DO COCKROACHES BITE?

DO COCKROACHES BITE?

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Cockroach bites.

Do cockroaches bite?
Simple answer: yes they do. Cockroaches eat a wide variety of food types including meat and greens. Which means they are omnivores. There have been recording of cockroaches eating human flesh, dead or alive.

Cockroaches bite softer skin
They usually go for softer skin areas like eyelashes, feet and fingernails of hands causing skin irritations and swelling even resulting in infections if the bites are not tended to immediately.

Areas where cockroaches bite:

  1. Face (Eyelids)
  2. Mouth
  3. Hands
  4. Fingernails

Human bites
Human bites are rare but can occur where the cockroach infestation is very high and food is scarce. Fortunately the cockroach life cycle is not reliant on human or animal blood or human flesh to survive. The cockroach bite can last up to a week. Cockroaches are nocturnal feeders so if you are going to be bitten by a roach it would more likely be in your sleep.

Cockroach Food Sources
Fleas and bedbugs will die if they do not have a host to feed on. cockroaches find food from a variety of sources like starch or protein and even sugar and will only try and feed on humans if their population has exploded and food is scarce.

When do cockroaches bite people?

Cockroach nature
Cockroaches are docile insects and usually scatter in the presence of humans, however they will bite if necessary. That is why they wont easily come near a human during the day due to their timid and skittish nature. Most times a human is bitten is during the night while you are asleep.

Bite while you are asleep
There have been reports of sailors wearing head coverings and gloves while sleeping to prevent cockroach bites to skin of finger nails and eyelids. That is why you will usually wake up in the morning with cockroach bites. This is the time you are the most quiet and do not move around a lot.

Large adult cockroaches
Baby cockroaches called Nymphs will not an cannot feed on human skin as they are too small and their mouth-parts are not developed enough, so when you do suffer from a cockroach bite, it is usually from a large adult cockroach.

Do Cockroach Bites Hurts?
If you are reading this you are probably wondering if the cockroach bite hurts? If you have a high pain threshold you more than likely wont get hurt and just feel a pinch or a prick. The discomfort resulting from the bite only lasts a few seconds. Interesting fact though is American cockroaches can generate a bite force of 50-times their own body weight with 5x the relative force of a human. SHEESH!!!!

Cockroach Bite Symptoms

Cockroach bites can lead to allergic reactions in some people.

  • Your body can have a negative reaction to the proteins found in cockroach saliva, faeces (pooh), and the roach body.
  • When you directly inhale the germs and allergins left behind in the cockroach pooh and their bodies
  • If you have a sensative skin and the cockroach makes direct contact
  • Regular exposure to cockroack nests with high levels of cockroach airborne allergins

Cockroach Bite Signs:

  1. The bites look slightly larger than mosquito bites
  2. Some red bumps near around the bitten areas
  3. Redish skin rash can appear
  4. Scratchin the irritated bites can cause inflammation and worsen the bite
  • Asthma sufferers are at risk of an asthma attack when exposed to the allergens from a cockroach.

Diseases and Infections Caused by Cockroaches

Surface Contamination
Humans cannot contract diseases directly from a cockroach bite, but the roaches contaminate the surface areas we work on and this in-turn becomes the source of the diseases once we are exposed to it or make regular contact.
If it has, you will need to get rid of the food items and sanitize any items in the area that can spread diseases. You need to be vigilant and identify if anything has been contaminated by the cockroach infestations.

Below is a list of the infections that can occur after exposure to the microorganisms of roaches.

Most common infections:

  • Cholera
  • Dysentery
  • Gastroenteritis
  • Listeriosis
  • Giardia
  • Staphylococcus
  • Streptococcus
  • Poliomyelitis virus
  • Escherichia coli

Do not risk contracting any of these diseases.

Some Prevention Tips

The best way to eradicate cockroaches is to get in an exterminator and then keep your house clean afterward.

Some Tips:

  • Improve hygiene levels in the house by cleaning regularly behid fridges, stoves and sinks.
  • Close food containers
  • Regularly clean your kitchen bin
  • Tend to any leaking taps to prevent cockroaches to water
  • Avoid piles of newspapers, books, empty boxes, magazines
  • Clean under counter tops and underneath stoves
  • If you spot any cockroach eggs, immediately sweep them up and get rid of them asap
  • Make sire all bins are sealed and kept closed
  • Don’t leave dirty dishes for too long
  • Don’t leave appliances boxes ontop or inside cupboards – these are potential cockroach hotels

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