Humans have many phobias. Bugs and spiders are on the top of that list. It’s for this reason, the many people wonder if different species bite as opposed to others. I’ve had many people accuse many different kinds of insects of biting them from centipedes spiders ants and everything in between. But the question remains do cockroaches bite? Cockroaches do not bite to protect them selves. But roaches will eat and what material they think is dead such as fingernails or calluses. There have been a few cases where they have bitten someone who was asleep.
Cockroaches are omnivores. That means they will consume any kind of food plant or animal. As omnivores dead meat is part of their diet. In a few rare instances there have been cockroaches to bite people who were lying completely still due to sleep or sickness. There have been some cases on ships where extensive infestations of cockroaches occurred and sailors had to wear gloves to protect their hands from cockroaches biting their fingernails.
WHAT DO COCKROACHES EAT?
Cockroaches are survivors. They will eat just about anything. Vegetables and plants are well within their diet as meats and dead animal matter are as well. This is why it’s important to keep kitchens clean in your home. Pantries are also a common place where we find cockroaches feeding. They are the scavengers of the animal world. They are meant to clean up dead carcasses and dying plant matter. Contact a good Oklahoma pest control company for help.
Cockroaches are a tropical insect and have adapted well to living with humans. They prefer the warm temperatures in our homes in the process foods that we eat. It is important to protect ourselves from these insects because they do carry disease. Keeping foods in plastic containers, cleaning dirty dishes and removing food materials from countertops becomes very important. Restaurants are specifically susceptible to cockroach infestation.
HOW DO THEY SPREAD?
Cockroaches have many different ways that they move from home to home. They can survive outside in moderate temperatures. It is often that they will use plumbing to crawl along to get into homes and businesses. These insects prefer the warmth of underground areas and can use them to get around. Cockroaches can swim in water if they need to. They are very adept at getting through small cracks and spaces and walls. Your Tulsa exterminator can help eliminate these pests.
People are often carriers of cockroaches. A roach will hitch a ride off a pant leg or a book bag. They will grab onto an unknowing person and as that person travels they will find a nice place to start and create their own new infestation. It is important that we pay attention to where we are and what insects are around us.
LIFECYCLE
Cockroaches survive by using an incomplete metamorphosis. This means that they start as an egg. This egg is usually found in an egg sac called an ootheca. In German cockroaches the ootheca is carried by the mother. Other types of cockroaches deposit the ootheca in a safe place. Once the egg hatches a nymph is born. This nymph is a smaller version of the adult. The mother does not care for her young as an other species. The nymph will find food just as the adults deal but usually not as far from the harborage place as the adults.
As the nymph grows in size it starts to outgrow its exoskeleton. When this happens the nymph must molt. The process of molting is when an insect loses its exoskeleton for a new one. This will happen many times in the lifecycle of the nymph. After the last molt the cockroach will be an adult. At this point the adult will mate and the reproduction process begins again. Its then time to contact an Oklahoma exterminator for help.
CAN THEY FLY?
There are some species of cockroaches that can fly. Most species of cockroach have wings but many of them do not allow them to fly. The ones that can fly to so very clumsily. Often they’re more of gliders than actual real flyers. Cockroaches depend on hiding from predators more than any other protection mechanism. Flying is somewhat high profile and can get them into a dangerous situation.
Because they are not adept at flying, birds could easily pick them out of the air. Other animals can see where they land and eat them there. Flying can be a dangerous proposition. This is why most cockroach species do not fly. We are not entirely sure why the species have wings since they can’t fly.
COCKROACHES AND DISEASE
Cockroaches are carriers of many diseases. When they find a place to live their numbers often grow exponentially. And these large infestations cockroaches will melt sometimes thousands of times. In this process dust from their exoskeletons is released into the air. This dust can cause or aggravate asthmatic conditions and people in the area. It’s gonna be very dangerous for small children. It is important to deal with cockroach situation and infestations as soon as you find that they are there.
Cockroaches are also associated with many other diseases. Typhoid fever is a disease caused by salmonella bacteria. This bacteria can be spread by cockroaches. Polio is another disease that is spread by cockroaches. It is caused by a bacteria found on stool and then spread to the mouth. Cockroaches that feed on human stool can find their way to our food sources and spread the disease. Other diseases such as amoebiasis and shigellosis can be spread in much the same way. It’s very important to illuminate Cochran the stations quickly to prevent the spread of disease in your home.
HOW TO GET RID OF THEM
Cockroach infestation can be very difficult to eliminate on your own. In most cases it is important to contact a professional Tulsa pest control company to get rid of these insects. Here at TermMax Pest Control, we can give you a free estimate on how to remove these bugs from your life. We service the Tulsa area including Owasso, Broken Arrow, Jenks, Pratville, Coweta, Sapulpa, Claremore, Sand Springs and other surrounding areas. We are here to help!