Interesting facts about cockroaches: what we know about these insects

Cockroach insects appeared on Earth hundreds of millions of years before humans. In the process of evolution, they developed amazing abilities to adapt to environmental conditions. Various myths are circulating about the survival of insects, but the reality is no less surprising. Interesting facts about cockroaches - fascinating information will allow a different look at the familiar object.

The importance of cockroaches in nature

Cockroaches belong to the class of insects, type of arthropods. They are combined into one squad with termites. Scientists have identified about 5,000 species of cockroaches. Most thermophilic insects settled in tropical countries, but the high number of individuals forced them to expand their habitat to all continents except Antarctica. Arthropods initially chose forest litter for themselves. Reducing the area of ​​green spaces, general climate change forced them to adapt to life in new conditions. Insects settled in caves, deserts, human buildings.

Information. Only 30 species of cockroach are pests. Some of them carry dangerous diseases, others damage food and plants. In Russia, 5 species of synanthropes were seen.

The neighborhood of arthropods and humans has proven beneficial and comfortable for insects. Residents of the apartments received unbearable neighbors who get dirty walls, spoil food and suffer infections. The attitude towards the Prussians was negative, many people do not understand why cockroaches are needed? All parts of nature matter, maintain a common balance.

For millions of years, insects have not existed on the planet for nothing. Under natural conditions, they feed on rotting plant debris containing a lot of nitrogen. After processing in the body of arthropods, the chemical element enters the soil. Nitrogen is necessary for plants for full development, this is fertilizer. Also, some species feed on carrion and animal excrement. These are waste disposers, they maintain cleanliness on the surface of the soil.

What is the use of cockroaches? In the forest litter, they live in numerous colonies, their total contribution can hardly be overestimated. The simultaneous disappearance of all individuals will lead to serious consequences. Trees and bushes will become weak, and the impairment will affect animals. Equally important is the importance of arthropods as a food resource. They serve as food for small mammals, birds. Spiders, reptiles. Any violation of the balance of nature causes a negative chain reaction, the consequences of which are difficult to predict.

Are bugs of cockroaches afraid

Various species of synanthropic insects have chosen human housing. Sometimes they find themselves in the same room. What happens when cockroaches and bedbugs live together in the same apartment? In addition to the common space, they have no intersection points. The main conflicts of various kinds arise over food. Bed bugs are blood-sucking insects. They attack people and feed exclusively on blood. Cockroaches are omnivores, prefer food residues, do not consume blood.

Under normal conditions, synanthropes share a room without collisions. Bed bugs live in the bedroom, and the Prussians in the kitchen.With a shortage of available food, arthropods crawl throughout the apartment. Cockroaches willingly eat found eggs and larvae of bugs. The number of bloodsuckers decreases, but the colony cannot be completely destroyed in this way. People used the predatory instincts of the Prussians for their own benefit. At worsted enterprises, they were bred to destroy moths. Gluttonous Prussians ate eggs of harmful moths.

Insecticides are used against all domestic insects. Bed bugs and cockroaches die from the same means containing pyrethroids (cypermethrin, deltamethrin). Boric acid is poison for them. Synanthropes are scared away by folk remedies: dry herbs (tansy, wormwood), ammonia, vinegar.

What cockroaches love

The lifestyle of insects affected their preferences. Arthropods love warmth, comfortable rates are 25-30 °. With a decrease in temperature, the metabolic processes of the Prussians slow down. Indicators of 15 ° and below stop the reproductive activity of insects. Negative temperatures cause a state of suspended animation and death. Arthropods prefer moist places. Water is vital for them, it is used to cool the body, wetting food.

Cockroaches love dark and secluded places. They are shy in nature, it is this quality that allows them to survive. The food preferences of natural inhabitants are not diverse. Usually they eat fallen leaves, the remains of plants, found rotten fruit is a big luck. Synanthropic insects have expanded their diet with human food. They love sweets, fruits and vegetables, pastries, pasta. Taste addictions of pests are used against them. Their sweets are prepared by poisoned baits to destroy the Prussians.

Information. Cockroaches are extremely attracted to beer. A hoppy drink is often poured into makeshift traps.

Cockroach lifestyle

In the natural environment, arthropods lead a nocturnal lifestyle. During the day, they hide from danger under the stones, buried in leaves or hidden in the burrows of rodents. Synanthropic insects preserved the habits of relatives. In the dark, they are selected from crevices and nooks in search of food and moisture. Why do cockroaches crawl out at night? This is an adaptation mechanism, their enemies are not active at this time.

Insects are fast and mobile, they are able to dramatically change the direction of movement. The Prussians do not fight the enemy, but try to escape from danger. Are cockroaches of light afraid? Most species try to avoid lighting. When the lights suddenly turn on in the kitchen, you can observe chaotic seekers of refuge. But some flying species find the light attractive. At night, they head to the light sources.

Arthropods need 20 to 50 mg of food per day. In difficult conditions, they can eat any organic matter. Without food, cockroaches can withstand 60-70 days. Moisture is much more important than food. Without water, they exist for about a week. During this period, the body of the insect dries completely. Information about the life of a Prussian without head seems fiction, but it is a fact. Insect respiration is carried out through the tracheal system in the abdomen. A headless pest dies of thirst after 7-8 days.

The main way to move the Prussians is by running. Their limbs are specially designed to provide fast movement on any surface. There are claws and a suction cup on the paw of the insect. These devices do not allow legs to slide off vertical walls and ceilings. Insects are quite agile, the speed of a cockroach is 4-5 km / h.

Synanthropic species

In the apartments, the Prusaki became the pest No. 1. Red cockroaches received such a nickname because they were brought to Russia by soldiers returning from the war in Prussia. Interestingly, in France and Germany, this species is called "Russian". The adults are 10-13 mm in size, the body is narrow, red-yellow in color. Wings are brownish, well developed, antennae long, yellowish. Adults live 9-16 months. They absorb any plant and animal food.

Black cockroaches are superior in size to their red brethren (20-30 mm). The body is brilliant. Black Wings are short, reduced, especially in females. Insects drop egg capsules early. Lack of care for offspring leads to a reduction in the number of species. Pests keep near garbage chutes, inhabit cellars and sewers.

The American cockroach was introduced into the country later than other species and its prevalence is low. The adults are large, red-brown in color. The wings retained the ability to fly. Insects live longer than their counterparts - males 1.5 years, females 3 years. Species prefers moist rooms, often settles in greenhouses.

Information. Nekrasov and Chekhov wrote about the Prussians, but the most famous literary work is the Cockroach by Chukovsky.

All about the ability of pests to survive in any conditions in the article “Without food, water and a head: how many cockroaches live?”.

Arthropod champions

The size of insects varies significantly by species: the usual red-haired Prussians 10-13 mm long, and Gromphadorhina portentosa, living in Madagascar, reach 100 mm. Giant arthropods are vegetarians. They feed on plants and fruits. The adults are chocolate brown with a dark head and pronotum. A characteristic feature of the species is the absence of wings in males and females.

A rhinoceros or giant digging cockroach hails from Australia. The length of adults is 80-90 mm, while their weight is 35 g. The mass of the insect is comparable to the parameters of the sparrow. The heavyweight lives in a eucalyptus litter, digs tunnels up to 1 m long. The life expectancy of Macropanesthia rhinoceros is 7-10 years, this is another reason to mention the insect.

The view of Megaloblatta longipennis fell into the Guinness Book of Records thanks to its huge wings. Their span is 20 cm. The insect lives in South America, the length of adults is 7.5-8 cm. Detailed information about winged species in the article “A simple question is just the answer: do cockroaches fly?”.

Why are cockroaches afraid

Among most people, hostility towards the Prussians has developed. The fear of cockroaches is justified, it is better to stay away from them. Scientists studied the contents of the legs of the Prussians, they found:

• 32 types of bacteria;
• 17 fungi
• helminth eggs.

Arthropods suffer dysentery, polio, hepatitis, diphtheria. Bacteria and viruses infect foods, prepared dishes, dishes, furniture. In household appliances, insects cause a short circuit. Particles of their chitinous cover often provoke allergies and asthma. An article about health hazards “Attack of insects: do cockroaches bite?”.

Information. Recorded cases of eating cockroaches of the human epidermis. Starving adults bite the skin of the fingers, eyelids, and nose.

What sounds do cockroaches make

Domestic Prussians can disturb apartment residents with the unpleasant sounds they make when eating solid food. Strong chitinous teeth, they grind paper, leather, fabric. In nature, Madagascar cockroach is famous for its hissing. Sound signals are produced by abdominal contraction. Air abruptly exits through the spiracles, with a characteristic hiss. Sounds are used by insects to communicate between members of the colony and to scare away predators.

A separate variety of sounds - signals during the period of barracks courtship. The males flap their wings in front of the females and create a rattling sound. It occurs when the leathery elytra is rubbed against the edge of the pronotum. The ability is characteristic of gigantic South American species.

Cockroach farm

In Asian countries, insects are considered as a human food resource. Chinese cockroaches are used as food and a component for the manufacture of medicines. In China, they are bred on farms. Peasant farms receive a double benefit - they utilize food waste and sell arthropods. A cockroach farm is a building with rows of shelves laden with insect containers. Favorable conditions have been created for them to facilitate reproduction.

Information.The largest cockroach farm in China grows 6 billion individuals a year.

Farm products are in demand among pharmaceutical companies. In traditional Chinese medicine, cockroaches are the foundation of potent drugs. Before selling insects, they kill with steam or boiling water, dry and grind. The country has registered more than 100 farms. Not all peasants advertise their activities. Neighbors are afraid of insect shoots. The release of millions of cockroaches into the environment will be a local disaster.

Interesting fact. In Australia, arthropods are not grown for food, but for speed racing. The city of Brisbane annually hosts cockroach races. Madagascar cockroaches participate in the competition. The classic version of the organization involves a race along separate tracks, but Australian insects simply run from the middle of the ring to its border.

Emerald Wasps and Cockroaches

An interesting species of digging wasps lives in the tropical part of Asia and Africa. Insects have a slender small body (15-20 mm) of green color with a metallic sheen. They are parasitoids, lay eggs in the body of live prey. Emerald wasps attack tropical cockroaches. Their poison makes the victim move in the right direction. The wasp takes the cockroach into the hole, lays eggs in its abdomen.

Larvae develop in the body of a living arthropod. After pupation, adult individuals leave the empty chitinous membrane. Nature gave the emerald wasp unique qualities. It is capable of delivering a precise sting punch to the victim’s brain; its poison blocks the transmission of nerve signals. A small insect that cannot drag large prey simply zombies it. The helpless cockroach itself sets off towards death.

Do cockroaches start in wooden houses

Arthropods adapt to any conditions. Synanthropic species, red and black cockroaches, are commonly found in apartment buildings. In such conditions, it is easy to migrate in search of food and water. In private buildings, pests are rare, but their appearance cannot be ruled out. How do cockroaches get into a private house? The transition from the nearest neighbors is possible only in warm time. The most common routes of infection are:

• parcels;
• Construction Materials;
• luggage that has been in a hotel or hostel;
• purchases from the store.

In a residential country house, all the conditions necessary for a synanthropic insect are created. Even after the owners of the summer cottage have left, paper, cloth, pieces of soap and other items that replace arthropod food remain in the room. To combat Prussians, insecticides are used: aerosols, gels, dusts. With a small number of arthropods set traps.

Tip. In houses without running water and heating, the most effective way to remove insects is freezing. Cockroaches die at a temperature of -5 °.

The attitude of people towards arthropods depends on the situation. Faced with a pest in the kitchen, a man grabs a slipper, and on insect farms they specially grow it. Fans of exotic fauna massively contain tropical cockroaches in terrariums. Synanthropic species deserve dislike due to their harmfulness. But this group includes only 30 representatives. The bulk of insects peacefully coexists with humans, making a significant contribution to the balance of the ecosystem.