Control is Necessary

Glue boards and pesticides from the grocery store might work for one or two cockroaches, but pest control services are definitely needed to combat an infestation. The technicians have the equipment and treatments necessary to completely eradicate cockroaches from your home while keeping your family safe. The only warm welcome cockroaches should get when they invite themselves in our homes is from a pest control technician.

Citations

FAQ: Cockroaches. (2016, June 3). NPIC. Retrieved February 22, 2022, from http://npic.orst.edu/faq/roach.html#:~:text=Cockroaches%20are%20common%20insect%20pests

%20found%20all%20over%20the%20world.&text=Finding%20roaches%20is%20not%20a,to%20thrive%20in%20many%20environments 

Lm, V. (2021, July 6). Understanding cockroaches and how to get rid of them. Dengarden. Available at https://dengarden.com/pest-control/how-to-get-rid-of-cockroaches-2 (Accessed on February 22, 2022).

Perry, C. & Allen, S. (2021, December 17). How to get rid of cockroaches. Forbes Home. Available at https://www.forbes.com/home-improvement/pest-control/how-to-get-rid-of-cockroaches/ (Accessed on February 22, 2022).