Insect attack: do cockroaches bite?

Red cockroaches give people a lot of trouble. Synanthropic insects transmit infectious diseases and helminth eggs. Looking at gluttonous individuals, gnawing plastic, the question arises, are cockroaches biting? Yes, insects can cause mechanical damage to the skin. The main danger of attacks is the possibility of infection of the wound. Most often, children are bitten. To protect the family, it is necessary to destroy insects in a timely manner.

Cockroach bite: how it happens

Shy creatures running away from light and sudden movements feel safe at night. They come out of the nooks to satisfy thirst and hunger. In search of food and water, they scatter throughout the home. The main direction is the kitchen, but if there is not enough food there for all members of the colony, they expand the search area. Insects appear in the bedroom, crawling on the bed and body. Are home cockroaches biting? In some cases, they are taken for eating the upper layer of the skin.

Information. The hungry representatives of the Tarakanovs are attracted by human skin secretions - sweat, saliva, tears.

Pests have strong jaws, adapted for eating solid food. They damage cardboard, cloth, plastic. Their oral apparatus is gnawing. It consists of two lips (upper and lower), mandibles and maxillus. Durable chitin teeth are located on the upper jaw. Using hairs on the upper lip, insects determine the suitability of an object for food. With mandibles they gnaw off and chew small pieces. With the help of a movable lower lip, food is pushed into the stomach.

Cases of attacks on humans are quite rare. This occurs with a prolonged absence of other food and water or a lack of resources as a result of large-scale population growth. Such situations arose in student dormitories, on long-distance ships.

What types of cockroaches are dangerous?

In Russia, only a few species of synanthropic cockroaches have become permanent residents of houses:

Red or Prusak

The most common representative of synanthropic insects. The adults are small (9-13 mm), oval, tan. Pronotum convex, wings developed. Thanks to its long limbs, insects are extremely mobile. There is a suction cup on the legs to move along the walls and ceiling. During the life cycle, the female lays 50-400 eggs. Larvae are dark brown, hardy, able to penetrate into the smallest gaps.

Insects infect food and home surfaces with infectious diseases, viruses, and helminth eggs. Feeling thirst and hunger attack sleeping people, crawl into the ear canal.

The black

Widespread synanthropic species. Large adults, males 20-25 mm, females 18-30 mm. Body color is black, legs are reddish-brown. Short limbs cause slowness of insects. The wings are short, in females practically absent. Pests are omnivorous, contaminate food products with feces, carry on the paws of pathogens.They are able to starve for a long period (up to 60 days), but without access to water they attack a person. A characteristic feature of the species is cannibalism.

American

Adults have an oblong flattened body of red-brown color. In terms of prevalence, they are inferior to the Prussians, but larger in size - males 28-44 mm, females 25-35 mm. The wings are developed, insects jump and fly well. Life expectancy is high - 1.5-3 years.

Egyptian

In the southern regions - Crimea and Transcaucasia, an Egyptian cockroach is found. Insects have a flat oval body, a shield-shaped pronotum. Females are wingless, almost black, resembling turtles. Body size 40-45 mm. The males are smaller (20-25 mm), brown, have wings. When propagating, 12-18 eggs are laid in a special capsule. The settlement is uneven, depending on comfortable conditions. The species is heat-loving, prefers a temperature of 25-30 °. Pests are mechanical carriers of diseases; when they bite the epidermis, they cause erosion and dermatitis.

Cockroach bites on a man

Skin lesions appear in certain places. Pests prefer to bite the epidermis in areas where it easily exfoliates:

• neck;
• eyelids
• elbows
• nasolabial folds and lips;
• fingers near the nails;
• nose.

Insect attacks occur at night when the victim is sleeping soundly. The bites are weak, not always sensitive. The damage site looks like a small wound with uneven edges. Its depth and size depend on the appetite of the pest. The epithelium can be eaten partially or completely. On a site bitten by jagged jaws, uneven crusts appear. Around the wound appears redness. Outwardly, the lesion is similar to the bites of other insect pests. Usually attributed to bites by bugs or mosquitoes.

Information. Cockroaches do not suck blood, and from the bugs on the skin there are characteristic paths.

Children are more likely to be bitten by adults. This is due to the tenderness and moisture saturation of their skin. In addition, particles of milk and saliva remain near the mouth of infants. Cases were recorded when pests nibbled children's eyelashes and earlobes. Localization of damage depends on the pose in which the person slept, the number of attacking insects. Among adults, cockroaches are chosen by sloppy people. Their body has more secretions and odors that attract insects.

Consequences of a bite

The size of the damage depends on the reaction of the body to the entry of insect saliva and various pathogenic organisms into the wound. Pathogenic microorganisms are constantly present on the pest's limbs and oral apparatus. The wound becomes infected, a focus of inflammation appears. The greatest harm to health is caused by the American and Egyptian species of cockroaches. The defeat is accompanied by redness of the skin, swelling, erosion. Dermatitis is characterized by itching and burning. The condition is difficult for children to tolerate, doctors advise using an ointment with an antihistamine effect. Combing the wound leads to secondary infection.

Skin lesions, when detected, are treated with an antiseptic. Any drug from the medicine cabinet is suitable: hydrogen peroxide, chlorhexidine. Antiseptic solutions kill bacteria. To accelerate the regeneration of epithelial tissues, special ointments are used. If the wound does not dry, purulent inflammation develops, it is necessary to consult a dermatologist.

In addition to damage to the epidermis, contact with insects causes allergies. Negative consequences for the body also provoke particles of the chitinous cover of pests. Regular interaction with an allergen leads to a runny nose, eye irritation, asthma attacks.

How to prevent insect bites

The only effective way to protect children and their own health is to destroy pests in a timely manner. The synanthropes are fought with glue traps, poisoned baits. You can cook them from a mixture of boiled eggs and boric acid or borax with potatoes. In winter, freezing of parasites is possible.At temperatures below 0 °, heat-loving pests die quickly.

Chemicals give a quick and lasting effect. Insecticides in the form of dusts, gels, aerosols are sprayed (applied) in places of accumulation of insects. Popular drugs of Raptor, Combat, and Clean House firms. When handling toxic substances, safety precautions must be observed. Family members and animals are temporarily removed from the premises. If the population of cockroaches is large and you can cope with it on your own, it is worth inviting professional pest control.

Tip. Do not eat in bed, crumbs attract insects.

In an apartment building, it is impossible to remove pests in one apartment. Through the ventilation ducts, cracks, new individuals are moved from infected premises, garbage chutes, and the basement. There are simple rules that help create uncomfortable conditions for pests:

• Close taps tightly, repair leaks, wipe sinks and spilled water. Water the home plants in the morning. This will prevent access to moisture.
• Wipe crumbs, do not leave dirty dishes on the table or in the sink.
• Keep food in airtight plastic containers.
• Try to take out the trash during the day.
• Close up cracks in the walls, around doors, windows. Attach a thick mesh to the ventilation ducts.
• Draw insecticidal pencil strips around the perimeter of the door, around the outlets.

Regular wet cleaning in the kitchen is recommended. From time to time, it is worthwhile to move furniture away, look behind the refrigerator and cabinets in order to find traces of the presence of cockroaches.

There is a skepticism about the ability of cockroaches to eat around the epidermis. But such cases have been officially recorded and described by scientists. Prusak bites are rare, and infection with dysentery or other infections is likely. Do not put up with the presence of pests in your apartment.