Certain words have an almost instantaneous, nearly instinctive, gut-level reaction. If you hear a word like love, hate, ice cream, freedom, war, violence, or beauty you are bound to feel something profound. These words have an impact. What do you feel when you hear the word “roaches”?

If you’re not an entomologist your first feeling upon hearing the word “roaches” was likely “yuck!” or something similar. Few insects can inspire pure, unadulterated revulsion like the common German cockroach. They make our skin crawl, give us the shivers and make us jump. Roaches are just another pest control problem like ants or flies. Biologically speaking, they aren’t very different from beetles. Why do they gross us out so much more than all the others?

Clearly there’s a commonly held association with all things yucky and roaches. We think that garbage, rotten stuff and stinky things go side-by-side with roaches and frankly that’s not exactly inaccurate! The more you learn about roaches, the worse that case of the willies is going to get. Be warned: you won’t like what you’re about to read.

Roach facts

The facts about roaches are startling. Here are a few you might not already know.

  • Secretions from a roach’s glands and mouth can cause nausea, aggravate asthma, cause allergic reactions and even induce episodes of vertigo in humans.
  • In order to locate one another and map their own travels, roach leave behind themselves a trail of bacteria, feces, and partially digested then regurgitated food. (On your counters!)
  • They will eat practically anything including mold, mildew, flea eggs, cardboard, book binding and the paper surface of your drywall.
  • Several of the over 4,000 cataloged roach species have become resistant to commonly-used insecticides.
  • That thing about a roach being able to live a week without his head? It’s totally true. It has an open circulatory system and little hole in each body segment that make the head unnecessary for anything except drinking and eating. After a head-free week or so, it dies from dehydration.
  • Roaches can run up to 3 miles an hour, even the newly hatched nymphs which are pepper-flake sized.
  • Trying to flush one? A roach can easily hold its breath for 40 minutes.
  • The world’s largest known roach is 6 inches long and lives in South America (thankfully).
  • American cockroaches are especially attracted to beer.
  • They shed their exoskeletons wherever they happen to be – in their nest, in your cereal cabinet, whatever.
  • Roaches can’t really withstand a nuclear blast but they are able to withstand up to 10 times more radiation than the average human can survive.
  • There are roaches on every continent except Antarctica.
  • You’re not immune from roaches even if your home is immaculate. Some roaches are just looking for water when they infiltrate your home. What you leave behind in the shower each morning is more than enough.

Have you heard enough yet? Roaches certainly have a place in the ecosystem. That place just isn’t inside your house. These fast, nocturnal creatures require a professional grade pest control service like Slug-A-Bug. If you’re feeling that “yuck” from seeing a roach, give the pros a call right away.