There are all sorts of legends about cockroaches, as if they can live without food, water, are not afraid of radiation and can live without a head. There is indeed some truth about radiation; an insect can withstand radiation 15 times greater than a person, but with an increase in the dose of radiation, the cockroach will still die like any other creature.
The cockroach is one of the oldest creatures that appeared on planet earth; few creatures were able to survive to our time, but not cockroaches; they were able to adapt to changing conditions. Thanks to their unique ability to quickly adapt and develop immunity to various poisons, they were able to survive much longer than other creatures.
How long can one live without a head?
Researchers from the USA have determined how many days a cockroach can live without a head. During the experiment, it was found that a cockroach without a head continues to exist for up to 9 days.
And when specific conditions are maintained, this time increases and the insect survives up to three weeks..
In the course of the study, they established not only how long a headless cockroach lives, but also how long a head can exist autonomously.
Effect of temperature on insects
Cockroaches are known to love heat, so their activity depends directly on the ambient temperature. The temperature maintained in apartments and houses is very suitable for insects. And the most optimal is considered to be +2°С - +28°С.
When the temperature drops to 0°C, all vital functions of cockroaches, including reproduction, decrease.
When the temperature drops to -5°C - -10°C, cockroaches die in half an hour - a maximum of 40 minutes, and with each subsequent decrease, the insects die in a shorter time.
As for excessively high ambient temperatures, it also has a detrimental effect on insects. When it rises above +28°C, cockroaches begin to lose vital moisture, and at a temperature of +50°C they die within a few hours.
Can one live without a head?
If a person is left without a head, then in a matter of minutes he loses a critical amount of blood, his blood pressure drops, and oxygen and nutrients cease to flow to his internal organs.
In cold-blooded parasites, the circulatory system is structured differently. They lack the smallest vascular networks, and blood pressure is not critical.
If you deprive a cockroach of its head, the blood quickly clots and seals the vessels of the neck. The parasite's circulatory system continues to function.
However, the cockroach's head is important in the sense that it houses the mouthparts necessary for receiving food. But a cockroach lives without a head without any problems, since it does not need to eat every day.
In humans, respiratory acts are carried out through the nose and mouth . And the cockroach breathes with the help of spiracles (special holes localized on the body) and small tubular elements (trachea).
In this case, the brain is not involved in the breathing process. After deprivation of the head, the insect's body continues to receive oxygen in the same quantities.
Who are these cockroaches
Cockroaches are the most respected order of insects by biologists. More than 300 million years ago, when there were no dinosaurs on earth, they already existed, and their appearance remained virtually unchanged. They have adapted at all times and on all continents. And only the cold could stop them, but several species have adapted here: the steppe and Lapland cockroaches. If Europe began to suffer more than 400 years ago, then cockroaches came to Russia in the second half of the 17th century. The black cockroach presumably came to us from Turkey. And his red-haired brother was brought by soldiers returning from Germany after the Seven Years' War, hence his second name “Prussians”. There was a time when it was considered a symbol of domestic well-being and prosperity - it was believed that if cockroaches live in a house, it means it is warm and well-fed. It was used medicinally, dried and made into powder, infused and used to treat ulcers and indigestion. They insisted on “cockroach” vodka. He felt free to live and reproduce.
Interesting fact: There are studies confirming the resistance of cockroaches to radiation. A person can withstand 500 rads (radiation exposure units), and a cockroach can withstand 6,400 rads!
Life cycle and features
The life cycle of a cockroach is characterized by an incomplete chain of transformations. An adult cockroach does not have a pupal stage after the eggs hatch.
Features of the development of cockroaches:
- The fertilized female lays eggs in the ooteca. It is a dense capsule located on the abdomen. After a while, the ootheca becomes dark and begins to increase in size against the background of the eggs growing inside.
- After 14-28 days, the female sheds the capsule in a moist, hard-to-reach place. Nymphs (miniature cockroaches up to 3 mm in size) appear there. Certain species of Prussians do not shed their ootheca, but carry it on themselves until the birth of their offspring.
- The nymph transforms into an adult after going through 6-10 molts. As the nymph grows older, its chitinous cover darkens and hardens. In the hot season, this process takes up to 2 months, in the cold season - up to 6 months.
The Prussian dog, which is most often found in homes, has a life expectancy of 5 months to a year..
In the absence of favorable conditions for existence (limited access to water or food), the life expectancy of a cockroach decreases several times.
How to prevent insects
Cockroaches can appear in the house for various reasons. They run from neighboring apartments, enter the apartment with products or equipment purchased in the store, and crawl along risers from basements and boiler rooms.
The life cycle of insects is closely related to water, food and external temperature, so to reduce the likelihood of cockroaches you need to:
- Use tightly closed containers for storing food and do not leave them in the open;
- cover the ventilation holes with nets, treat cracks and crevices;
- use a trash can with a sealed lid and take out the trash daily;
- water the flowers in the first half of the day so that the liquid from the trays has time to evaporate before the evening;
- wash dishes immediately after use, carefully removing any remaining food and grease from the sink;
- Wipe kitchen surfaces and plumbing fixtures dry, and make sure that no water drips from the taps.
In addition, it is important to regularly clean and ventilate the room. In unsanitary conditions, insects multiply faster, so keeping the apartment clean is the best preventive measure against cockroaches
https://youtube.com/watch?v=9ifRJ7hUv7c
How long do they live in different conditions?
The body of pests is particularly resilient. Entomologists have been studying these insects for years and know exactly how long a headless cockroach can live.
They also explain how long these pests live in other extreme conditions.
Water requirement
Without food, a cold-blooded insect can live longer. And water is extremely important for the functioning of any living organism. Water is the main element of the cell cytoplasm.
Various metabolic processes, involving a chain of chemical reactions, occur with the participation of water. Prussians and other parasites do not live long without water.
Pests feed mainly on moistened waste. Without fluid, normal functioning of the salivary glands and normal digestion of food are impossible.
Blood circulation is also disrupted. These insects conserve water in extreme temperatures and low humidity due to the fact that they have water-impermeable covers of chitin.
Can he live without food?
Cockroaches are capable of starving for quite a long time. Domestic Prussians go without food for up to 40 days, and black individuals for more than 60 days.
The body temperature of these living creatures varies widely, adapting to the surrounding temperature regime. They do not waste energy to maintain their own temperature.
Their metabolic processes are much slower than those of animals with a constant body temperature.
After one meal, a Prussian can live up to 15 days without feeling hungry. But since cold-blooded animals receive energy from external sources, they prefer to live in warm living spaces with high humidity.
Can it survive without oxygen?
Biologists have discovered the ability of cockroaches to hold their breath for 40 minutes or more. They stop breathing if carbon dioxide levels rise too much.
Cockroaches also react sharply to too high oxygen levels . To protect their internal organs, they temporarily stop breathing.
Entomologists have the assumption that cockroaches hold their breath in order to conserve moisture, which is dynamically consumed during this process.
This is a useful coping mechanism. In practice, cockroaches live longer without a head than without oxygen.
Temperature
These insects like moderate temperatures. At -5 °C, insects die within half an hour. At -10 °C, mature individuals and eggs die within 2 minutes.
However, excessively high temperatures can also significantly reduce pest numbers. At +50 °C, which persists for 1-2 hours, the insect also dies.
Question-answer section
If you are wondering whether longhorned beetles can fly, or whether they can see what drugs are considered effective against them, all these questions can be asked to specialists on the information portal. They know almost everything about insects of the cockroach order. Entomologist Larisa Petrovna Ergina (18 years of experience in her field) answers the questions.
How long do domestic red cockroaches live?
Expert opinion Evgeniy Igorevich Bragin Entomologist, 19 years of scientific experience.
“The duration of existence of Prussians is always different, varying from 9 to 16 months. Lifespan is highly dependent on environmental conditions
When exterminating such insects, it is important to understand how long domestic cockroaches live; you need to regulate the air temperature and humidity at home, as well as access to food.”
Can pet cockroaches fly?
Expert opinion Anastasia Nikolaevna Mikhailova Expert on garden insect pests, biologist, chemist.
“Of the synanthropes, only American long-horned beetles move long distances using their wings. Sewer specimens are only capable of crawling. Prussians also have wings, theoretically they should be able to fly. However, these insects can only glide through the air.”
How many legs (legs) does a cockroach have?
Expert opinion Galanin Valery Aleksandrovich Acarologist, research institute employee, specialization arachnids
“According to long-standing descriptions, there have never been baleen pests with many limbs. Representatives of all species of the order cockroaches have 6 legs. By the way, the basic functions of the body and internal organs are also the same (we do not take into account differences in gender, individual traits of individuals of each variety).”
Speed of a cockroach?
Expert opinion Evgeniy Igorevich Bragin Entomologist, 19 years of scientific experience.
“In insects of different species, this parameter always changes. But most individuals crawl quickly, even some large longhorned beetles (for example, the American pest reaches speeds of up to 75 cm/s).”
Cockroach nymphs emerging from the ooteca
How long can a domestic cockroach live without food?
Expert opinion Anastasia Nikolaevna Mikhailova Expert on garden insect pests, biologist, chemist.
“Insects do not die as quickly as expected without food. The duration of existence can be 2 weeks or 2 months. Males die first; females and larvae live the longest without food. In this case, food can consist of wood and paper. But if sources of nutrients are completely absent, longhorned beetles still live for some time.”
Where do cockroaches live in nature?
Expert opinion Galanin Valery Aleksandrovich Acarologist, research institute employee, specialization arachnids
“The best habitats in terms of comfort and safety: leaf litter, areas under stones and fallen trees. Some individuals can live on the shores of reservoirs, others – underground (they constantly dig tunnels and spend time in them).”
Are cockroaches smart?
Expert opinion Anastasia Nikolaevna Mikhailova Expert on garden insect pests, biologist, chemist.
“We cannot say that mustachioed pests are geniuses, because their brains are primitive compared to humans (this function is performed by one of the nerve nodes). But one cannot fail to note their intelligent behavior: insects do not appear from their shelters during the day, quickly navigate the terrain, easily find food, and survive in the most difficult conditions. However, such success is due, first of all, to the structure of the body (the presence of sensory organs, numerous stigmas, thanks to which the whole body can breathe, etc.). In addition, instincts predominate in pests, and they also take information from each other with the help of an odorous secretion.”
Popular Pest Control Products
You can fight these red and black pests with cold, heat and many other means:
- Boric acid
- Disinfectants
- Traditional methods.
Boric acid has long been used as a means to combat cockroaches. It shows very good results in practice. Boric acid powder is used to make insect bait. Pests die after testing the composition and infect their fellows. For people living indoors, boric acid is absolutely safe.
Disinfectants include preparations in the form of gels, pencils and aerosols. When used correctly, they can destroy entire colonies of pests. Their disadvantage is that they are harmful to human health. Therefore, before using these products, you need to hide all food and utensils.
Folk methods of control include the use of essential oils of various plants. Cockroaches absolutely cannot stand the smell of cedar and eucalyptus oils, as well as red elderberry oil. The smells of fresh anise and mint repel them.
Tips and tricks
Cockroaches can be found under the refrigerator and under the sink, under the baseboard and behind heating pipes. They most often settle near water sources. These insects cannot live without water for more than a week. Therefore, to combat them, you can block their access to water. Their number is growing every day. If one insect appears, it may not be detected in time, since it is nocturnal. In a year there will be a huge number of them. Many people are familiar with this situation.
Cockroaches can carry bacteria that are dangerous to humans and contaminate food, spoil things and cause allergic reactions. Therefore, to remove them, you need to ventilate the room more often, take out the trash, and hide food in bags. You can dilute geranium. Its smell repels cockroaches.
