20 interesting facts about cockroaches. Is it true that cockroaches die lying on their backs? Heat treatment of the dwelling

Cockroaches are very tenacious animals. But, like all living organisms, they are mortal.

At what temperature do cockroaches die

Cockroaches die from -10 and after +60 degrees Celsius.

Without water and food

In the absence of water and moisture, death occurs within a month. In the absence of food, after about 40 days.

When exposed to light

They really do not like direct exposure to sunlight, this can cut their life expectancy in half.

Why do cockroaches die on their backs?

There are two main reasons why a dead cockroach ends up on its back:

The death of a cockroach is accompanied by a muscle spasm, as a result of which the insect turns over on its back;
Cockroaches are not at all accustomed to living on flat and smooth surfaces, and it is very difficult for even a healthy cockroach to roll back onto its paws. Therefore, the unfortunate person dies of thirst and hunger.

How long after sanitation do cockroaches die

It depends on what means were used.

If these are acute poisons. Then when it hits directly on insects, death occurs in about 10 minutes. If not, then within two weeks.

If agents such as gels, traps, or anything similar edible were used, then death occurs within 21 days. Someone will die in a week, someone in three. There are drugs that prevent reproduction, this mechanism inside the body of cockroaches turns on in the second week, so these drugs kill them in the second week!

There are means by which cockroaches infect each other. Complete disappearance occurs in about 15 days.

How long can cockroaches stay underwater?

Cockroaches drown in water, cannot stay on it for a long time and swim rather poorly. Since cockroaches, after all, are arid insects. In water, cockroaches can stay without air for about 6 minutes.

Well, cockroaches have almost no chance if you poison them and fight them.

Joseph G. Kunkel - U. Massachusetts Amherst Professor of Biology. His laboratory is engaged in scientific research related to the structure, function and changes of proteins during animal development. For some research, the laboratory uses cockroaches. On The Cockroach FAQ page, Professor Joseph Kunkel answers some questions about these insects. Now you can see 73 questions there, to which complete, reasonable and interesting answers are given. A large part of the questions is connected ... with the breeding of cockroaches. Yes, some types of cockroaches are kept in apartments for decorative purposes or as food for reptiles. We have dared to translate some of the answers that allow you to take a fresh look at some persistent misconceptions - can a cockroach live without a head, for example. Or is it true that cockroaches are not afraid of radiation?

When we sleep, they are active; when they sleep, we are active. How convenient!

Question 5. Are cockroaches resistant to radiation?

You can often hear that cockroaches are very resistant to radiation, and after a world nuclear war, only cockroaches will survive. But I have not seen a single publication that discusses this authoritatively enough. I can only give my own opinion. I used gamma irradiation to irradiate cockroaches and plotted kills. I have not compared the resistance of cockroaches to any other organism using the same equipment and thus cannot comment on any relative resistance based on hard data. My opinion is that insects in general would be relatively more resistant to radiation than non-insects, or to be precise, non-arthropods. The lives of insects and other arthropods revolve around their molting cycles. During the molting cycle, insect cells usually divide only once. This is supported by Diar's rule: insects double their weight with each molt, and hence their cells need only divide once per molt.

Please note: cells are most sensitive to radiation during division. This is the reason radiation is used to kill cancer cells. Cancer cells tend to divide more frequently than other cells in our body. Using certain doses of radiation, you will kill more cancer cells than normal cells. At the right dose with the "right" cancer, you can kill all the cancer cells while only killing some of the most rapidly dividing normal cells (i.e., our immune system's bone marrow cells and tissue-generating red blood cells).

So, if a typical cockroach only molts once a week, its cells usually only divide in a 48-hour period during that week. This means that about 3/4 of cockroaches will not have cells that are particularly sensitive to radiation at any given time. If cockroaches and the human population are exposed to lethal radiation, then 3/4 of cockroaches can continue to exist, while none of the people will be able to survive, because our blood and immune stem cells are dividing all the time. If the lethal radiation continued continuously, all animals with dividing cells would die.

Question 6. Why do cockroaches die lying on their backs?

First, only a small number of cockroaches in the wild die lying on their backs. The natural death of a cockroach can be considered death in the stomach of a bird, bat, or other small animal.

Secondly, cockroaches are not adapted to living on a smooth marble floor or laminate. Initially, they are more accustomed to rough terrain: foliage, sticks, other plant debris. Thus, when a cockroach is on its back (with some kind of orientation error), it will most likely not be able to assume a normal position if there is no debris around to grab onto with its feet. (Try laying the cockroach on its back on a smooth floor with or without some crumpled paper.)

Thirdly, in buildings, we most often encounter dead cockroaches that have died from insecticide. Most of these insecticides are chlorine-containing nerve agents. The active ingredient often inhibits cholinesterase, an enzyme that breaks down acetylcholine (Acetulcholinum), a neurotransmitter. An excess of acetylcholine in the cockroach's nervous system causes muscle spasms, which often end with the cockroaches rolling over onto their backs. The lack of control over muscle coordination leads to the fact that the cockroach cannot take the opposite position, and ultimately dies in the “upside down” position.

Question 7. I read an article in the newspaper about children being rushed to the hospital with cockroach bites. Do cockroaches bite people?

The cockroach is an omnivore, meaning it eats everything edible of animal and plant origin. If we don't move too much during sleep, they may very well try to chew on our earlobes at night. At the same time, cockroaches are rarely aggressive enough to attack people during the day when we are awake. Years ago, while visiting Tulane University in New Orleans, I slept in a dorm room and cockroaches flew from the ceiling down on my head. I think those big American cockroaches (Periplaneta Americana) would be able to take a decent bite out of me.

Only larger species will be able to bite through our skin. Of course, children's skin is much more delicate and therefore more vulnerable to cockroach bites.

Question 8. What is the most non-toxic way to kill cockroaches? I have a five-year-old boy and a pet rat, both climb everywhere.

I often repeat that I am not interested in the death of cockroaches, but in obtaining information about their lifestyle and physiology. However, I understand that for most people, the destruction of cockroaches is more important, because these insects do not live in the house. In addition, cockroaches can contribute to the development of asthma in children.

I came across the following methods of killing cockroaches that do not use any chemicals:

Boric acid
Boric acid crystals have sharp edges. The small size allows the crystals to easily penetrate between the joints of the exoskeleton (external skeleton) of the insect. The sharp crystals wear away the skin, causing the cockroach to lose water and die of dehydration. This is an easy and cheap way. Sprinkle boric acid (which is relatively non-toxic) in the corners of rooms and in secluded areas frequented by cockroaches.
A more expensive industrial version of this method is called Permadust. This is finely ground ruby dust, which performs the same function as boric acid crystals, but has a longer effect.
Dried carcasses of cockroaches you will find later in various secluded places and in the open space, where cockroaches made their last steps in search of water. Boric acid is easy to wash off if you want to get rid of it.

Live fishing
Take a cup or bottle with a wide neck that has steep walls; lightly grease the inner walls with Vaseline to the top so that the cockroach cannot climb the slippery surface. Place the container somewhere hidden, such as under the kitchen sink. Put some food (bread, carrots, etc.) in the bottom of the bottle, as well as a piece of an old towel soaked in water. On the outside, to the edge of the bottle, build several bridges with the help of scraps of towels, this will help cockroaches easily get into the cup. A simple trap overnight will collect a fine example of your home population of cockroaches. Remove them for sanitary purposes by flushing down the toilet every morning. Soon the cockroach population will be low enough that you may not notice.

The latter method, among other things, will provide your son with a place where he can get acquainted with the local fauna, and your pet rat with non-toxic nutritious food. I wouldn't be surprised if a domestic rat ate a couple of captives, which are an excellent source of protein and vitamins.

Question 9: I am graduating from Assumption University (Thailand) doing research on the life cycle of the American cockroach. I would like more information on the following topics:
1 - how long the female cockroach is in a state of pregnancy; can she be pregnant again after she gives birth to the first shell (ootheca) with eggs? How many shells can be produced in a certain period of time;
2 - how many eggs are in each shell;
3 - how many times the nymph can change the skeleton; how long it takes for this shift the first time; and how long she can change the skeleton again after the first change;
4 - what is the size and weight of the nymph at the age of 6 months and 8 months;
5 - At what age can a female cockroach mate with a male for the first time.
Miss Rivadi Nopsuvanchai.

My goal was to grow as many P. americana as possible in as short a time as possible. If the ambient temperature is different from 30°C, the results of the experiment will be different. My approach to rearing cockroaches was to get a large number of insects of the same stage and same age, and therefore I introduced a method of regulating the availability of food to ensure the synchronous development of the larval stages.
Using a similar approach, I obtained the following information about the size of the P. americana stage (i.e., the size of each molting cycle).

25+ | m m | m f f | (m/f=31%/20%)* | (m/f=68%/70%)* 20 + (m/f=1%/4%)* | | n | f | n 15 + n D | o o H | E | o | 10 + o o | o o o | o o o | | 5 +___|___|___|___|___|___|___|___|___|___| 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 molt

o - molt larva - larva
n - molt "larva - nymph"
f - molt "nymph - adult female"
m - molt "nymph - adult male"
* - percentage of f or m to adults of this molt
DAYS = days from feeding to ecdysis

If you can read this graph, which represents the length of each stage from the time of the first feeding to the actual ecdysis (change of the old coat), you can add the days that would have passed from hatching to adulthood. So, for example, 70 percent of females need 9 molting cycles to reach the adult stage: (8+8+8.5+9+9.5+10+12+16+23) = 104 days.

Such an adult female could live as an adult, perhaps a year longer. All this takes place at 30°C, the optimum temperature for growth and reproduction. If you wanted to slow down the process, you could lower the temperature to 25°C and you would double all the times (approximately).

It takes about 9 days for an adult female to produce an ootheca containing approximately 12-16 eggs. If the female has constant access to food, she can ootheca every 2-3 days at 30°C. A freshly hatched larva weighs about 2 mg and doubles its weight with each larva-larva molt. Thus, after the 1st molt, the larva weighs 4 mg, after molting 2 - 8 mg, and so on. Weight for a typical adult female is given in Kunkel (1966). You should refer to it in your research article. The weight is reduced during the larva-nymph and nymph-adult molts, as more energy is invested in the transformation to the adult form.

You can do all your necessary calculations from the data above, but this would not be a simple addition since most cockroach species do not mutate to the adult stage in one single stage.
Some calculations would require the use of a percentage that would change with each molt. Good luck!

Question 11: Terry Lam asks: I was told that lobsters are "cockroaches of the sea." So I decided that cockroaches are crustaceans. It's right? And if not, what is the relationship between a cockroach and a lobster?

Terry, as a lobster and cockroach lover, I can give you a fairly authoritative answer. If you look at the evolutionary tree (Tree of Life) (Type Arthropoda), you will see that cockroaches are insects (class Six-legged) and lobsters are decapod crustaceans (class Crustaceans). Thus, these are two different groups in the same type.

You can climb up the tree to see how Arthropods are related to other animals.

In addition to the classification, which reflects the evolutionary relationship of the lobster and cockroach, the term "cockroaches of the sea" bears traces of the behavior of lobsters - omnivorous animals that feed on garbage. Cockroaches eat almost anything organic, and so do lobsters. They clean up dead and dying plants in their environment.

And these are excellent tasting lobsters?

Question 12: Birger Horsbrough writes: I heard somewhere that if you find a cockroach in your house, it means that you have a clean house. Are cockroaches really clean animals?

Birger, these rumors, like many, are "both right and wrong."

Cockroaches clean themselves very conscientiously, as do most insects, so that their sensitive bristles on their legs and body surfaces are ready to sense any sign of water, food, mate or enemy. Thirst, hunger, sex and security rule the cockroach's life. The cockroach, despite its formidable appearance, is not a collection of viruses and bacteria. However, the gastrointestinal tract of a cockroach can harbor all the diseases that exist in the house or in the neighborhood. They are omnivores, and would equally enjoy a bite of a dead mouse, a piece of fallen cheese, or your house plant. Often they defecate next to food or into food while eating, so they are more likely to pass on the organisms of their gastrointestinal tract to the food they eat and the surfaces they walk on and defecate.

Although cockroaches keep their bodies clean for their own protection, they can never become litterbox-trained animals. Think of them like an eternal puppy. The puppy will instinctively groom itself, but if it is not in a natural forest, both the walking area and the house will serve as a toilet in equal measure.

You can keep your house spotlessly clean, but if there are cockroaches in the building, they will be scouring for food and water, and your room or kitchen/pantry may be the best place to find the small amounts of food they need to survive. If you occasionally see one cockroach, this may be a sign that the population is low because there is very little food waste around.

I hope this clears up the rumors.

Question 13: Lara Beatty from Calgary, Canada writes:
A friend and I were discussing cockroaches the other day and she claims that a cockroach can live without a head for about 6 years. Is it really true?

Answer: Lara, that's not true. However, your friend is right that a cockroach could live without a head for quite a long time, perhaps a month. The reasons why we need a head for basic survival are:

We breathe through our mouth or nose, and the rhythm of breathing is controlled by our brain. Cutting off the head would interfere with breathing, although theoretically this could be solved using special devices.
Cutting off the head could lead to loss of blood and a decrease in blood pressure, which would result in death as a result of insufficient transport of oxygen and blood supply to our tissues.
Cutting off the head would prevent us from getting food, and we would starve to death pretty soon.

All of these causes for death are absent in cockroaches and many animals in general:

Cockroaches breathe through spiracles that are found in every part of the body, and the blood does not carry oxygen to the tissues. The spiracles deliver air to every cell in the body through a series of tubes called tracheae. The brain does not control breathing through the spiracles.
A cockroach does not have blood pressure like a mammal does, and thus cutting off the head does not lead to uncontrolled bleeding.
The cockroach is cold-blooded. Cockroaches need much less food, and one day's worth of food would be enough for them to live for a whole month with not very much activity. Without a head, a cockroach would just sit in one place, doing nothing.

These reasons, along with the cool temperature, could allow a cockroach to live for about a month without needing a head, provided it is not infected with mold, bacteria, or a virus, which could kill it prematurely.

Question 14: Elaine and son write:
We're trying to figure out if common cockroaches (let's say American ones) can have a language or make sounds. This topic is not presented anywhere, all that we could find was the sounds of running cockroaches.

Answer: Elaine and son, ordinary house cockroaches do not communicate with each other through sound at all, as far as I know. Of course, there are several thousand species, and I am directly familiar with only about 35 species.

There is one species of cockroach Gromphadorhina that is known for hissing. This hiss is loud enough to startle the dog. The hissing cockroach is one of the cockroaches commonly bred by hobbyists.

Another species of Oxyhaloinae commonly bred in laboratories, Leucophaea maderae, also makes a chirping sound when touched. This is done, most likely, in order to scare those who want to eat Leucophaea maderae, and not in order to warn their compatriots.

If you have questions related to pest control, please give us a call.

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The cockroach has existed on earth for more than 300 million years in its unchanged form, this is evidenced by the fossils of cockroaches and the well-preserved ancestors of cockroaches that died and were sealed several million years ago in amber.

scientific classification
Kingdom: Animals
Type: Arthropod
Class: Insects
Subclass: Open jaw
Infraclass: Winged insects
Superorder: Polyneoptera
Detachment: Cockroaches
Suborder: Cockroach

Scientists have established:

There are over 4,500 species in the world; especially numerous in the tropics and subtropics. 55 species inhabit the territory of the former USSR.
Cockroaches are considered harmful insects, because. they carry the infection and spoil the plants.
Cockroaches are among the hardiest insects: they can live a month without food and a week without water; they are able not to breathe for up to 45 minutes, so as not to evaporate the water in the body in the absence of the possibility of replenishing it; they can live without a head for several weeks, after which they die of hunger.
Cockroaches are considered nocturnal creatures, but they are not afraid of sunlight.
Cockroaches are afraid of humans.
One of the main reasons why cockroaches disgust us is that they are ubiquitous and amazingly survivable.
The female cockroach is capable, after one conception from the outside, to conceive on her own several more times, she knows how to save the seed.

1. Flying cockroaches
A cockroach evokes a squeamish feeling in many when you see it on the floor or on the wall. And when he also flies, he does not feel at all. But nature, apparently, took care of man in this as well, since there is only one species of flying cockroaches - Megaloblatta longipennis, which has wings. They are quite large - 185 millimeters. Flying cockroaches live mainly in Central and South America.

2. Cockroaches and global warming
Cockroaches release gases every 15 minutes. After death, they continue to release gases for another 18 hours. In total, the gases emitted by all insects in the world account for 20% of all methane emitted on earth. Cockroach gases occupy the most significant place in these 20 percent, which means that their “contribution” to the global warming of the planet is not at all small. Termites and cows are also significant contributors to warming.

3. Cockroaches die on their backs
If a cockroach falls on its back, out of the blue (for example, on the floor), it can no longer roll over by itself and dies. If he falls somewhere on the ground, leaves, grass, branches or pebbles can help him catch on and be able to roll over. Therefore, pesticide killers contain substances that paralyze the muscles of insects.

3. International name for cockroaches
The international name of the cockroach "cucaracha" of Spanish origin. It pumped into English as early as the beginning of the 17th century, precisely for the name of cockroaches.

4. Cockroach hissing in movies
There is one species of cockroach Madagascar Hissing Cockroach (Hissing - hissing). While moving, he emits a rather loud hiss, punching his way, as if shouting: “The way is for me, the way!”. Filmmakers have discovered this and successfully use the voices of these cockroaches to voice special episodes.

5. Headless cockroaches.
Cockroaches continue to live without a head. This suggests that they do not breathe through their nose, like humans and other animals and insects, they breathe with the cells of the whole body. In addition, insects do not have blood, and therefore there is no pressure in the body. Cockroaches can live quietly for some time without a head.

6 Cockroaches Cause Asthma
50 years ago, a direct link was discovered between cockroaches and allergic diseases, in particular, asthma in humans. Each high-rise city building has between 900 and 300,000 different insects, most of which are cockroaches. Scientists believe that most allergic diseases appear in the house, because. people, especially children, are mostly indoors. Unlike occasional seasonal allergies, cockroach allergies are year-round.

7. Let's count
The most common type of cockroach is the red cockroach, or Prussian cockroach (Blatella Germanica). The colloquial name "Prussian" comes from the opinion that this type of insect came to Russia from Prussia (Germany). At the same time, in Germany and the Czech Republic itself, these insects are called "Russians" (German Russen, Czech Rus), believing that they were imported from Russia. In contrast to the red cockroach, black cockroaches (Blatella orientalis) are called "Schwabians" by Germans and Czechs (German Schwaben, Schabe, Czech Švábi)
The red cockroach lives for about 6 months. The female stores about 40 testicles, can produce 6-8 times. It turns out the offspring of 240-320 cockroaches. It is enough that there are 10 females among them, who give birth to 100, and within a few months, thousands of disgusting creatures will populate a tiny plot of the Earth.

8. The speed of cockroaches
The American cockroach (Periplaneta americana) runs 75 centimeters in a second. Relative to the size of his body, this is significant speed. If a cockroach were the size of a cheetah, it would run 30 miles an hour. The legs of cockroaches work like antennae.

9. Cockroaches and radiation
Much is said about the fact that only cockroaches will survive after a nuclear explosion. But there is no scientific evidence for these claims. Although there are studies confirming the resistance of cockroaches to radiation. A human can withstand 500 rads (units of exposure to radiation), but a cockroach can withstand 6,400 rads!
Now you know more :)

cockroach(lat. Blattoptera, or Blattodea), a suborder of insects of the cockroach order. Some entomologists distinguish cockroaches in a separate order. The Russian word cockroach comes from the Turkic tarkhan (in the 18th-19th centuries, small itinerant traders were called so). However, in the Etymological Dictionary of the Russian Language by M. Fasmer, it is indicated that tarkan (Turk.) is a derogatory “dignitary”, and it is also mentioned that some scientists associated the word “cockroach” with the Turkic root “kara” (black).

Do cockroaches sleep?

First of all, only a small number of cockroaches in the wild die lying on their backs. The natural death of a cockroach can be considered death in the stomach of a bird, bat, or other small animal.

I read an article in the newspaper about children being rushed to the hospital with cockroach bites. Do cockroaches bite people?

Only larger species will be able to bite through our skin. Of course, children's skin is much more delicate and therefore more vulnerable to cockroach bites.

What is the most non-toxic way to kill cockroaches? I have a five-year-old boy and a pet rat, both climb everywhere.

I came across the following methods of killing cockroaches that do not use any chemicals:

Boric acid crystals have sharp edges. The small size allows the crystals to easily penetrate between the joints of the exoskeleton (external skeleton) of the insect. The sharp crystals wear away the skin, causing the cockroach to lose water and die of dehydration. This is an easy and cheap way. Sprinkle boric acid (which is relatively non-toxic) in the corners of rooms and in secluded areas frequented by cockroaches.
A more expensive industrial version of this method is called Permadust. This is finely ground ruby dust, which performs the same function as boric acid crystals, but has a longer effect.
Dried carcasses of cockroaches you will find later in various secluded places and in the open space, where cockroaches made their last steps in search of water. Boric acid is easy to wash off if you want to get rid of it.

Live fishing
Take a cup or bottle with a wide neck that has steep walls; lightly grease the inner walls with Vaseline to the top so that the cockroach cannot climb the slippery surface. Place the container somewhere hidden, such as under the kitchen sink. Put some food (bread, carrots, etc.) in the bottom of the bottle, as well as a piece of an old towel soaked in water. On the outside, to the edge of the bottle, build several bridges with the help of scraps of towels, this will help cockroaches easily get into the cup. A simple trap overnight will collect a fine example of your home population of cockroaches. Remove them for sanitary purposes by flushing down the toilet every morning. Soon the cockroach population will be low enough that you may not notice.

I heard somewhere that if you find a cockroach in your house, it means that you have a clean house. Are cockroaches really clean animals?

These rumors, like many, are "both right and wrong."
Cockroaches clean themselves very conscientiously, as do most insects, so that their sensitive bristles on their legs and body surfaces are ready to sense any sign of water, food, mate or enemy. Thirst, hunger, sex and security rule the cockroach's life. The cockroach, despite its formidable appearance, is not a collection of viruses and bacteria. However, the gastrointestinal tract of a cockroach can harbor all the diseases that exist in the house or in the neighborhood. They are omnivores, and would equally enjoy a bite of a dead mouse, a piece of fallen cheese, or your house plant. Often they defecate next to food or into food while eating, so they are more likely to pass on the organisms of their gastrointestinal tract to the food they eat and the surfaces they walk on and defecate.

You can keep your house spotlessly clean, but if there are cockroaches in the building, they will be scouring for food and water, and your room or kitchen/pantry may be the best place to find the small amounts of food they need to survive. If you occasionally see one cockroach, this may be a sign that the population is small, because there is very little food waste around.

I hope this clears up the rumors.

Is it true that a cockroach can live without a head for about 6 years?

It is not true. However, you are correct that a cockroach could live without a head for quite a long time, perhaps a month. The reasons why we need a head for basic survival are:

We breathe through our mouth or nose, and the rhythm of breathing is controlled by our brain. Cutting off the head would interfere with breathing, although theoretically this could be solved using special devices.
Cutting off the head could lead to loss of blood and a decrease in blood pressure, which would result in death as a result of insufficient transport of oxygen and blood supply to our tissues.
Cutting off the head would prevent us from getting food, and we would starve to death pretty soon.

All of these causes for death are absent in cockroaches and many animals in general:

Cockroaches breathe through spiracles that are found in every part of the body, and the blood does not carry oxygen to the tissues. The spiracles deliver air to every cell in the body through a series of tubes called tracheae. The brain does not control breathing through the spiracles.
A cockroach does not have blood pressure like a mammal does, and thus cutting off the head does not lead to uncontrolled bleeding.
The cockroach is cold-blooded. Cockroaches need much less food, and one day's worth of food would be enough for them to live for a whole month with not very much activity. Without a head, a cockroach would just sit in one place, doing nothing.
These reasons, along with the cool temperature, could allow a cockroach to live for about a month without needing a head, provided it is not infected with mold, bacteria, or a virus, which could kill it prematurely.

answered questions related to cockroaches...

Cockroaches - these insects cause disgust in people, and sometimes fear from time immemorial. There are more than 4,000 species of these insects on our planet. And only 10 species, according to the World Health Organization, are considered pests.
Did you know that cockroaches can reach quite impressive sizes. For example, the Rhino Roach species can grow up to 80 millimeters in length and weigh approximately 35 grams; Also, cockroaches can live a whole month without food, however, only a week without water; Although these creatures are considered nocturnal insects, cockroaches are not afraid of light. They run away because they are afraid of us. Let's find out other, more interesting facts about cockroaches.

flying cockroaches

Perhaps more terrifying than a cockroach on the floor is a cockroach flying all over your house. Interestingly, there is a species of Megaloblatta longipennis that can fly. Its wingspan is 185 millimeters. This species lives in Central and South America.

Global warming and cockroaches

Studies have shown that cockroaches pass gases, on average, every 15 minutes. Even after death, they continue to emit methane, for a maximum of 18 hours. On a global scale, the gases produced by these insects account for 20% of all methane emissions on the planet. This fact makes cockroaches one of the biggest contributors to global warming on Earth.

Death on your back

Wild rams meet their death, usually in the stomach of the bird or small animal that feeds on them. However, in our homes, many cockroaches die due to the fact that they cannot return to their normal position after falling. In the wild, where there are leaves and grass, the cockroach has the opportunity to catch on something and turn over on its paws, while in our houses, with smooth surfaces, the poor creature can find itself in a hopeless situation.

Cockroaches around the world

According to Wikipedia: The origin of the word "cockroach" in Russian is not exactly established; according to Ryasyanen, this word comes from the Chuvash tar-aqan - "running away". The international name of the cockroach is "cucaracha" of Spanish origin. But in different languages they are called differently: Belarusian - "Prussian", "Prussian", "cockroach". Ukrainian - "targan". Japanese - gokiburi. Polish - karaluch. English - cockroach.

Vocal cords

The famous Madagascar hissing cockroach (Gromphadorhina portentosa) is believed to be the only insect that uses its air passages to produce sounds. A characteristic hissing signal serves them to scare away predators, or for internal relations (during male fights). Since Madagascar hissing cockroaches are quite large (approximately 5–8 cm) and wingless, they are often used in movies. Many lovers of exotic predators keep these insects as pets.

Headless

Indeed, cockroaches do not need a head to live. In comparison, and from a purely biological point of view, we humans use our heads for three main functions:

We breathe through our nose and mouth, and our brain controls our breathing.
decapitation would cause extreme blood loss, which in turn would cause insufficient blood pressure – required to transport oxygen and nutrients to the tissues.
we eat with the mouth, which is (apparently) on the head.

Let's contrast the cockroach:

they breathe through breathing holes all over their body. The brain does not control this function.
Insects do not have blood pressure like mammals and they cannot bleed.
as a cold-blooded creature, a cockroach can survive (under conditions of cool temperature) without food for more than a month.

Aside from the danger of infection, a headless cockroach can probably live for quite some time.

Asthma caused by cockroaches

The first report and confirmation of an allergy to cockroaches appeared 50 years ago. This problem exists and can be very dangerous. Cockroach allergens are excrement and particles of their decaying bodies, which are inhaled by humans and enter the bronchioles. Sensitivity to this dust causes a bronchial allergic reaction known as asthma. Scientists believe that urban children who spend a lot of time in enclosed spaces are most susceptible to this allergy. The study showed that in every city house, there are from 900 to 330,000 insects. Surprisingly, unlike seasonal allergies, cockroach-induced asthma persists throughout the year.

Let's count

The common red cockroach (Blatella germanica), is a cousin of the large, flying cockroach from point ten. This is one of the most common pests. Their life cycle is approximately 100 days. In the image above, you see an egg cocoon that contains approximately 30–40 eggs. The female can produce 6 or 8 of these cocoons in 6 months of her life. So she produces about 180–320 offspring. If approximately 10 of the offspring are females (usually there are about 100), then in just a few months the number of cockroaches will exceed several thousand.

They are fast!

The study shows that the highest recorded speed of the American cockroach is approaching 75 centimeters per second. In relation to the size of the insect, this is quite fast.

Cockroaches and radiation

There is an opinion that cockroaches are the only creatures capable of surviving after the explosion of a nuclear bomb. There are several facts about cockroaches that may support this theory. Living cells are sensitive to lethal radiation, primarily during their division. Cockroach cells divide only during molting - about once a week. It follows that cockroaches are only sensitive to radiation for 48 hours. Humans, like most other animals, have blood and stem cells that are constantly dividing. Given the lethal radiation of a nuclear bomb, all people would die, and only a quarter of cockroaches. However, everything, of course, depends on the level of radiation. With gigantic doses, no one will survive.

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