Currently, scientists know about the existence of more than 7,000 species of cockroaches. According to their calculations, cockroaches lived on our planet 500 million years ago, long before the appearance of dinosaurs. They were able to survive many mass extinctions because they are not afraid of radiation, can go without food for months, and are generally very tenacious. In some countries, cockroaches are eaten, but mostly they only cause disgust in people. When we see a cockroach, most of us try to squash it with a slipper. It may seem that our lives would be much better without them. However, if cockroaches go completely extinct, many species of animals on our planet will also disappear . But what could be the connection between cockroaches and the lives of other animals?
Cockroaches are one of the most resilient creatures on our planet. And this is good
Interesting fact: fear of insects, including cockroaches, is called insectophobia . There is a theory that this phobia was passed down to us from distant ancestors who lived in caves and did not know that insect bites could be fatal.
Viability of a cockroach when decapitated
Recently, another theory has been confirmed. Scientists have proven that the life of a cockroach continues for quite a long time after decapitation. This is how they differ from warm-blooded creatures. If a warm-blooded creature is decapitated, there will be a large loss of blood and a significant decrease in blood pressure. Because of this, oxygen and nutrients will not reach the internal organs of the body. The body of a warm-blooded creature is controlled by the brain, and breathing is carried out through the mouth and nose.
Cockroaches have a different body structure. There is no network of blood vessels and no pressure to pump blood through the vessels, since the circulatory system is open with low pressure. If an insect is decapitated, the blood will clot in the neck area, but there will be no bleeding.
The insect's brain is not involved in the breathing process, since cockroaches breathe through small holes in each part of the body. Oxygen enters the internal organs not through the blood, but through the trachea. Insects need much less food. Therefore, an insect can live for many weeks on a supply of food eaten at one time.
Cockroaches have ganglion cells that can function as a nervous system. Therefore, the insect body can live, demonstrating the simplest reactions.
Insect extinction
You might think that cockroaches are of no use. But in fact they are very important and if they are destroyed, we will face difficult times. A chain reaction will occur, where after the death of insects, the population of birds and rodents will first be reduced, and then larger animals. It is important to note that these creatures will not be completely erased from the face of our planet. It’s just that without cockroaches their lives will become much more difficult than they are now.
Birds are natural enemies of cockroaches
This is due to their food preferences. Cockroaches are food for many birds and rodents. If insects disappear, some species of small animals will starve. Everything will depend on their habitat. If there are other food sources like worms and edible vegetation, everything is fine. But if animals live in places where they have nothing to eat except cockroaches, problems cannot be avoided. And if bird and rodent populations decline, cats, wolves and birds of prey will starve. Eventually their population will decline as well.
Other animals may suffer due to the extinction of cockroaches
Cockroaches and water
Water is vital for insects. An injured cockroach will survive if it can reach a water source. This source could be water in a flower pot, water in a sink, or a small drop on the floor.
People have been killing cockroaches for a long time, cutting off their path to water. An effective way to combat cockroaches in a modern apartment is to fix all the taps, plug the drain and wipe the sink dry. If there are flowers in the house, then they need to be watered in the morning.
Life cycle of cockroaches
Almost all species of cockroaches are oviparous insects. A female cockroach only needs one contact with a male for her to fertilize and lay eggs repeatedly.
There are several stages of development of cockroaches:
- formation of the larva (inside the egg);
- nymph (larva);
- adult cockroach (imago).
Cockroaches do not have a stage at which the larvae turn into pupae, which is characteristic of most arthropods. This development cycle is considered incomplete.
Almost before the appearance of the nymphs, the female carries eggs with future larvae in a reservoir (ootheca) adapted for this purpose, located on her stomach. When the larvae are fully formed, it dumps it in an inaccessible place, protected from outside interference.
The speed of development and appearance of the nymph depends on the room temperature and relative air humidity - the larva will hatch from the egg faster at higher levels. Before turning into an adult, it molts several times, while the color of the insect darkens each time, and the shell becomes harder.
Insects have different lifespans. For example, for red cockroaches, which are called Prussians, on average it varies from 10 months to 12, and black cockroaches live from one and a half to two years.
Folk remedies for fighting cockroaches
- Insects cannot tolerate low temperatures; in a cold room they are less active, and die at -8°C. To kill insects, it is recommended to open nano-windows during the cold season.
- Boric acid is poisonous to cockroaches, and relatively safe for people and pets. It is best for her to treat those places where insects have access to water.
- When washing floors, you can add ammonia to the water, since cockroaches cannot tolerate this smell.
Cockroaches are not as viable as they seem at first glance. Many methods have been invented to destroy them; all that remains is to choose the appropriate option if such a problem arises.
Factors influencing the life of cockroaches
Life expectancy is influenced by environmental conditions and how cockroaches live: temperature, amount of water and food.
The answer to the question of how long cockroaches live without food may surprise many, because they can easily survive for a long time without food:
- “red” individuals – 40-50 days;
- black – up to 70.
This is explained by the structure of the body. Insects are cold-blooded, so they do not need energy to warm their bodies, and if there is a lack of food, they simply wait for a more favorable moment to feed. Therefore, the period of how many days cockroaches live without food can be so long.
Cockroach and food
Interesting!
The only thing that can kill a cockroach during prolonged fasting is infection by mold or other microorganisms.
Temperature conditions are of great importance for life: optimally +20ºС and above, but they cannot withstand the cold: already at -1 ºС the parasites die, which is often used in the fight against cockroaches, using freezing of the room.
Habitats and habits
Many people know firsthand about cockroaches, because these insects can be found both in a city apartment and in a country house. They like human habitation as a habitat because insects like warmth and nearby water sources. It is water that cockroaches look for first, which is why they most often settle in the kitchen and bathroom.
These insects are nocturnal, and while all the inhabitants of the house are sleeping, cockroaches can feast on crumbs that were left on the kitchen table or floor in the evening. During the day, they leave the hole only when all the individuals can no longer fit into it. The appearance of insects during the day serves as a signal that it is time to get rid of them. But for this event to be successful, you need to know their habitats.
So, cockroaches can be found:
- Behind and under the refrigerator;
- In the trash can;
- Under the bathtub or sink;
- Behind pipes and under baseboards;
- Behind kitchen cabinets or in mechanisms to secure cabinet doors.
- Bread crumbs and flour products;
- Beer;
- Sugar and sweets;
- Meat;
- Spoiled food;
- Napkins and toilet paper;
- Glue and wallpaper;
- Newspapers, magazines and books;
- Underwear and socks.
You can detect these places, even if the cockroaches themselves are not there at the moment, by the characteristic smell and black spots of feces.
Insects prefer to eat foods containing organic substances in large quantities.
These include:
Medicinal properties
The first person to write about the benefits of cockroaches for humans was in the 19th century. journalist Lafcadio Hearn. He published his travel notes in the newspaper, where he mentioned anti-spasmodic tea from Prussians, which the residents of New Orleans (USA) have long prepared.
Medicinal properties
A few more healing properties of cockroaches and their benefits:
- The chitin coating contains substances that can kill bacteria. Due to this, they are used in pharmaceuticals as natural antibiotics.
- Cockroach syrup is used to treat gastroenteritis, an infectious disease that causes inflammation in the stomach and intestines.
- In Chinese hospitals, doctors use cockroach powder ointment to treat burns.
- A study by biological scientists has shown that cockroach brain contains a component that can destroy E. coli, pathogenic bacteria that cause diarrhea and other problems in the body.
- The great Russian doctor Botkin, at the beginning of the 20th century, prepared drugs with a diuretic effect from cockroaches and used them in the treatment of kidney diseases.
Moreover, every time bed bugs have just been disinfested somewhere, they seem to disappear. But time passes, and bedbugs may appear again, as if nothing had happened. But no one knows why. By the way, just a couple of years ago it was believed that the problem with insects in apartments had been solved once and for all. And then the world did not begin to fall apart. Even environmentalists did not sound the alarm. But before people had time to breathe a sigh of relief, they were surprised to again find Prussians on the walls of their kitchens.
With other insects everything is clear. Even if people don’t really like them and are generally afraid of them - for example, wasps (meetings with them are not particularly pleasant), but at least they pollinate flowers. It's scary to imagine a world without wasps and bees. But no one will miss cockroaches for sure! They just eat up crumbs after people! They even learned to eat cardboard. And it would seem that there could be something nutritious in cardboard...
How many times have you heard the version that after a nuclear explosion, when all life on the planet dies, cockroaches and bedbugs will live. Moreover, the most vile of their species are domestic ones. So, maybe this is the meaning of their presence on the planet? Maybe this is the great mission of cockroaches - to continue life on earth when everything else dies? They must be the future?
But the service for exterminating cockroaches and bedbugs does not think so. Therefore, he fights every day with this silent enemy, whose army surpasses any human one, both in numbers and survivability. The worst thing is that between people and the same cockroaches there is a real arms race, like between the USSR and the USA during the Cold War.
No matter how many methods and chemicals scientists invent, in just a year the body of this insect will develop an immunity that is consolidated over generations, capable of resisting the poison that was so effective just recently. But specialists do not despair and are working to destroy the terrible enemy. And it is unknown whether this life-and-death battle will ever end.
What is the average lifespan of an adult cockroach
The cockroach order contains almost 5,000 different species and the lifespan of each of them can vary greatly from each other. The lifespan of representatives of different species can range from several months to several years.
The most frequent “guests” in human homes are red Prussians and black cockroaches. The lifespan of Prussians can reach 8-10 months, but black cockroaches can live 1-2 years. As for cockroaches living in the wild, the age of adult individuals of certain species can reach from 4 to 8 years. It is worth noting that insects that are kept in comfortable conditions as pets live 2-3 times longer than usual.
Cockroaches at all stages of development.
How to prevent insects
Cockroaches can appear in the house for various reasons. They run from neighboring apartments, enter the apartment with products or equipment purchased in the store, and crawl along risers from basements and boiler rooms.
The life cycle of insects is closely related to water, food and external temperature, so to reduce the likelihood of cockroaches you need to:
- Use tightly closed containers for storing food and do not leave them in the open;
- cover the ventilation holes with nets, treat cracks and crevices;
- use a trash can with a sealed lid and take out the trash daily;
- water the flowers in the first half of the day so that the liquid from the trays has time to evaporate before the evening;
- wash dishes immediately after use, carefully removing any remaining food and grease from the sink;
- Wipe kitchen surfaces and plumbing fixtures dry, and make sure that no water drips from the taps.
In addition, it is important to regularly clean and ventilate the room. In unsanitary conditions, insects multiply faster, so keeping your apartment clean is the best preventive measure against cockroaches.
conclusions
Let's summarize how long cockroaches live at home:
- natural death of a cockroach occurs after 9-30 months;
- if you deprive a cockroach of food and water, it will die in 3-70 days;
- With the help of cold you can destroy the Prussians in 1 minute.
Many users are concerned about the question: how long will it take to notice the effect of independent extermination measures? If the number of cockroaches is low, it will take about 2 months to completely eradicate them. If insects have massively infested a multi-story building, it is better to immediately prepare for a long and difficult fight. The effect of disinfestation in this case will be achieved after monthly treatments for 3-6 months.
The easiest way to instantly kill a cockroach is to order professional treatment of the room using the cold or hot fog method from SES Dez Group. What is the advantage of this approach?
- The insecticide is sprayed in the form of small drops and penetrates into all hard-to-reach areas where insects hide.
- The prolonged effect of the drug protects against repeated invasion of cockroaches for up to 40 days and destroys young individuals that appeared after treatment.
- If necessary, service specialists will carry out repeated disinsection free of charge.
- Processing one apartment takes 1.5-2 hours.
- Certified insecticides are safe for humans and pets and have been proven effective against cockroaches in tests.
For detailed information, contact the consultant of SES "Des Group" by phone or email.
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Effect of temperature on insects
Temperature influences the activity of barbels. Arthropod pests are attracted to warmth, which is why they move into apartments and country houses. Insects are active if the temperature varies in the range of +2 - +28 degrees. It’s always warm in living quarters, which is why Prussians settle next to people.
To reduce the life expectancy of cockroaches, it is necessary to reduce the temperature in the apartment to -5 degrees. Within half an hour, the vital functions of the barbels slow down and stop completely. If the temperature drops to -10 - -15 degrees, then the death of the Prussians occurs much faster.
High temperature also has an impact on the life processes of arthropod pests. If you raise the temperature to 28–30 degrees, the barbel will begin to lose moisture, which is difficult for them to do without. Therefore, some housewives use boiling water to fight.
How do cockroaches survive in unfavorable conditions?
Difficult periods can occur for everyone, including domestic Prussians. In this case, life expectancy becomes an order of magnitude shorter. In extreme conditions they survive, but only for a certain period.
How to get rid of black cockroaches forever read the article here.
A tropical climate or life in southern latitudes allows insects not to be afraid of temperature changes. But in the middle zone they are often forced to endure inconveniences, for example, when the heating is turned off. If the temperature is reduced to -5, the insects die immediately, although this will require risking the entire heating system.
Help: As you know, even radiation does not kill pests. In reality this is not the case. The dose of radiation that an insect can withstand is 15 times greater than that of a human, and yet it is not infinite. If an insect is irradiated for a long time or strongly, it will also die.
Can a cockroach live without a head?
Existence without a head
No matter how strange it may sound, cockroaches can actually exist for some time without a head. This is primarily due to the structure and location of the vital organs of the insect.
Breath
The respiratory organs of cockroaches are in no way connected to the head. They receive oxygen through special holes located throughout the body. Therefore, losing the head will not affect the breathing process in any way.
Circulation
As for blood circulation, the circulatory system of cockroaches is not closed, so cutting off the head does not cause rapid blood loss and the body continues to function normally.
The main reason why a headless cockroach dies is dehydration. In the laboratory, the headless insects sealed the wound with dental wax to prevent moisture loss and contamination by bacteria or infection. Such cockroaches were able to live without a head for 2-3 weeks. In the natural environment, the death of a headless insect will occur faster, in about 5-10 days.
Headless cockroaches die from dehydration.
