Some just find them gross. Others are directly afraid of cockroaches because the small creepy-crawlies might bite or sting. They are therefore not welcome guests in their own four walls. Everything is done to get rid of them quickly. But do they really pose a health risk to humans?

cultural descendants of humans

Cockroaches, also known as common cockroaches (Blatta orientalis), seek to be close to humans. Exactly here are extremely ideal conditions for a carefree life. In addition to temperatures mostly above 20 degrees, you will also find kitchen waste and other food leftovers and above all moisture. Simply a paradise for cockroaches. Cockroaches are most often associated with dirt, grime, or uncleanliness, but they also thrive in a clean environment.

Good breath artists

The cockroaches are looking for moisture directly and therefore also for warmth. These are most likely to be found in basements, bathrooms and kitchens. Often they get to these places through broken plumbing and sewage systems.

Cockroaches are able to hold their breath for at least 40 minutes and survive underwater for 30 minutes. They use this ability to swim through the sewers to their new quarters. This allows them to travel longer distances under water without even having to breathe. Very often the insects find their way into apartments through the toilet. Swimming is therefore not a problem for the animals.

Notice: The cockroach can survive without a head for at least a week. They do not breathe like normal creatures, but through small holes (stigmata) in the body. This is where oxygen is taken in. Water is also transported to the outside through these openings, for this purpose the breathing tubes are simply closed.

Caution flight alert

Sometimes it is also assumed that the 13 to 16 mm large light to dark brown colored cockroaches can fly, since there is a pair of small wings on the front part of the chest area (prothorax). However, these are usually only fully developed in females. In the males they are rather stunted.

In this way, female animals can save their offspring in the event of imminent danger by simply flying away. The animals carry the eggs under their armor until they hatch. With the males, on the other hand, the flight attempts look a bit awkward. Because of their body proportions, light males are capable of short gliding flight. However, it looks very clumsy and rocking through the air.
However, they have made a virtue of it and use the wings to help

  • to slow down falls from heights
  • to travel shorter distances
  • to make higher jumps

Just as they jump, they begin to flap their wings. It then usually looks as if the animals are flying.

Notice: In warmer areas, it can be observed that the heat favors the development of the wings. There the cockroaches are also more often flying.

It should be noted that not all cockroach species are 'flightless', however, American and Australian cockroaches can take to the skies on warm days. In our latitudes, the amber cockroach is one of the flying specimens. However, she lives exclusively in the forest. The German cockroach covers its distances by running and jumping.

Fast runabouts

However, these small animals have to be conceded that they are extremely good and, above all, very fast on foot for their conditions. They can cover about 1.5 meters in one second. They take advantage of this fact especially when escaping enemies.

In comparison, at the speed of these little speedsters, a person would have to walk at least 250 kilometers in one hour. This makes the cockroach one of the fastest insects in this country.

Are bites harmful?

Cockroaches are usually nocturnal. They are light-shy, so they hide in their lairs during the day and only come out when it gets dark. If cockroaches are sighted during the day, then the infestation by the cockroach is already extremely invasive. As a rule, cockroaches are regarded as storage pests, but they are also omnivores. Mainly they feed on organic substances such as

  • Fruit Vegetable
  • meat from dead animals
  • faeces
  • human dander and hair
  • paper, glue or
  • leather

If necessary, when food is scarce, even from their own species. Given their ability to bite through and eat leather, they have mouthparts that can penetrate human skin. In principle, they could bite or sting people. But it is not known that a cockroach would actively bite a human. As a general rule, she would be more likely to flee to ultimately avoid injury or death.

Should a cockroach bite, it will certainly only be during the night and when it is looking for food and water. Such a wound is recognizable by

  • swelling around the bite
  • delayed, severe pain

The wound must of course be thoroughly disinfected to prevent infection. If so, you should definitely see a doctor.

Heinonlein, Blatta orientalis, Isalo 01, crop from Plantopedia, CC BY-SA 4.0

disease carriers

Although cockroaches rarely bite, there is a particular health risk when these animals are near people and pets. They can transmit diseases, the course of which is associated with more or less serious damage to the health of humans and animals

  • Hebatitis A
  • anthrax
  • salmonella
  • tuberculosis
  • Colonic catarrh and
  • less often leprosy

The transmission usually takes place through

  • the outer skin of the animals
  • contaminated food
  • animal excretions
  • molting residue

Disease germs can adhere to the outer skin of the cockroaches for up to 72 hours. Even if there is no direct contact with the animals, the risk of infection is high. Children, the elderly and people who are already ill are particularly at risk.

Notice: Cockroaches can also transmit diseases in agriculture. They particularly like to nest here in the warm, damp animal stalls, where they can transmit foot-and-mouth disease.

Category:

Animals in the garden