Can cockroaches live without water. How many domestic cockroaches live - in various conditions and methods of dealing with them. How long can they exist

Where do cockroaches come from? This is a question that many housewives must have asked themselves. Previously, these insects were a real scourge of mankind, but a few years ago they disappeared almost without a trace, according to scientists, due to radiation from phones. However, cockroaches have recently become active again, so you need to know how to avoid their appearance and how to deal with them.

Contrary to popular belief, cockroaches never start on their own, even if the house is a terrible mess. A cockroach must be brought into the house, and a very clean hostess can do it by chance. Another thing is that in an untidy house they take root much easier, since there they have something to profit from.

A cockroach can get into the house in the following ways:

• Crawl from the neighbors. Usually this is how cockroaches appear in the apartments of apartment buildings. They crawl through pipelines or ventilation channels, or simply come through the doors from the entrance.
• Sneak along with shopping. In some not too clean stores, you can sometimes find cockroaches, and they can easily get into the bag and so get into your house. Such a "surprise" can also be brought when buying something from the hands or in the market.
• To return with you from vacation or business trip in luggage along with souvenirs.
• Arrive in a parcel by mail or by courier from an online store.

By the way, it was the parcels that caused the spread of the American cockroach in our country, which could previously only be found in the USA and Canada.

As you can see, a cockroach can easily get into any house, no matter if you are dirty or tidy. And insects breed very quickly, so you need to get rid of them as urgently and decisively as possible.

Cockroaches, by the way, are of different types, and the methods of their removal and the reasons for their appearance depend on this.

Red cockroaches

Red, or brown cockroaches, are the most common variety of these insects, which is also commonly called the Prussians.

These cockroaches feed on leftover food and are generally not very dangerous, however, they are quite unpleasant and can spoil leftover open food. By the way, it is very important for their life activity that water is freely available in the house - and this usually happens when there are problems with plumbing.

Black cockroaches

This is a rarer variety. They are found in private houses, as well as in high-rise buildings, but usually not higher than the fifth floor. Such cockroaches come, as a rule, from sewers and dustbins.

Black cockroaches are very large, so the question of where large cockroaches come from is usually addressed to them. Sometimes they reach three centimeters in length! Such cockroaches breed rather slowly, but they are much more dangerous than their red counterparts, because they smell unpleasant and carry various serious diseases:

• diphtheria.
• Typhoid fever.
• Dysentery.
• Helminthiases.

You can become infected with them if you eat food on which they crawled. Therefore, the question of where black cockroaches come from is very relevant, because it is very important to prevent their appearance at home.

Black cockroaches need to be feared more, although they are usually fewer in number than red ones.

white cockroaches

It is not a separate species. The fact is that for some time after molting, the Prusak skin becomes very thin and white. We rarely see such cockroaches, because usually after molting they try to sit in shelters.

There is another answer to the question of where white cockroaches come from. Occasionally, they turn white due to the fact that a person poisons them - caustic chemicals can deprive the shell of brown color. The cockroach itself can survive.

Where do cockroaches come from in their homes

The question of where cockroaches come from in a private house is easy to answer. They enter private houses in the same way as they enter apartments - from the street from neighbors or with purchases from the store. By the way, since cockroaches do not tolerate cold, in winter they will definitely not be able to come to you from their neighbors. Black individuals in the warm season sometimes crawl into houses located next to garbage dumps.

Why cockroaches move to other places

Most often, insects still come to us from neighbors. However, many people wonder where cockroaches come from if they used to live with their neighbors and they were fine there. This question is not very difficult - cockroaches migrate to new habitats. And they do it for the following reasons:

• Due to too rapid reproduction, the number of cockroaches is constantly increasing. Over time, they simply cease to have enough food and space for the entire population, and insects crawl into other rooms.
• Changing living conditions. If your neighbors suddenly start poisoning cockroaches, or if they go on a long business trip and leave them without food and water, then it will become very uncomfortable for insects to live there. As a result, they will leave en masse, and it is possible that they will go to your apartment.

What cockroaches need to live

Cockroaches are unpretentious creatures. They are resistant to many poisons and can live for several days without a head, but they still need some conditions for existence:

• Plus temperature. Cockroaches are actually exotic insects that came to us from the tropics, so the negative temperature instantly kills them. That is why they live indoors and not on the streets. By the way, before they fought with cockroaches - they just left the house for a couple of days without heating. But now it is difficult to implement - even with the heating valves closed, the house will still be too warm.
• Water. Without water, cockroaches cannot categorically live - like people, they need it even more than food. Therefore, if you can’t get rid of cockroaches in any way, then you might think: do you have an open source of water in your house? A dripping faucet, condensation on the stove, even a couple of drops on the kitchen sink - this is enough for insects to quench their thirst. So if you're dealing with cockroaches, be sure to fix any leaky pipes and keep surfaces dry at all times.
• Food. Of course, cockroaches also need food. They eat everything, both fresh and spoiled. If there is no other food, then they can eat skin or paper for a while. Therefore, during the removal of cockroaches, it is very important to hide all food, carefully shake off the crumbs and wipe countertops and stoves, and also take out the garbage at night. In general, remove food from free access.

Is it hard to fight

Fighting cockroaches is a rather difficult task. These creatures have a very high survivability, so it will not be easy to expel them from your apartment - it will take a lot of time and effort. True, in terms of finances, this business is not particularly costly, since all cockroach remedies are usually inexpensive. Unless replacing plumbing to block access to water can be expensive.

Here are a few facts about cockroaches that show their vitality:

• A cockroach without a head can live for at least ten days. It is also able to reproduce during this period.
• Cockroaches live even in conditions of very strong radiation and feel comfortable at the same time.
• For forty days they can live without food. Moreover, the hunger strike does not weaken them, but makes them aggressive - cockroaches can even start to bite, and it is very painful!
• A lot of cockroach poisons also do not take. And they quickly get used to toxic agents, so the poison should be used only proven, and periodically change it to another.

Cockroaches: where they come from and how to get rid of them

The fight against these insects, as we said above, because of their vitality will be a long and painstaking task.

Where cockroaches come from, we found out, it remains to understand how to survive them from the house. Usually carried out in several stages:

1. Thoroughly clean the entire apartment and pay special attention to the kitchen. Wash the floor everywhere, wipe the surfaces from grease and dirt. All the time while removing cockroaches, clean regularly.
2. Buy special insecticides from the store. They are gel and aerosol, and you can use them together - first treat everything with a spray, and then lubricate the places where cockroaches often appear with gel.
3. Also repeat the treatment regularly to kill young cockroaches that have just hatched from eggs.
4. If the number of cockroaches continues to increase, change the insecticide.
5. If you are sure that cockroaches are crawling towards you from your neighbors, then take a number of measures. Close as much as possible all the openings through which cockroaches can get to you, for example, pipeline risers. Close the ventilation openings with gratings, the mesh cells of which will be of the minimum size. Also, treat all potential passages with gel or chalk.

If you do everything right and are patient, then soon you will be able to forget about cockroaches. However, remember that if they continue to live with neighbors, then if you give up slack, then cockroaches will crawl over to you. Perhaps a conversation with heart-to-heart neighbors and an offer to help get the insects out of them will help to get out of this situation.

of this family.

The size of an ordinary adult (adult) is one and a half centimeters.

The head is oblong, the eyes are widely spaced, dark. The paws of red cockroaches are long, with special suction cups that allow move on vertical planes.

The body is painted in reddish-yellow colors and consists of the following parts:

• cephalothorax;
• abdomen;
• head.

The insect has developed wings with rigid elytra on top, but can't fly, can only glide by falling from a height. But there are also. The oral apparatus is gnawing.

In males, the body is narrow, the abdomen is wedge-shaped, its edge is not covered by wings.

The body of females is wider, the abdomen is rounded, completely covered by wings.

The antennae are one of the most important organs in cockroaches. very sensitive to all kinds of odors. With their help, the Prussians communicate with their relatives and navigate in space. The loss of one or both whiskers becomes a real tragedy for these insects, as they are deprived of information about the world around them.

REFERENCE! A distinctive feature of the Prussians are cerci - small ponytails at the end of the body (one on each side).

A photo

You can clearly see the appearance in the photo of red cockroaches below:

reproduction

cockroaches belong to insects with incomplete metamorphosis(transformation). They do not have a pupal stage, and the larvae take on the appearance of an adult through several molts.

Red Prussians breed throughout the year.

Females lay eggs (about 30 pieces) in a small brown capsule (ootheca). The female carries the future offspring with her at the end of the abdomen (the protruding part of the ootheca is visible to the naked eye) up to hatching larvae (2-4 weeks).

The initial color of the larvae is, it gradually darkens. Larvae (nymphs) undergo six molts until they take on the form of adults. Throughout their lives, females carry from four to ten ootheca and contribute to the birth of up to 300 young cockroaches.

How long do red cockroaches live?

Lifespan red Prussians at home and with enough food and water is 8 to 10 months(this period of time includes the lifespan of the adult (7 - 8 months) and the stage of the nymph).

Lifestyle and nutrition

Prussians do not like daylight and crawl out of their hiding places only at night.

If you suddenly have suspicions about the appearance of uninvited red-haired guests in your apartment, turn on the light in the kitchen at night: live cockroach trickles will squirt in all directions from the sink and from the dining table.

The favorite habitats of domestic red cockroaches are all kinds of narrow gaps (so that the back and abdomen of the insect are in close contact with the surfaces): in floors, under skirting boards, in doorframes, furniture. In addition, the Prussians can choose household appliances and books for settlement.

These insects are omnivorous. Food for them can be not only food, but also paper, wallpaper glue, book bindings, cloth and even soap.

Cockroaches are able to starve for a long time, but they do not tolerate drought at all. If the Prussians can survive for a whole month without food, then they will not survive even a week without water.

For what reasons do they appear in a particular residential area?

There are several reasons:

• unsanitary conditions. Always dirty floor, unwashed dishes, cluttered corners, food residues lying in different places (this can be spilled sugar or flour);
• travel items. An insect can come to your house in a travel bag, having got into it from a hotel or a train car;
• dysfunctional neighbors. It doesn't matter which side the sluts are next to you (top, bottom, through the wall). Cockroaches will surely get from them into your apartment from the ventilation hole or cracks in the walls and floor;
• faulty water and sewer pipes. Small wet places under a drop and heat - this is a real cockroach paradise. As long as there is moisture nearby and the temperature in the apartment does not drop below 10 degrees, the Prussians will be ready to live with you forever.

Do they harm a person?

IMPORTANT! Red cockroaches dangerous to humans: constantly in contact with garbage, household waste, dirt, they are carriers of pathogenic bacteria, as well as worm eggs.

Intestinal disorders, tuberculosis, helminthiasis- this is only a small fraction of the diseases that the Prussians can bring on their paws.

Do red cockroaches bite?

Scientists were aware of several cases when these pests were on the face and hands of people, but they did not cause any tangible harm. So it's safe to say that prussians don't bite.

Fighting methods

As soon as you discovered the presence of at least one red-haired Prusak in the house - take urgent action.

To be more efficient you need to do the following:

• put food in containers or tightly closed bags;
• make sure that dirty dishes with food residues on them do not remain in the sink or on the kitchen table;
• maintain cleanliness in the apartment;
• dispose of household waste in a timely manner, do not accumulate garbage for several days;
• put all pipes and plumbing in order, eliminate leaks;
• do not leave water containers on the surface from which insects could drink.

After that, you can start persecuting the Prussians.

How to get rid of red cockroaches in the apartment? This can be done with the help of industrial insecticides. Today there is a great variety. it

There are real legends about the incredible endurance of cockroaches: they live for years, and they are not afraid of radiation, and they do not need food and water, and even without a head, cockroaches can exist just as if they didn’t need it at all.

Life stages of a cockroach

All cockroaches have an incomplete development cycle, i.e. without the stage of transformation of the larva into a pupa.

It turns out that from the moment the nymph hatches, the Prussian theoretically lives for about 9-12 months, if nothing prevents him.

These insects can actually go quite a long time without food. Red cockroaches live without food for up to 40 days, and black cockroaches - up to 70 days. This is due to the fact that they are cold-blooded creatures (poikilothermic), which means that they do not need to expend energy to maintain a certain body temperature.

The metabolism of such organisms is 20 times slower than that of warm-blooded ones, and it is enough for a cockroach to eat once in order to live for a long time (even several weeks) without feeling hungry.

On the other hand, the main source of energy for poikilothermic organisms is external sources, so cockroaches live only in heated dwellings, and at sub-zero temperatures their numbers are sharply reduced (this can be used to combat cockroaches by freezing the room).

The need of cockroaches for water

Despite the fact that without food, cockroaches live for several weeks, without water, they die within a week, and sometimes even earlier. This is due to the fact that water plays an exceptional role in the life of any organism, since it is a structural component of the cell, and almost all metabolic processes, consisting of a chain of chemical reactions, occur with the participation of water.

Cockroaches do not live long without water and prefer to eat moist food (waste), because water is necessary for the digestion process itself, for the functioning of the salivary glands and the circulatory system.

On a note

The effect of the use of many insecticidal agents is significantly reduced if cockroaches have access to water - insects simply drink and remove substances harmful to them (for example, boric acid) with waste products.

The remarkable heat-conducting properties of water also determine its important role as a thermoregulator in living beings. So, the release of excess fluid through the Malpighian vessels on the body saves from overheating of cockroaches, and the nocturnal lifestyle and waterproof chitinous covers, on the contrary, help save water in case of low humidity and too high temperature.

Do cockroaches live without a head?

No matter how strange this question may sound, the answer “yes, a cockroach lives without a head” sounds even more strange.

See also our experiments on cockroaches:

We catch cockroaches and test different means on them - see the results...

American scientists, in order to study the ability of these insects to reproduce, conducted a series of experiments on their decapitation. After that, the researchers came to the conclusion that not only the body of a cockroach lives without a head, but also its head (placed in a cool place and fed with a special solution) may well exist without a body. In turn, the bodies of cockroaches, deprived of their heads and sealed with special wax in the neck area, live in a flask for several more weeks, according to entomologist K. Tipping.

In order to understand why this is possible, one must understand that all the life support systems of insects (nervous, circulatory, digestive) are arranged quite differently from those of humans. So, head loss in a person is fraught with deprivation of a critical amount of blood, a drop in blood pressure and a disruption in the supply of oxygen, and with it important nutrients to internal organs.

In insects, the circulatory system is open, there are no thin capillaries in it, and pressure does not play a decisive role in it. According to the physiologist and biochemist J. Kankel, if you tear off the cockroach's head, the neck vessels will simply be sealed with clotted blood, and the circulatory system will continue to work.

For the normal process of breathing, a person needs a head, because it contains the mouth and nose, through which, in fact, air enters, and the brain that controls this process. In cockroaches, the respiratory process is carried out with the help of special openings on the body, called "spiracles", and a network of small tubes - trachea. In this case, the brain does not take part in breathing, and after the elimination of the head, the body continues to be supplied with oxygen in the same mode.

Moreover, the brain as such is not particularly needed by cockroaches, since on each part of the body they have nerve nodes (ganglia) responsible for the main nerve functions at the level of reflexes.

Without a head, cockroaches move their paws, stand up and even move. True, as Nick Strosfeld of the University of Arizona points out, the head of these insects receives a lot of sensory information from the body, so their brain, deprived of a body, will not be able to function normally. So, the conducted experiments prove that cockroaches demonstrate memorization skills during training, when the head and body are inseparable unity. When the head is cut off, of course, these creatures lose their abilities.

So, cockroaches are indeed incredibly tenacious insects and are able to live without food, water, and even without a head for a very long period. The chitinous cover is so strong that even after slamming this insect with a slipper, one cannot be sure that after a while it will not move away after the blow and will not run away.

On the other hand, deprivation of water threatens them with imminent death, so those who wish not only to get rid of uninvited guests, but also to prevent their appearance in the future, should by all possible means avoid water leaks from taps, pipes and flower pots.

Folk methods of dealing with cockroaches

They are not afraid of either chemical poisons or radiation, and according to some reports, they can even live without a head. Therefore, the answers to questions about how long cockroaches live and what survival abilities they have will be of interest to many.

In the European part of Russia, 2 types of domestic cockroaches live: and. Both species are practical: cockroaches live by eating not only food waste, but also paper, soap, electrical wiring, fabrics, etc.

Interesting!

The survivability of cockroaches is evidenced by the fact that they can withstand a dose of radiation that is fatal to humans. To destroy them, nuclear radiation must exceed the limiting human level by 15 times.

Factors affecting the life of cockroaches

Life expectancy is influenced by environmental conditions and how cockroaches live: the amount of water and food.

The answer to the question of how long cockroaches live without food can surprise many, because they can do without food for a long time:

• "red" individuals - 40-50 days;
• black - up to 70.

Interesting!

The only thing that can kill a cockroach during prolonged starvation is damage by mold or other microorganisms.

The question of how long cockroaches live without water will be more relevant, because. for insects, a source of moisture is essential for existence. Indeed, without it, water evaporates from its chitinous shell, gradual drying, and the process of digestion of food, the work of the circulatory system slows down. The structure of the body of an insect with the help of moisture allows you to maintain the necessary thermoregulation, and excess fluid is released through the Malpighian vessels. At night, the chitinous cover helps save water, even at high temperatures or dry air.

In the absence of fluid intake for 7 days, the cockroach "dries out" and dies. Therefore, the most necessary food for pests is waste or any food that is sufficiently moist, which is easier to digest and adds such necessary moisture to their body.

Life without a head

Recent experiments by American scientists made it possible to make a sensational discovery: cockroaches can continue to live for some time if their head is torn off. As tests have shown, a cockroach lives without a head for 7-9 days.

On a note!

In addition to the body, the separated head of the cockroach is also able to “live” for 1 week, when scientists placed it in a cool place and provided it with a special solution.

Entomologists explain this fact by the structure of the organism of insects, which have no pressure in the circulatory system. Due to this, when the head is separated, blood loss does not occur, as happens in humans, the vessels are “sealed” with clotted blood, and the entire system continues to function.

Breathing in pests occurs through "spiracles", special openings on the body, air enters through the trachea, small respiratory tubes. Moreover, the brain does not participate in breathing in any way, therefore, after decapitation, the body is supplied with oxygen in the standard mode. And the cockroach itself lives and can even move its paws and move around.

Conclusion

From the above, we can conclude that cockroaches are actually among the most tenacious insects on Earth that are able to exist for a certain time without food, water, and even a head, which should be taken into account when trying.

Have cockroaches settled in the house? It is unlikely that anyone will like such a neighborhood. Most people immediately look for ways to poison them, but some prefer to wait until the insects die on their own, for example, after the owners leave for the country. But after learning how many cockroaches live without food and water in the apartment, the decision will have to be changed. It turns out that insects are so tenacious that it’s hard to imagine.

Normal life cycle of cockroaches

Most often, red cockroaches, or Prussians, appear in a person’s housing - insects with a body from light brown to dark brown. Black cockroaches are less common, but, as a rule, they settle only in houses and apartments with high humidity (old houses, with leaking plumbing or a damp basement). The vitality and endurance of any kind of domestic cockroaches is approximately the same, and it is just right to make legends about it.

The life cycle of pests is different from that of many insects. They do not have a pupal stage, so the cycle is considered incomplete. It looks like this:

• Fertilization of a female by a male.
• Deposition of eggs in a hard capsule or ootheca.
• Carrying a capsule with eggs on the stomach, later - storing it in a secluded place.
• The output of nymphs up to 3 mm in size, transparent whitish in appearance, resembling a small cockroach.
• Molting of nymphs (6-10), upon completion of which the insects acquire a dark color and hardness of the chitinous cover.
• The appearance of an imago - an adult insect.

Interesting: In the form of larvae, pests exist for about 60 days if the room is very warm. When the temperature is lowered to 22-23 degrees or less, molting occurs more slowly (up to 6 months).

How many years do cockroaches live in adulthood? Usually, the life span of red cockroaches is limited to a year, but black insects can live up to 2 years. The warmer the room, the longer the life of insects (of course, to reasonable limits). Males usually die faster than females. In houses and apartments, where the temperature is constant and ventilation is rare, pests will breed very quickly - behind batteries, cabinets, wallpaper.

How do cockroaches exist in adverse conditions?

Difficult periods can occur for everyone, including domestic Prussians. In this case, life expectancy becomes an order of magnitude smaller. In extreme conditions, they survive, but only up to a certain period.

The tropical climate or life in the southern latitudes allows insects not to be afraid of temperature changes. But in the middle lane, they are often forced to endure inconvenience, for example, when the heating is turned off. If the temperature is reduced to -5, the insects die immediately, however, for this you will have to risk the entire heating system.

Reference: As you know, even radiation does not kill pests. In fact, this is not so. The dose of radiation that an insect can withstand is 15 times greater than a human, and yet it is not infinite. If the insect is irradiated for a long time or strongly, it will also die.

Survival of cockroaches without food and drink

How long do cockroaches live in an apartment without food and water? These cold-blooded insects do not expend energy on regulating body temperature, and their metabolism is ten times slower than that of humans. That is why they can fall into a semblance of hibernation and starve for a long time. For example, up to 1.5 months Prussians live freely, up to 2.5 months - black insects without food.

The cockroach sustains life especially well if it ate tightly before the forced hunger strike. The hungry insect hides in a secret place and sits there until the smell of food is again in the human dwelling. With severe hunger, he may well eat something that is unsuitable for food:

• hair,
• paper,
• pieces of leather, etc.

It happens that from hunger, pests eat their own antennae or paws, or attack relatives.

It is known that cockroaches can even eat inedible things (paper, hair, etc.), and can also eat their own kind

Without water, even such a tenacious insect as a Prussian or a black cockroach cannot exist for a long time. Any process in their body is associated with water - they even eat hydrated food, or immediately run in search of moisture. Sometimes in case of poisoning, sufficient water consumption saves the pest.

Through the vessels in the body, moisture evaporates regularly, so the insect "dries up" and dies in about a week. Even a dense shell cannot retain water in the body. Therefore, in the question of how to get rid of cockroaches, it is necessary to take into account such a feature and completely block their access to water.

Can a cockroach live without a head?

The question of how many days a cockroach can live without a head will seem strange to a non-specialist. Of course, not everyone will think of catching a domestic cockroach, tearing off its head and letting it go. But similar experiments were carried out by scientists.

It turns out that for 7-9 days the insect exists without a head. This feature is due to the openness of the circulatory system, the central nervous system and the gastrointestinal tract of the insect. If the head is removed, the blood on the neck will be baked, the vessels and other organs and systems will continue their activity.

The insect will continue to breathe too, because it has small respiratory organs all over its body. There are also sections of the nervous system on the body, and the nervous regulation of the main processes will take place in full. A cockroach will die of thirst, but it will live even longer than with its head, because the area of ​​​​evaporation of moisture will decrease.

Interesting: The head of a cockroach can also live on its own if nutrient solutions are dripped onto it.

Thus, the survivability of cockroaches is high, and it is not worth hoping that they themselves will die without food in a couple of weeks. The only thing that can be done is to completely deprive them of water, and then they will definitely stop harming a person.