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Insects & Arachnids: Cockroach
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"Disgusting," "dirty," and "pest" are just some of the words we associate with this very unpopular insect. One of the most ancient animals on earth, the cockroach has been around for 350 million years, 100 times longer than humans. Cockroaches come in many colors and sizes. There are 4,000 different species, including 60 different species in the U.S. They are the fastest insects on earth: they can run 12 feet in one second.
Most cockroaches are tropical, but humans have distributed them worldwide (except in the polar regions). They are both diurnal and nocturnal. Hard to believe, but pest cockroaches make up less than two percent of all cockroaches. Most cockroaches are found in leaf litter (they like dark, moist places) and are rarely seen.
Cockroaches will eat anything including soap, paper, clothes, cigarette butts, coffee grinds, hair, glue, feces, human food, and sometimes even each other. Some will eat their own cast-off skins and egg-capsules.
Cockroaches are very social and don't thrive alone. They live in groups and emit a pheromone that advances quick growth.
The albino cockroach is a newly molted American cockroach. When it outgrows its exterior casings, its new skin (cuticle) is creamy white and soft, and a tempting meal for other cockroaches. Within a few hours, their cuticles will harden and darken, and they will look like regular cockroaches.
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Cockroaches can live for two weeks without a head because they have "brains" on their legs. In time, a headless roach will die from starvation.
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