Dealing with a Cockroach Infestation?

Check out these cockroach facts & FAQ’s.

Pest Protection Plus :: Cockroach Facts & FAQ's

Cockroaches are one of the most detested pests around. They are dirty, contaminate your food and home, they can carry illnesses and disease, and once a single bug gets into your home it can turn into an infestation very quickly. Cockroaches are very resilient so difficult to get rid of if you do get them.

Check out these fast facts and FAQ’s about cockroaches to learn more about this horrible pest!

 

How Long Have Cockroaches Been Around?

Ever hear that cockroaches are one of the oldest species on the planet? Well, it’s true! Studies show that cockroaches have been around for as long as 359 million years, which predates dinosaurs! So when you’re wondering why it’s so hard to get rid of cockroaches, take comfort in knowing that they’ve withstood a lot more than some chemical sprays!

 

How Many Species of Cockroach Are There?

There are more than 4,600 different species of cockroach in the world. In and around the GTA you’re most likely to encounter the German cockroach and the American cockroach, although you might run into the brown-hooded cockroach and the Cuban cockroach. Most cockroaches live in the wild so aren’t a nuisance to humans, with only about 30 species becoming regular pests.

 

What Do Cockroaches Eat?

Cockroaches have been able to survive for so long because they’re very resilient and they’ll eat just about anything that is or was alive. That includes any and all human foods, dead insects, paper, wood, feces, decaying plant material … you name it, they eat it!

 

WARNING: NOT FOR THE FAINT OF HEART :: Do People Eat Cockroaches?

Indeed they do! As much of a pain as cockroaches are, some people keep them as pets. Not the types that you’ll find scurrying around your kitchen in the middle of the night, though – the Madagascar hissing cockroach and the true death’s head cockroach – which grow to as large as 3″ long – are popular pets. In China, cockroaches are cooked and sold by street vendors. No, thank you!

 

Can Cockroaches Really Live Without their Heads?

Yes! Many of the organs that a cockroach needs to live are located throughout it’s body, and not in the form of a brain like in humans. Cockroaches also have a distributed breathing system so they can breathe through parts of their body, not just their mouths. They cannot drink without their heads, and they can go without water for about a week before dying of thirst, so cockroaches can indeed live for about a week after their heads have been cut off!