What you didn’t know about roaches
Roaches have been around for 70 million years, and their genetic ancestors existed another 200 million years before that. Cockroaches have established themselves as adaptive creatures that put up quite the fight when you try to get rid of them. While you may have heard some interesting things about cockroaches (like they can survive a nuclear explosion), well we all know that roaches can be a pain, here are some facts you didn’t know about insects.
1. Did you know that they are roaches in your chocolate?
The label on your chocolate bar is missing a key ingredient – cockroaches! That’s right, and there are typically about eight insect pieces inside every chocolate bar. According to FDA guidelines, this is a safe amount, and the only way to combat the problem is to add more pesticides, which would be worse than eating cockroaches. At least you’re incorporating protein into your diet! Creepy, isn’t it? Call a professional pest control operator if you notice their activities within your home.
2. Roaches can go headless
Cockroaches can go without their head for weeks. You might be wondering how they can survive without breathing. Well, they can breathe through littlest holes in their body segments. However, the only reason why they die without their head, it’s because they will die without the mouth, which means no food and water. That is why its easier to kill them by crushing their heads.
3. Memory issues
When cockroaches roll out of bed in the morning, they’re unable to form new memories, that means it takes time before cockroaches can be deemed “functional” and often don’t pick up further information until later in the day.
4. Different species
Did you know that they are more than 4,000 species of cockroaches worldwide? The most common species is the German cockroach. But only 40 of those roaches are known pests to humans. They weren’t introduced into the United States until the 1600s, but new breeds are still being discovered.
5. The Roaches are fast travelers
Three miles an hour may not be swift. But that’s enough time for cockroaches to invade a space quickly. Even baby cockroaches can come close to matching that speed. Cockroaches are tricky pests to deal with.
6. Roaches can hold their breath
When cockroaches go for a swim, they can submerge themselves for half an hour and can hold their breath up to 40 minutes. They’re not doing this just because they can. A cockroach holds its breath; This is because they take in air through their bodies, cockroaches can shut down their air intake and hold their breath.
Bonus
- Cockroaches can go through the smallest gap as a quarter of their body height by flattening their bodies. That’s why it’s easy for them to go through locked doors and windows.
- Cockroaches can eat anything for food, including paper, glue, soap, leather, even hair.
- Cockroaches are attracted to the sugars and hops in beer.
- The female stores the male’s sperm throughout her twelve-month lifespan and producing up to 400 offspring.
- Cockroaches have eighteen knee joints but six legs.
