Eat a cockroach Cockroaches are dangerous insects that are carriers of severe infectious diseases. Living next to a person, they endanger all residents of an apartment or house. Life is full of surprises and sometimes the most incredible events happen. What will happen if you eat a cockroach: perhaps a gag reflex, psychological discomfort, the possibility of contracting a number of diseases, in rare cases an allergic reaction, the cockroach itself will be digested along with other food and will not be able to survive.
What happens if you swallow a cockroach
Swallowing an insect is not such an out of the ordinary event. A precedent can happen to anyone while running, laughing, roller skating, even while talking, a bug can fly into the mouth. The likelihood of eating a live cockroach, even if proper attention to sanitation and hygiene at home, is low.
In most cases, a swallowed insect is not a cause for much concern. It is hypothesized that the Prussian eaten is nothing more than an additional portion of protein. This may be true, but the fact that you had to eat a live parasite is unpleasant in itself. The domestic cockroach is neither clean nor picky in its eating. His habitat is far from the standard. Once in the human stomach, a live cockroach carrying many bacteria on its legs and body can cause the following diseases:
- diphtheria;
- tuberculosis;
- hepatitis;
- dysentery;
- salmonellosis and other troubles.
Important!
Serious consequences are possible for people who have eaten a live red deer and are allergic to certain proteins that make up the body of arthropods.
Expert advice
- before eating, look at what is on the plate, I know many cases when insects got into the mouth this way, even in public catering places;
- if you suspect that you have swallowed an insect, you need to rinse your stomach, and then be sure to drink the sorbent;
- For prevention, you should not take medications that are prescribed for intestinal infections; people usually take them to reduce the risk of developing the disease, but at the same time, the beneficial intestinal microflora also suffers, so I do not recommend doing this.
Can a cockroach survive in the stomach?
If you accidentally eat a cockroach, the first thing it does is enter the esophagus. A person will not feel the movement of the whiskers or paws of a living parasite, but will get the impression that a piece of an unchewed apple has been swallowed. Once in the stomach, the insect finds itself in an aggressive acidic environment that can easily dissolve the food it eats. A live cockroach, under the influence of gastric juice, should break down into proteins, fats, and carbohydrates. But Prussians have a durable chitinous shell, which will remain resistant to digestion for a long time.
The absence of tactile endings in the stomach will relieve a person from the sensation of the presence of a live insect in the stomach. There is a high probability that it will suffocate from lack of oxygen during the digestion process.
What are the consequences?
Why are cockroach bites dangerous? Can these insects harm human health? Of course.
Typically, cockroach bites cause the following consequences:
- the affected area is itchy and itchy;
- unpleasant painful sensations appear;
- particles of dust and dirt can cause irritation;
- the entry of pathogenic microorganisms into the wound can lead to infection of the body;
- allergic reactions occur.
Each person reacts differently to cockroach bites. Other than aesthetic discomfort, some do not experience any symptoms, but for others, an insect bite is very painful - the affected area aches, itches, the wound takes a long time to heal, becomes inflamed, and festers.
How do you know if you have been bitten by a Prussian? Symptoms that a cockroach has damaged your skin and eaten you are as follows:
- small semicircular redness, similar to scars, appeared on the body;
- swelling has occurred;
- slight itching is felt;
- inflammation develops.
Particularly sensitive people may experience swelling both at and near the site of the bite.
You should not take this problem lightly.
Remember that cockroaches can carry more than 40 different infectious diseases, including:
- intestinal infections;
- hepatitis;
- tuberculosis;
- genitourinary infections;
- allergy;
- asthma.
However, it is worth noting that most of these dangerous diseases enter the human body through contaminated food and water that has been visited by insects. Cockroaches can even carry helminth eggs on themselves and infect people with worms.
But bites can only cause skin irritation, allergic reactions and various inflammations of the skin. A huge number of pathogenic microbes and dangerous microorganisms settle on the chitinous cover of this insect. It is clear that when an insect bites a person, not only dust and dirt can get into the wound - and this is also dangerous, but also pathogens of various diseases. Although this happens rarely, the possibility should not be ruled out. It's better to be safe than to take a cockroach bite too lightly.
What measures to take after an insect bite
Some people don't even notice that someone has bitten them at night. Someone, noticing the redness, waves his hand and it will go away. But it’s completely in vain! Wounds should be treated immediately. Under unfavorable conditions, scars may remain, infection, inflammation, and swelling may develop.
After a cockroach bite, experts advise immediately taking the following actions:
- First, you need to wash the bite area with warm water and any detergent and dry the body with a paper towel or napkin. It is best to use antibacterial soap for these purposes.
- It is recommended to treat the bite site with any alcohol-containing preparation - tincture of calendula or hawthorn, cosmetic lotion. It is enough to simply put a cotton swab with alcohol on the wound for a short time.
- It is good to use any antiseptic (chlorhexidine, levomekol, dekasan, miramistin, tetracycline) to disinfect the wound. You can use wet wipes that are soaked in antiseptic agents.
- It would be a good idea to clean the surface of the wound with a solution of hydrogen peroxide.
- In case of allergic reactions, it is necessary to take antihistamines (Diazolin, Claritin, Suprastin). In this case, it is necessary to strictly follow the instructions on medications, since these medications have a high sedative effect. With caution. They should be given to children.
- If the bite site is very itchy or itchy, you can use antipruritic gels and ointments (cynovit cream, fenistil).
Folk remedies for quickly treating cockroach bites are also very effective. You can apply a soda solution to the wound - dissolve a teaspoon of soda in 50 grams of warm water, moisten a napkin and apply to the affected area. Treatment of wounds from bites with boric acid has proven itself well. If the bite site aches, itches, or becomes inflamed, you can apply a cold compress to it.
It is strictly forbidden to lubricate wounds with iodine or a solution of brilliant green. Yes, these products disinfect and dry the skin well. But under the formed crust, inflammatory or purulent processes may begin to develop. And visualization of the damaged area will be significantly difficult due to the applied iodine or brilliant green.
Usually, the measures listed above are enough to forget about cockroach bites in a few days. But if the wound does not heal for a long time, inflammation begins to develop, and pus appears, then you need to consult a doctor. Usually such diseases are treated by a dermatologist. He will prescribe a set of medications that will help get rid of the problem.
Don't forget about one more danger. Very rarely, but there are still cases when an insect larva penetrates the bite site. It penetrates into the thickness of the skin and begins to parasitize. A red, convex spot appears on the skin, lymph is released from it, the affected area hurts, and inflammation develops. Here only a doctor will come to the rescue - the larva must be surgically removed in a hospital setting and an antiseptic bandage applied to the affected area. Sometimes it is recommended to take a course of antibiotics to prevent infection of the body. Do not try to remove the larva yourself using tweezers or sharp objects. After all, it is important to make sure that the body has been completely removed, otherwise the inflammation will not stop.
Important! You should try not to scratch the bite site. This is especially true for children. After all, even the smallest wound can be scratched to a huge size. In addition, dirt found under the nails can infect the bite site. Therefore, after treating the bite, you can cover the affected area with a paper bandage. Just don't leave it for long. It is necessary for the skin to breathe and dry.
What to do if you accidentally swallow a cockroach
Once in the oral cavity, food is coated with saliva, which is an enzyme for digestion and a special “lubricant” for easy sliding down the esophagus. If the insect is not sufficiently treated with the substance, then it will not be possible to swallow a live cockroach. The body will instantly react to a foreign object with a gag reflex. The eaten Prussian will not have time to reach the stomach and will fly out of the mouth with other food.
What to do if you accidentally had to eat a live cockroach:
- rinse the stomach with a weak solution of potassium permanganate;
- take disinfectant (absorbent) drugs.
It is necessary to respond in a timely manner to the appearance of parasites in the apartment. Modern insecticides, as well as other techniques, will quickly get rid of dangerous pests. Compliance with basic food storage rules will provide reliable protection for a person from an unpleasant incident.
How to poison cockroaches without getting poisoned yourself
There are rules to avoid intoxication for a person who has eaten domestic insects:
- treatment with insecticidal preparations is carried out while wearing a mask;
- you should work in rubber gloves, a hat and closed clothing;
- after the procedure is completed, textile items are washed;
- It is recommended to rinse the oral cavity and nose with water;
- insecticides are destroyed by alkali, so you should wash your hands with soap.
Worst outcome
Otolaryngologist, professor at the I.M. Sechenov University Yuri Ulyanov explained to “360” that the insect primarily injures the eardrum. Once inside the ear, it cannot find a way out.
“With their paws [insects] tear the skin of the ear canal, it is very thin, <...> and the inflammatory process of the entire passage begins,” he said, adding that in the worst case scenario, the membrane will simply burst.
If it is not possible to quickly seek help from a specialist, then you can resort to a long-known method: pour oil into your ear. The insect will suffocate, but it’s better not to reach it yourself - you can push it even further.
“The ear is rinsed with a stream of water - like a cerumen plug is rinsed. They direct the jet, it hits the membrane, comes back out and washes everything away,” Ulyanov noted.
Natural enemies
Some species of cockroaches are capable of moving quite quickly or even flying. This is why animals that eat these parasites must be fast and have good reactions. Answering the question of who eats cockroaches, it should be noted that in nature there are a huge number of natural enemies of longhorned beetles.
Who eats cockroaches from animals
Among mammals and birds there are many who want to feast on these insects, for example:
- Monkeys in the tropics eat cockroaches. To satisfy his hunger, a monkey needs to catch at least a dozen individuals.
- Hamsters and voles do not refuse to feast on barbels.
- A black or red specimen is a tasty protein food for a hedgehog.
- Birds often eat these insects in trees or catch them during short flights.
Insects
Who eats cockroaches from insects?
- The emerald wasp bites and injects poison into the arthropod, which paralyzes it. Then it takes the prey to its hole. After this, the wasp lays its eggs in the immobilized body. Then the hatched larvae are provided with food, as they feed on the insides of the parasite.
- Spiders feed on cockroaches, weave their webs and wait for prey in them.
- Dead longhorned beetles are excellent food for ants, which collect the remains into anthills for the larvae to eat.
- Praying mantises, which have the ability to turn their heads 180 degrees in search of prey, will also not refuse a cockroach. When the mantis finds its prey, it hides in ambush and waits for it. Since the praying mantis is very fast, the longhorned beetle has no chance of survival.
- Centipedes and house flycatchers, which are carnivores, eat not only fleas, fleas, bedbugs, but also other domestic parasites. They slowly eat their prey, as they first paralyze it using poisonous glands.
Interesting! Do cockroaches eat cockroaches? They can really calmly eat their fellow tribesmen - the weak individuals of the colony. Such cannibalism is usually associated with a lack of food. In favorable conditions they live quite peacefully.
