TOP 9: New facts about cockroaches that you would rather not know

Cockroaches are universally hated. What could be more disgusting than a cockroach? Even the most persistent can't help but grimace in disgust when they see these whiskered insects.

There are about 4,000 species of cockroaches in the world and about 30 of them live in our homes. Despite their relatively small size and our diligent efforts, these creatures have remarkable endurance.

How do cockroaches manage to survive and remain undetected? Here are these and other interesting facts about cockroaches.

Locust

Due to its speed, locusts are in 10th position in the ranking of the fastest insects in the world. The family of true locusts owes its name to the Turkic word for “yellow.” Swarms of locusts, whose bright colors periodically terrify farmers, can move at a speed of 20 km/h. At the same time, they devour everything in their path.

People know that locusts flock together when single individuals do not have enough food. Hunger forces millions of locusts to flock together and search for food, flying over distances of up to 100 km.

What to expect from cockroaches: benefit or harm

One thing is clear: cockroaches are of little use, in principle, as well as harm, except that the owners of the apartment will experience irritation from their importunity. Still, if there are cockroaches in the house, high-quality sanitary treatment will be required, otherwise they will not disappear anywhere.

Moreover, once may not be enough. They are also difficult to remove with poison, since this insect is surprisingly tenacious. Proof of this is the many examples of a cockroach living without a head, when it doesn’t even notice it, or in conditions of increased radiation, where other creatures die.

To finally get rid of cockroaches, you need to repeat the treatment of the room with special means over time, perhaps more than once.

Flea

Thanks to its jumping ability, the flea ranks eighth in the list of the fastest insects. Wild and domestic animals often suffer from wingless parasites of the order of blood-sucking fleas. From the ancient Greek language their name is translated as “pump”.

In the absence of wings, fleas have developed a unique jumping ability. Their muscles allow them to jump at speeds of almost 2 meters per second. Fleas are able to move very quickly across the body of an animal covered with thick fur.

Why do insects crawl on walls and ceilings?

Why do insects crawl on walls and ceilings?
The natural world, which man almost forgot about when immersed in the computer, is actually much more interesting. And it would be worth remembering about it not only when a fly lands on the screen or a cockroach crawls along the ceiling. Have you ever wondered why they can take such walks? Some witty thinkers say that cockroaches and flies are extraterrestrial creatures and such behavior is normal for them. We, in turn, will try to explain the technical side of the issue, in no way encroaching on the ufological version, but only reinforcing it. Let's talk about the most annoying ones first. Flies, according to scientists, have secretory outlets at the tips of their paws, through which a fatty, sticky substance is supplied, which “glues” the insect’s hairy paw to the surface. It’s unlikely that you haven’t seen the film “The Adventures of Shurik,” where he gets stuck in a tar puddle at a construction site. She holds his boots tightly. This substance works similarly. Only the fly makes tar puddles where it lands. She put the leg down, immediately made a puddle, stuck it and is already moving another one. All this happens in a split second. This is how a fly moves. Cockroaches or various beetles flying from windows move along our walls and ceilings with the help of “climbing equipment.” With hooks on their paws they cling to rough surfaces and thus plow through open spaces. But not a single climber is safe from a fragile stone, an unsuccessfully fastened hook, so cockroaches, like climbers, sometimes break loose and fall, fall into the field of vision of a person, become victims of circumstances and sneakers... And who knows, after which people invented mountain equipment and glue. So the next time an insect comes into your field of vision, think about its life, look for something unusual. Who knows what you will be able to invent in the modern world, thanks to some mosquito or centipede.

Source

Water strider

Water striders are known as the fastest insects that live on the surface of the water. These representatives of the suborder of bedbugs are capable of moving at a speed of 4-5 km/h

In full accordance with Cassier's law, unique microhairs located on the water strider's legs allow it to glide through the water. The body of the water strider remains completely dry. In slow motion footage, scientists observe the movement of a water strider, which evokes an association with the movements of a speed skater.

Can cockroaches run on the ceiling with their paws up?

Can household cockroaches crawl along the ceiling surface, that is, with all their legs up and their bodies down? Why? Another question is, do other domestic insects have this ability?

Cockroaches are a very ancient group of insects. The fossils found indicate that they lived in the Carboniferous and Permian periods of the Paleozoic era and remained almost unchanged for 300 million years. Cockroach legs have an amazing structure, and their adhesion to a smooth surface is ensured with the help of special suction cups that form a vacuum.

It is known that some insects that run on flat surfaces secrete sticky substances to maintain themselves in an upside-down position. It is possible that the cockroach runs, secreting a sticky substance, rather than sticking to the surface.

Many insects have this ability.

I don’t think cockroaches can confidently perform such a trick.

Yes, they run along the walls without difficulty, sometimes they even run along the ceiling, but they also often fall from there.

Although, maybe this is their “strategic idea” - to suddenly fall from the ceiling for something.

I know this story about bedbugs. The man in the hotel put all four legs of the bed in cans of kerosene so that bedbugs could not get to him from the floor. However, the bugs still somehow got in to him at night. And one day he saw how these bugs solved this problem. They climbed up the wall to the ceiling, then moved along it to a place above his bed and fell from the ceiling.

Hornet

The hornet ranks seventh in the top fastest insects in the world. This is what representatives of the genus of social wasps are called in Russia. The flight speed of hornets can reach 25-30 km/h.

The meaning of the word “hornet” leads to Indo-European roots. Biologists classify hornets as beneficial insects. They exterminate several hundred individuals of harmful insects. But they also kill honey bees.

Hornets feed on nectars and sugar-rich plants. They can often be observed on overripe fruits. There is a real danger of being stung when the hornet gnaws narrow tunnels in the juiciest fruits. They also hunt other insects of comparable size. When killing a victim, the hornet does not eat it, but turns it into a semi-liquid suspension and feeds it to the larvae.

Hawkmoth

These representatives of the order Lepidoptera have a flight speed of up to 54 km/h, thanks to which they occupy sixth place in the list of the fastest insects. Hawkmoths are known as the fastest butterflies. In some representatives of the species, the wingspan of adults reaches 150-160 millimeters.

Powerful muscles allow you to hover in the air. Therefore, hawk moths are often mistaken for small birds. With their proboscis reaching 20 cm in size, hawk moths bring great benefits to people by pollinating plants. There are hawk moths that prefer to hunt at night. Some representatives of the species are active during the day.

Bee

One of the fastest insects in the world is the well-known bee. From time immemorial, people have bred these beneficial insects. Honey produced by wild bees was the first delicacy of ancient people. Beekeeping is still an important branch of agriculture.

Delivering the collected nectar to the nest, the bee reaches speeds of up to 30 km/h. With a sac not filled with nectar, the flight speed reaches 50-60 km/h. This is comparable to the speed of many vehicles.

Biologists have calculated that to produce a kilogram of honey, a bee travels a distance of 400,000 kilometers. This is much longer than the length of the equator.

Bees produce several products that humans need. In addition to honey and wax, they supply us with beebread, propolis, royal jelly, etc. Even dead individuals are used as medicinal agents.

What you will need

Creating an unfriendly environment

• Broom
• Mop
• Vacuum cleaner
• Dust Broom
• All-purpose detergent
• Floor cloth
• Boxes with lid or bags with zipper
• Rake

Eliminating cockroaches

• Cypress oil
• Peppermint oil
• Water
• Household sprayer
• Coffee grounds
• Boxes
• Cigar trims
• Bay leaves
• mortar and pestle
• Soda
• Sugar
• A bowl
• Boric acid

Horseflies

These fast insects of the Diptera family are well known to rural residents. The flight speed of a common horsefly is 65 km/hour. Horseflies parasitize livestock, causing trouble for farmers. Scientists estimate that reindeer spend up to 40% of their time searching for food. The remaining 60% is used to find shelter from horse flies.

Horseflies are common on all continents. The exception is Antarctica.

Jumping beetle

The jumping beetle ranks third in the ranking of the fastest insects in the world. Representatives of the ground beetle subfamily are capable of more than just flight. They move quickly on the ground. Biologists call them the fastest land animals. When chasing prey, the jumping beetle is capable of moving at a speed of 2 m/s.

Villagers call jumping beetles beneficial insects. One adult destroys more than 400 pests.

The beetle flies short distances. Seeing danger, he instantly rises into the air and flies to a safe place. Horses obtain their main food on the ground, lying in wait for small insects and looking for larvae. The bright color of the horses' shells has made them desirable specimens in the collections of insect lovers.

TOP 9: New facts about cockroaches that you would rather not know

Cockroaches don't make people decide whether to love them or hate them. Most of us would dream of seeing every cockroach on the planet burn in the flames of hell. The only people who have a weird affinity for these insects are the “I feed them to my snakes” weirdos. This says a lot.

But there is a side to cockroaches that you probably didn't know about. The side you don't want to know. These running little insects are truly amazing creatures. There's a reason for the cliché that cockroaches will survive the apocalypse. That's because they're super terrible. And that's why…

9. Their milk could be the world's next superfood

There is one species of cockroach in the world whose females, contrary to God and all that is holy, give birth to live babies and actually produce milk for these creepy newborns. The Diploptera punctate species of cockroach receives a rich protein liquid from its mother that is four times richer in nutrients than cow's milk. And science believes that this “milk” could become the new superfood. For people.

One protein crystal of this cockroach milk contains three times more energy than buffalo milk. And buffalo milk is better than cow milk. Obviously, scientists know that creating cockroach milking facilities is a fool's errand, so they want to create the same protein crystals in the laboratory. The benefits are obvious: it's incredibly rich in calories and nutrients, and it's long-lasting, so your body will get the benefits when it needs it. Science believes that such crystals will be especially useful for poor countries, since they can provide a large amount of calories. Cockroach milk calories.

8. They can run at a speed of almost 5 km per hour. And even faster

Most cockroaches you encounter are scurrying, running creatures. As soon as you turn on the light, they rush in different directions. But if you witness a major invasion, they will not even consider it necessary to leave the room. They will stare at you as if you are trespassing on their territory. Perhaps they are right.

Most likely, you did not pay attention to the speed of their movement because you froze in horror. But they are very fast. Just unbelieveble. The speed of the cockroach was detected and it was almost 5 km per hour. You may have noticed that if you live in a cool enough climate, they usually don't unfurl their wings and fly. But if it's hot enough where you live, they can also fly.

7. Females can save sperm for later.

Like a group of girls fighting off a bunch of jerks at a club, female cockroaches are known to crowd together to fight off thirsty males. Since female cockroaches are larger, together they repel aggressive males who want to mate.

It turns out that females don't need males that much, period. Of course, they need males for mating, but even then they can take the male's sperm and store it in their bodies until a more opportune moment. In fact, in one mating they can produce so much sperm that they will never need to mate again in their lives (usually for about a year).

6. If you have termites, then you have cockroaches.

One of the common fears of those who buy a house is: will there be termites in the wood? Once they're there, who knows how much damage they've already done? Termites do not sleep, so they constantly feed on wood. Another interesting fact: some termite queens can lay up to 40,000 eggs per day. And here's another addition to your nightmares: termites are cockroaches!

Without any need other than to annoy ordinary people, science has discovered that termites are social cockroaches. Although there are certain differences in that termites, for example, build colonies, and cockroaches are less friendly, and they eat different things, science has long known that they are genetically related. The predilection of cockroaches for eating feces was the very fact with which science connected these types of insects. Scientists believe that long ago, their ancestors' ability to eat feces evolved into the ability to eat wood, leading to the evolution of termites.

5. They fart (a lot)

Of all the farting creatures that live in this world, insects seem to be the least prone to it. But, amazingly, they do it! Considering the size of their bodies, there are so many questions that arise. Can you hear them doing it? Do they giggle at their own farts? Do they smell bad?

Science has no answers to these questions. It is difficult to say whether the gases produced as a result of digestion actually come from the insect's anus. We know that cockroaches have intestines and anus, and that they sometimes release an insane amount of gas. One interesting piece of evidence that ancient cockroaches emitted gases is ancient cockroaches encased in amber surrounded by bubbles of their own gases.

4. You ate more of them than you think

When you hear about "acceptable levels" of pests and animal droppings in your food, this is something that has been scientifically measured and something that will not harm you. Food products may contain insect parts and, in some cases, insect heads. Spices like oregano and cinnamon seem to be particularly rich in insect limbs and bodies.

Cockroaches are very good at finding food, so they often become part of it. They secrete special chemicals to “recommend” to their relatives the newest “restaurants” nearby. As we have already said, cockroaches are usually not dangerous to humans, but sometimes they can create certain health problems. Crushed cockroach parts in chocolate cause allergic reactions that most medical professionals have previously attributed to the ingredients in the chocolate. In most cases, it turns out that cockroach parts were the cause.

3. They have their own "neighborhoods"

In the vast New York City there are many different, distinct areas. They vary in landscape, topography, local population and other factors. They smoothly flow into each other, but each has its own character. Oddly enough, urban cockroaches have similarities with them.

Just like individual areas, the cockroaches in some of them are distinct and do not extend beyond this radius. Moreover, they may recognize that other cockroaches are “native” to other areas. And although they are known to mate with each other, they prefer to stay in their own "neighborhoods." It's pretty cute.

2. China has huge cockroach farms

There is a huge food waste problem in the world. And China is no exception. There is a real crisis there because too much food is going to landfills. And all this can only rot. But what to do with an incredible amount of food? Beijing alone accounts for 9 million tons of food waste per year. What did they come up with? You are reading an article about cockroaches. So of course their proposed answer is an unrealistic number of cockroaches.

To solve this problem, billions and billions of cockroaches are being raised throughout China. On one particularly busy farm, more than a billion cockroaches can deal with about 50 tons of food waste a day. There are other ways to use the cockroaches in these huge cockroach farms, such as to create cosmetics or as livestock feed, but just imagine a billion cockroaches feasting on rotting waste and save your lunch.

1. They practically defy the laws of physics when they walk upside down.

If you're looking for a ninja from the insect world, the cockroach is a great choice. They manage to do a great job of avoiding any moves you make that could result in their death, and that's partly because they're tiny and fast and can squeeze into tight holes, but that's not all.

The ability of a cockroach to run to the edge and then quickly roll over and disappear may seem like something normal, but in fact the laws of physics come into play. The cockroach grabs the edge of the ledge with its tiny claws on its hind legs, and then, like a pendulum, makes a 180-degree flip and ends up upside down, under the ledge. Scientists couldn't understand the complexity of this movement until they used high-speed cameras. The cockroach looks like a small, shiver-inducing ballerina.

Cockroach

The cockroach quite unexpectedly takes second place in the top fastest insects. Representatives of this superorder are among the most ancient animals. Scientists believe that cockroaches have existed for millions of years. They successfully adapted to external conditions and survived to this day. There are 55 species of cockroaches living in Russia.

Scientists suggest that the name comes from the Chuvash word for “runaway.” This word captures the very essence. Fleeing from danger, the cockroach reaches a speed of 5.4 km/h, which is equal to 50 body lengths. Considering the size of the cockroaches, this is a record figure.

Where do cockroaches live in an apartment?

These insects prefer to live in dark and damp places, with a close source of water and food. Therefore, their favorite places to live in the apartment are the kitchen and bathroom.

Most often, they hide in groups under baseboards, in cabinets for dishes or food, under ventilation grilles, sinks, bathtubs, behind the stove and refrigerator. During the day, insects sit in their shelters and are active at night. If they often run around the apartment even during the day, it means that their population is already large and it is urgent to take radical measures.

You can determine the nest of cockroaches by a large amount of their excrement, remains of molted parts of the body and empty ootheca, as well as the presence of larvae.

Dragonfly

Dragonflies are the fastest insects in the world. These predatory insects can reach speeds of up to 100 km/h. Today, 6,000 species of dragonflies have been described. Every year the list is replenished with new species.

Recently, biologists discovered an interesting fact. It turns out that the dragonfly does not catch up with its prey. She intercepts it at the point where the prey will be after some time. Calculating the interception point requires coordinating the distance, direction and speed of the prey's movement. Today, only powerful computers are able to instantly determine the interception point.

Animals Nature

How to fight on your own

Cockroaches can sometimes be destroyed on your own. To do this, use gels, aerosols, trap tablets and various types of poison that dissolve in water.

Gels contain poison, bait and a fatty substance that gives the product a liquid state and prevents it from drying out. Some gels have ingredients added that cause rejection in pets.

Cockroaches go to the bait, eat the insecticidal gel and carry the poison away on their paws. When an infected cockroach dies, others eat it. This is how the poison spreads throughout the colony. Cockroaches begin to die within 1-2 days after treating the apartment with gel. Manufacturers say that in general the gels last up to two months.