Why are Cockroaches Hard to Squish & Kill in Weirsdale, FL; Body Structure, Fast to Breed & More

As creepy as cockroaches are, they are quite fascinating. The more you know about them, the easier it will be to eliminate them.

Cockroach Behavior

Cockroaches are very nimble and quick. They can run at speeds of 3 mph and can change direction in nothing flat. They are also very good at sensing air currents. This allows them to sense any oncoming threats moving towards them and is the reason that trying to squash them with a shoe almost always doesn’t work.

Why are Cockroaches Hard to Squish?

If your attempt to squash a cockroach does work, the blow may not be strong enough to actually kill it. Cockroaches are known to withstand compression forces that range from 300 to 900 times their body weight. The exoskeleton of a roach is formed by overlapping plates that are held together by a pliable membrane. This makes them durable and flexible. This collection of overlapping plates explains why a heavy object might not be enough to kill a cockroach and how they are able to squeeze through openings a fraction of their size.

Are Cockroaches Indestructible?

Cockroaches are extremely resilient. Think about it- they’ve been around longer that dinosaurs. They must be doing something right! They can hold their breathe for 40 minutes and can live for a week after losing their head. They can go days without a meal; up to 45 if they have water. Some species of cockroaches can even survive in freezing temperatures.

How Fast Do Cockroaches Breed?

Cockroaches can live for about 170 days and can do a lot of breeding in that amount of time. Female cockroaches can produce a multiple egg-filled capsule every two to three weeks. Each capsule can contain up to 40 eggs. Do the math as far as offspring that can be produced and that’s a lot of cockroaches!

What Do Cockroaches Eat?

The way cockroaches behave increases their chances of survival. It also makes it very hard to exterminate them. The habit of looking for darkness and their foraging skills are two. Another is that they aren’t picky eaters. They will eat anything. They are super scavengers that are known to eat things like soap and glue when other food sources are unavailable. They will even eat their dead friends and their feces to survive. Cockroaches also need water to survive but can go up to two weeks without it.

Cockroach Prevention

As you can see, cockroaches are a formidable enemy. The one thing that will hurt them the most is when you mess with their food. You can get some relief from cockroach activity by placing baits near their living spaces. Baits should be placed in areas where roaches spend time instead of placing them throughout the while house. Properly placed baits will have roaches taking the poison back to the living quarters or die from the poison when they get back. Other roaches will eat their dead friends and then die. It’s possible to wipe out a portion of the colony but you’ll probably still have survivors and eggs that will need to be taken care of.

Cockroach Control

If you find yourself dealing with cockroaches or any other pest, you can contact the professionals at Pest 911 for help.