When you have a cockroach infestation, it’s important to understand why. Thankfully, getting rid of roaches via do-it-yourself roach control products is a straightforward process. But you may be curious as to why and how roaches get in your home in the first place. Usually, it’s a simple answer: roaches migrate chiefly to satisfy needs for food, water, shelter, and mating. Eliminating food and water sources (think kitchen and bathroom) is the best first step. But cockroaches can also be attracted by unusual items that you normally wouldn’t associate with roaches. Let’s take a look at 25 strange things that attract cockroaches, many of which may surprise you. Coffee beans, coffee grounds, and tea: Wet coffee grounds and tea bags are magnets for roaches. Not only a water source, the wet grounds are pungent and ripe for bacterial and fungal growth. They are a source of food for roaches. If roaches […]

Is a cockroach infestation something you can actually hear? There are exceptions (keep reading), but roaches are generally quiet creatures. Any noise they create can alert predators (including us humans) to their presence. So roaches have evolved a stealthy mode of operation, and tread lightly. Most every aspect of the roaches lifestyle is designed around covert operation.  For example, roaches are nocturnal. That is, they are most active at night. Roaches are avoidant of light, another protective behavior that helps them hide from threats. Making distinct noises would go totally against a roaches mode of operation. That being said, there are some cases where you can actually hear a roach. Roaches make noises as they scurry and jump In a quiet room at night, you can sometimes hear cockroaches jumping and crawling. This is especially true of very large roaches. Many a night I have lay in bed and heard the telltale […]

Perhaps you have a cockroach infestation and need to know how to get rid of them. Or maybe you’re just curious about what roaches really don’t like. Either way, let’s take a look at the top 10 things cockroaches hate: 1. Cockroaches hate light. You might have heard the saying “shine a light and they will scatter like cockroaches.” The cockroaches’ avoidance of light is an evolutionary adaptation that gives them a higher rate of survival. Light gives cockroach predators a leg up, so in response, cockroaches adapted and became nocturnal. Leaving the lights in your home on at night will keep cockroaches hidden. But light is not a good long-term strategy for getting rid of roaches. It may keep them temporarily out of sight and out of mind, but the roaches will still be active in places the light can’t reach. 2. Roaches hate cold temperature. According to Scientific American, […]

The kitchen and bathroom are the two rooms in the house that cockroaches are attracted to the most. That is because cockroaches are always in search of food and water just like every other living creature, which leads them to your kitchen for a snack. There are several things you can do to get rid of roaches in your kitchen, and make sure that they never come back. The first thing you need to do is choose your weapon of choice and pick a pesticide to put down throughout the kitchen (recommendations below). Then you will need to check for and fill any small cracks or crevices in your home that cockroaches use as  entryways. The final step is to clean the kitchen thoroughly, and keep it clean, to deter more cockroaches from coming back. Pick your cockroach poison The thing you need to do first is put down a cockroach killer throughout […]

If you are dealing with a cockroach infestation, it can get a little confusing when deciding which poison to use because there are so many different roach killers to choose from. Cockroach gel or paste is one effective way to annihilate the little critters. So how do you use cockroach gel and in what situations is it most appropriate for? What is cockroach gel? Cockroach gel is a paste-like product that contains a mixture of roach poison and bait. The bait lures the roaches and entices them to eat it. The type of insecticide and dosage used varies by manufacturer. Cockroach gel is packaged in tubes or syringes which are used to apply the product to various locations where the infestation exists. Cockroach gel is very good at getting rid of roaches and is suitable for medium sized roach infestations. Gel is more powerful than roach traps or bait stations, […]

Have you seen a cockroach in your room that has since scurried away behind the bed or something else in the room, and now you can’t find it? If so, don’t get your hopes up about being able to find and kill the roach. Once they get out of your sight, cockroaches can be extremely difficult to locate. They are masters at the art of hiding in tiny cracks and crevices so that they won’t be detected. Roaches know instinctively that humans are a potential threat and will quickly hide from them. Keep in mind that the cockroach is probably more frightened of you than you are of it, and it is not likely to come out again until it is dark in your room. Are you determined to find that filthy cockroach? But what if you are haunted by the idea of a marauding cockroach loose in your room, and are […]

You probably consider eating a cockroach disgusting, because in Western society we do not value insects as a food source. We largely consider them dirty creatures that need to be eradicated, not eaten. But do you know that people eat cockroaches in many countries and cultures around the world, especially in Asia? Yes, cockroaches are edible and healthy to eat, provided they are prepared properly. They must be washed and thoroughly cooked prior to eating, to kill any bacteria on the cockroach. Don’t eat a raw cockroach, though. Just as you wouldn’t eat raw chicken or beef. The germs need to be burnt off in the cooking process. Usually this is accomplished by frying the roaches in vegetable oil, which also gives them a crunchy and crispy texture. For example, here in Thailand, they serve fried insects in many local dishes. They are also quite popular as a street food. Frequently, food carts […]

The question of whether killing a cockroach is a sin is open to interpretation depending on one’s individual perspective and belief system. The Bible, Koran, and other spiritual books do not mention specifically the killing of cockroaches or other insects as a sin in their texts. So there is no definite or easy answer to that question. Cockroaches are pest that spread bacteria and can cause sickness and disease in people. Therefore, most people would not consider killing a cockroach a sin because it might be necessary to do so to protect the health of you and your family. But it is up to each individual to make that determination for himself, following his own conscience and taking into account the guidelines set forth by his preferred religious text. In other words, you will need to follow your own conscience in regards to this issue because it is not directly […]

Roaches have legendary abilities to sustain themselves on very little. You may have heard the incredible myth about roaches being the only animal to survive a nuclear war, or being able to live for months without food or water? Cockroaches rarely starve to death naturally because their diet is so amazingly varied and nonspecific. Roaches are omnivores and scavengers. They are famous for eating anything and everything. A cockroach will survive by eating virtually any organic substance available including upholstery, cardboard, glue, hair, loose fibers, and much more. Anything derived from plant or animal material can be consumed by cockroaches. Just think about that for a minute. Look at the different objects in the room that you are in right now and think about which ones are made from animal or plant products–this is most everything. Therefore, a roach almost never starves to death naturally in the wild. But the […]

Have you heard stories about cockroaches being immortal and immune to the effects of radiation? There is a popular myth that cockroaches would be one of the only surviving animals on the planet in the event of a nuclear war. Although this makes for an interesting story, the truth is that although cockroaches are very hardy animals, they’re hardly invincible. If you have ever experienced a cockroach infestation then you know how difficult it can be to kill them. Cockroaches are so hardy, elusive, and ever-present that it may seem impossible to ever completely eradicate them. To prove that cockroaches are not immortal, simply place any cockroach control product throughout your home and you will see in a matter of hours that they are quite susceptible to death. For example, if you have a roach problem in your home, sprinkle some boric roach powder along the baseboards of your kitchen or bath and […]

Generally, cockroaches are not a big threat to dogs and cats, for a couple reasons. First, roaches avoid them in most circumstances just like they avoid humans and other larger animals. Cockroaches view cats and dogs as threats that are better off avoided. So roaches usually hide for protection when they detect the movement of a cat or dog. Second, dogs and cats are well protected from roaches by their fur which covers almost the entire body. Therefore, if a cockroach does happen to come in contact with a dog or cat, it is very difficult for the roach to bite or otherwise hurt the animal. One of the reason dogs and cats are covered in fur is to protect them from roaches and other insects that might bite them. Fleas are one notable exception that have overcome this defense. My dog likes to corner and catch cockroaches. She flips […]

Do cockroaches ever eat each other?  To survive and be as prolific as they are, cockroaches must be very opportunistic in regards to their food choices and will eat just about anything. They are omnivores, meaning they eat both plants and animals. Roaches will in fact will eat any organic compound including paper, carpet, furniture, upholstery, etc.  So, finding a suitable food source is not usually a big problem for the cockroach. With regards to eating animals, including other roaches, a roaches instinct is to scavenge, not kill. Therefore, cockroaches will eat another roach they happen to come across that is already dead. But they will not aggressively attack and kill other cockroaches just to make a meal out of them. That is too much work for the cockroach and not his style. Cockroaches consider one of their own kind nothing more than another food source. Obviously, roaches don’t wrestle with ethical […]

Cockroaches seem to have a sixth sense when it comes to escaping threats. Have you ever noticed how difficult it is to find a cockroach in your room after it ran to hide? So how are roaches so good at detecting movement and escaping? What kind of eyes to they have? Are they blind? No, cockroaches are not blind. They have a pair of compound eyes which do not provide sharp vision like human eyes, so they do not have clear vision of objects. But what a roaches eyes are very good at is detecting the movement of objects in their field of vision. This makes sense if you consider that roaches are not hunters and don’t need sharp eyes to focus on their prey. They eat food that is stationary, such as dead animals and plants. So the blurry vision from their compound eyes works just fine for this […]

No, cockroaches are not asexual, and do require a mate to reproduce.  Some species of roach have specialized so that the female can store sperm in her body after copulation to be used to fertilize eggs at a later time. Therefore, they do not need to mate as frequently. These roaches are not truly asexual but display some characteristics which may appear to be asexual in nature. After mating, female roaches deposit up to 40 eggs at a time in a small case, called an ootheca. The ootheca looks like a purse shaped like a kidney bean and is usually brown in color. Take a look at the image to see what the ootheca looks like. The ootheca is formed from a protein substance which hardens inside the female’s body. Some roach species drop the ootheca from their body before the nymphs, or baby cockroaches, hatch. A few species however, notably the German cockroach, instead […]

You might be familiar with the saying that someone scattered or ran “like a cockroach when the light turned on.” But why is this? Are cockroaches really afraid of the light? The roaches brain is programmed to fear, or more accurately, have an aversion to light. Through evolution, cockroaches have developed this trait as a survival mechanism because it has been proven over thousands or millions of years doing so leads to a higher likelihood that a cockroach will live long enough to complete its full life cycle. Staying in the dark helps a roach go about its business without being detected, which is an enormous advantage for survival. Cockroaches have many predators– from birds to cats to rats and many more. So roaches know instinctually that they must stay in the darkness to have the greatest chance to not become someone’s meal. Being seen in broad daylight makes them […]

Yes, cardboard boxes and paper products do attract cockroaches, for two reasons. First, cardboard is a food source for roaches, and second, it also provides a nice dark and warm place for a roach to hide and live. So an attic, storage room, or warehouse full of cardboard boxes is, for roach, like being able to live in an all-you-can-eat buffet restaurant. A roaches existence is consumed with the search for food, water, and shelter. Cockroaches are omnivorous and will eat just about anything. Cardboard is of course made out of paper, and paper is made out of trees. That means cardboard is an organic material and will be consumed as a food source by cockroaches, even though we humans wouldn’t consider it as such. Roaches are especially attracted to old, rotting, and wet cardboard because not only is it a food source but it is also a source of […]

Yes, cockroach eggs are large enough to be seen by the naked eye. However, cockroach eggs are not usually seen individually because they are enclosed inside a case, called an ootheca, until the baby cockroach nymphs are ready to hatch and emerge in to the world. This egg case is about the size of a fingertip and shaped like a purse or bean, as seen in the picture. It contains between 10 to 40 cockroach eggs. Individual cockroach eggs are the shape of and a little smaller than a tic-tac. The ootheca is brown or black colored depending on the species of cockroach. The case is opaque which prevents one from seeing the cockroach eggs inside. So if your aim is to locate cockroach eggs you need to look for the ootheca in order to find the eggs. When the cockroach nymphs are fully developed, the mother cockroach deposits the […]

How long does it take a cockroach to develop from an egg to an adult capable of reproduction? There are several stages in the life cycle of a cockroach, and it takes about a year for them to fully grow into adults. The full cockroach life cycle only lasts from about 18 months to two years. Cockroaches begin as eggs enclosed in a small case called an ootheca that contain approximately 40 eggs. Cockroaches are not asexual and must mate to reproduce. The mother cockroach deposits the ootheca in a warm and moist place where the eggs can safely mature. It takes about six or seven weeks for the cockroach eggs to fully develop. This is when the baby cockroaches, called nymphs, finally hatch and emerge from the eggs. The nymphs are quite vulnerable to predators at this stage and their survival rate is not high. Nymphs are white in […]

  German cockroaches are the number one species of cockroach you’re likely to find in your home in North America. They are a very hardy species that can survive in any climate, but prefer the warm and humid southeastern climate. If you live in Florida or Texas, you are surely familiar with the huge size German cockroaches can reach in those areas. They thrive in large metropolitan cities as scavengers to human waste, and are slightly less a nuisance in rural areas and colder climates. Once you have German cockroaches in your home, it can be very difficult to get rid of them. The most surefire way to eliminate an infestation is to hire the services of a professional pest control company, if you have the ways and means to do so. But I will assume that anyone reading this article is searching for information on do-it-yourself cockroach control. The […]

If only life could be so easy, right? Just plug in an electronic pest control device in each room of your home and your roach problems will soon be a thing of the past. This solution has broad appeal because of its clean and easy implementation. No sticky gels or powders to disperse, no traps to lay, just plug it in the wall and the roaches are gone. Does sound enticing, doesn’t it? It is because of this broad appeal that many snake oil salesman have marketed electronic pest deterrents to an uninformed public. Perhaps you have seen the late-night TV infomercials hosted by slick-looking shysters shilling these products.  So do these devices really help control cockroaches and other pests, or are they merely a gimmick? (You may have already inferred the answer from my derisive tone.) How does electronic pest control work? There are two types of electronic pest repellents on the market. […]

Another weapon in your arsenal that you can use to fight cockroach infestations is the Combat roach trap. Raid roach traps are another popular brand. I recommend using them for smaller jobs where you don’t have a huge cockroach population. For bigger roach problems, traps will not work as well and aren’t the ideal solution. But roach traps can be effective if the infestation is isolated to specific areas of your home like the kitchen, bathroom, or garage. For larger roach infestations, please reference my more comprehensive article on how to rid your house of roaches. How do roach traps work? Roach traps use an insecticide combined with a lure, which draws roaches to the bait via an enticing scent. Typically, the bait is wrapped in a plastic container to shield it from pets and children. This also prevents you from having to touch the bait directly with your hands. The traps are little self-contained units […]

The way a cockroach looks is dependent on what kind of species and is.  There are many different species of cockroach native to different parts of the world.  There are several different kinds that are most common in America and I will give you some information and, of course, pictures so that you can see what they look like. American cockroaches The American cockroach is one of the largest you will come across.  It measures up to 2 inches in length, has six legs, and wings.  They will eat just about anything and are omnivores, eating both plants and animals.  They thrive in dirty, grimy areas and can spread bacteria as well as contaminate food by shedding their skins. German cockroaches German cockroaches are one of the most prevalent species worldwide, and they’re also the most common type found in the United States.  They measure about a half-inch long and […]

Cockroaches are not only disgusting little creatures, but they can also carry germs and disease around your house and apartment as they make their daily journeys.  They crawl in the dark, slithering across your counter tops and cabinets spreading dirt and bacteria, and dropping their feces as they go. Ugh!! You already know that cockroaches are nasty and must be eliminated, now all you need to know is the best way to kill the little buggers.  There are so many products to choose from, from aerosol sprays like Raid, sticky traps that you said in the corners, and even electric wall socket plug-ins that claim to have the ability to eradicate your home of roaches in less than a month. And then of course, you always have the option of calling in the professionals to do your dirty work for you.  A professional exterminator can certainly handle the job expeditiously, […]

Do cockroaches leave droppings? Yes, and the correct identification of their feces is important in diagnosing a roach infestation. So what exactly does roach poop look like? Is it dangerous, can it cause allergies, or make you sick? Let’s take a look at all these questions. How to identify cockroach droppings? It’s easy to spot once you learn what to look for. Cockroach poop is shaped like small cylindrical pellets and colored black or brown. The size of the droppings are proportional to the size of the cockroach (adult or nymph) and can vary slightly by species, but ranges from small specks to pellet shapes that look like a small tic-tac candy (colored brown or black, of course). One cockroach feces here or there on the floor is not easy to identify because at first glance it may look like ordinary dirt or debris. But cockroaches tend to congregate and […]

There was a story on CNN recently about a woman who cut her tongue while licking envelopes. Supposedly, the the cut on her tongue developed into a severe infection. When she went to have it checked at the hospital, the story goes that the doctor lanced the infection and to their horror a baby cockroach crawled out of the flesh of her tongue. The implication was that cockroach eggs had become embedded in the woman’s tongue, causing the infection and leading to baby cockroaches developing and hatching out of her own tongue. Obviously, this is a highly sensational story and the stuff of nightmares. If true, the simple task of envelope licking would forevermore be considered a potentially dangerous risk to one’s health. So could this be true? Is it possible that cockroach eggs can be transferred to the human tongue via glue on the flap of an envelope? And […]