The nastiest being ever born. Yes, I am talking about cockroaches. Imagine you place a piece of cake on the kitchen shelf and the very next moment, a cockroach niggles you by crawling on that love piece! Eww, a definite nightmare! But apart from being a symbol of disgust, they are also born to surprise us. Following are few of the interesting cockroach facts that might brighten your mood a bit:


1 – Cockroach milk, yes it exists!

This is not another eww moment but it’s actually fascinating. Cockroaches can produce milk and some scientists think that this will be the new superfood. Only the species called Diploptera punctata or Pacific Beetle cockroach, commonly found in China, India, Australia, and Myanmar, gives birth instead of laying eggs, which produces milk to feed the younger ones.


This milk is highly nutritious and is considered 4 times healthier than cow’s milk. It is produced in the form of protein crystals and has fats as well as sugars too.


Cockroach milk can be our new superfood. Being calorifically high, it is known to be a complete food. This dense protein source will never be suitable for diet conscious people.


Researchers are even working on yeasting to produce the crystals in larger quantities and that will be more efficient than extracting milk from cockroach’s guts. Nobody will need the quinoa and kale when we have cockroach milk supplements.


2 – Cockroaches have personalities, versatile cockroach fact isn’t it?

Introverts, extroverts, detail-oriented… No, not these personality types. Cockroaches have individual character traits. They are good decision makers. You can observe this by the absence of a leader. Not all of them are followers, the personality of an individual cockroach can shine even in a group setting.


Some cockroaches are also known for their aversion to light, means they feel fear. The lack of confidence also leads them to run away from human beings. This is the reason why you observe the cockroach bites in the morning when you wake up.


Some cockroaches are shy and some are brave.


The varying personality traits of cockroaches represent their ability to adapt to a new environment. The brave ones can easily embrace change while the shy ones stay behind to observe if the environment is safe or not.


They also have group personality features. Researchers have revealed that when left alone, some chose to run away when the light was turned on, some chose to ignore the light.


Well, whatever their personality type is, they can never become desirable!!


3 – Cockroaches can bite

Cockroaches have teeth so why shouldn’t they make a better use? They usually bite when a human being is asleep or dead. This is because they are timid but in terms of the confidence not in strength! A cockroach bite is 5 times stronger than a human!


Studies have revealed that cockroaches can bite with 50 times more force than their own body weight. This was actually the conclusion of the journal PLOS ONE by researchers at the University of Cambridge. The experiment involved the examination of 300 bites, which varied on the force. Some of them were short and weak while others were long-lasting and strong. The strength also depended on the material they were chewing on.


Cockroaches are omnivores, which means they eat both plants and meat. If you talk about human body parts, they are more likely to take a bite the eyelashes, feet, hands, and fingernails.


The most serious cases of cockroaches are observed in ships. Some sailors have reported that they have to wear gloves in order to protect their fingers from cockroach bites. American cockroaches are famously known to bite humans on ships. This cockroach fact is interesting yet terrifying!


4 – Another Cockroach Fact – They are older than dinosaurs

Cockroaches are heck old. A 300 million years old cockroach has been found in Eastern Ohio, whose length was almost 3.5 inches. It was so well-preserved that veins in the wings and at some other parts were also visible.


According to the records of fossil fuels, the cockroaches were believed to occupy a large piece of land.


It is also known that the prehistoric cockroaches also had long legs, which resembled the insects that are today. The ancient roaches were also known to prey at night.


There was another unusual fossil found in 1999, which was the size of a bird. The fossil also depicted the clear view of the roach’s legs. According to an American geology student, Cary Easterday, the fossil was almost 9 centimeters long, flat, colorless and female.


No doubt, roaches are the real heroes, they made it through the most terrifying period of history, The Great Dying Period and were one of the dominating species of the Carboniferous period.


5 – Cockroaches can run faster than other insects

2 scientists at the University of California, Berkeley did an experiment back in 1991 to track the speed of cockroaches. This analysis was done on 8 American roaches. The conclusion stated that they can travel the distance of 5 feet in one second. Well, their hind legs really came in handy.


They also detect the threats by discerning the change in the air currents, this is the reason why they’re very difficult to find or catch. Only a non-repellent pesticide like Advion cockroach gel can help you catch these agile beasts.


6 – They can eat anything

They are not foodaholic but are genuinely creepy. They can eat dead wood and even the smaller decaying insects. Some other favorite things of cockroaches to eat are:


  • Human fingernails
  • Human hair
  • Soft leather
  • Sweets
  • Meat
  • Potatoes
  • Pasta
  • Food rich in lipids
  • Cheese
  • Soap

Cockroaches can also lead to cannibalism. They can live without food for a month. If they do not get enough food, the stronger ones will start eating the younger ones. If the adult bug is dead, the younger ones will start eating them. Their eating mechanism is usually active at night when the house is dark and quiet. They will start eating garbage, pet food, and eatables they have easy access to.


It is best to cover all food items and keep the garbage in the rubbish bin with a lid. Don’t forget to wash all your dishes before going to bed.


7 – Some cockroaches are kept as pets

If you hate cockroaches it doesn’t mean everyone will do the same! There are lots of people out there who love to keep cockroaches as pets. But the extra effort and care is required.


  • There should be a mild humidity where you keep roaches. Too high humidity will cause death and too low humidity will result in bad molts as well as wrinkled wings.
  • In terms of feeding your roach pet, go for vegetables, fruits, moistened fish food, rotting leaves, and rotting wood.
  • Few species are good at climbing as well as flying, so you will definitely need a secure tank at the top.

There are few species that are recommended for the beginners. Madagascar Hissing Roach, they grow up to 3 inches long and are wingless. Second popular species is Surinam Roach. It comprises of a beautiful shiny brown color across the front of its body and is known to giving birth to a live young. Third most popular species is Giant Death’s Head Roach, which is a boon to the keepers because it cannot fly or climb glass.


8 – Some cockroaches can jump

There is one exceptional species of cockroaches that can jump and that’s leaproach. This species was discovered in 2009. It was thought that jumping cockroaches just existed in the Jurassic world. The highly modified legs help their bodies to propel up and it becomes easier for them to jump. Their appearance resembles a grasshopper because of the unusual hind legs. The jumping feature helps them to move swiftly between grasses and sedge culms.


They only make a total of 1% of roach diversity. They are also the result of convergent evolution. It is known to be the evolution of similar features in species of different lineages.


9 – Cockroaches’ size can go to 3 inches

Enormous roach? That must be scary. But big cockroaches do exist. The world’s largest roach according to the Guinness world of records, is of 3.8 inches in length and can have a wingspan of 8 inches. It is a preserved female in the collection of Akira Yokokura, Japan.


Cockroaches have a variety of lengths or sizes depending on what species they belong. German roaches have a length of half an inch. Turkestan and oriental roaches can go to one inch. Smoky brown roaches are of one and a half inch. American cockroaches have a maximum of 2 inches in length.


In terms of weight, a giant burrowing cockroach can weigh about almost one ounce which is as heavy as a CD. It can live for up to 10 years.


10 – Cockroaches do not use mouth to breathe

Cockroaches are not like human beings. They do not have lungs to breathe. A system of small tubes attached to spiracles helps them to breathe. These spiracles are valves along cockroach’s body that let air enter. This functionality is much like the gills of a fish.


Spiracles also make the cockroaches independent of windpipe and mouth. They definitely do not have a huge network of blood vessels inside their bodies which leads to less pressure in.


This also helps them to survive without the head for many days.


These facts might seem interesting for a while but in case of a grubby situation, you really need to get rid of cockroaches. For this purpose, it’s best to buy pest control products online today.