One of the most important burning questions that every homeowner asks is, why is it so hard to kill cockroaches? Cockroaches are one of the most commonly found pests in every household. They are found everywhere in kitchens, libraries, storerooms, and many other places.
They bring a lot of allergic reactions, infectious diseases, and are directly responsible for food contamination. Before learning why they are hard to kill, let’s learn more about their few characteristics:
A cockroach can live without its head even for a week
Cockroaches breathe through their tiny holes that are present in their body. This is why they do not require their heads for breathing purposes. Though they will die after a week if their head is not present.
However, the only function of their heads is to accumulate food and water for survival just like every other human being.
Cockroaches can die if they suffer from dehydration but can live up to a month without food. Scary, isn’t it?
They can Travel Faster at Awesome Speeds
Have you ever tried to chase a cockroach, and ended up being a failure? The reason is simple. Cockroaches can travel then you can imagine. Cockroaches can travel up to 3 mph of speed that equates to about 50 of their body lengths per second. If you compare a human being, that speed stands at around 210 mph.
Moreover, they can react to the slightest of vibrations making them a hard sneaker. So, it is a very difficult thing to chase down a cockroach for a human being.
Cockroaches are Strong and Flexible
These pesky pests have strong and flexible exoskeletons. This is the reason that it is difficult to kill them at an instant hit by a newspaper or any other thing. Moreover, they can squeeze themselves even to the quirkiest corners of your house.
Why are they so hard to kill?
Cockroaches have strong chemoreception genes. This allows them to taste and smell the environment. Further, they contain 154 olfactory nerves and 544 gustatory nerves that are responsible for providing them a taste. This is the reason that makes them a good sniffer of food as compared to other insects.
Cockroaches also contain a lot of Cytochrome P450 that allows them to find anywhere possible, even that food is poisonous to other beings.
Another reason that makes them hard to kill is their adaptable nature. Since they have strong exoskeletons, therefore they can pass through anything. Moreover, if you try to cut this insect in half, it can survive even for a week without its head.