Here are 6 disgusting facts about cockroaches — number 3 will shock you!

2. They’re in your chocolate.

That’s right, there are eight insect parts — antennae and all — in the average chocolate bar. The same goes for peanut butter, cheese and popcorn. But don’t worry. A little roach here and there never hurt anybody.

3. They can survive even without their heads

Yes, the terrifying rumor is true. Roaches can live over a week without their heads. Why? They have an open circulatory system and their vital organs are found in the thorax. But these headless buggers won’t be able to drink, so they’ll eventually die of thirst.

4. They have got cannibals hidden inside

We’ve already established that roaches will eat anything, but if the going gets tough and food is scarce, they’ll even eat each other. This cannibalistic quality reduces population sizes when an infestation becomes too large to feed itself.

5. Heard of cockroach milk?

Forget smoothies and kombucha, roach milk could soon be trending at a grocery store near you. Diploptera punctate, the only roach to give birth to live young, feeds its babies via milk-like protein crystals. And these tasty crystals are four times as nutritious as cow’s milk. Yummy.

Do you know cockroaches eat one another? (Source: Freepik)

6. Cockroach tea, anyone?

In some cultures, cockroaches were used in home remedies. The Greeks and Egyptians used ground or boiled cockroaches for medicinal purposes, and even some New Orleans cultures used boiled cockroach tea as a medicinal remedy. While this might not be something you’d like to see on your local coffee shop menu, it does highlight how long humans have been dealing with cockroaches.

Why you should not squish cockroaches

With these insects dating back to the Carboniferous era, roaches have been around for a very long time, though they are perhaps now considered more a feared pest than an ingredient for tea.

If these facts creep you out as much as they do to us, you might feel the strong urge to squish them beneath your shoes the next time you see them. But Deepak Sharma from Indian Pest Control Company says otherwise.

“While stepping on a cockroach might offer immediate satisfaction, it’s not the most effective or hygienic method for controlling these resilient pests,” he said, warning against stepping on cockroaches for the following reasons:

1. Disease transmission: Cockroaches are known carriers of various pathogens, including bacteria like E. coli and Salmonella. Crushing them can release these pathogens onto surfaces, increasing the risk of contamination.

2. Attracting other pests: The remains of a squashed cockroach can serve as a food source for different pests, such as ants, potentially leading to additional infestations.

3. Mess and odour: Crushing cockroaches can create an unpleasant mess and odour, necessitating thorough cleaning to maintain hygiene.

From the homepage

Rajasthan student’s body found in Russian dam after 19 days; family seeks probe, early repatriation

‘Sowed the seeds of partition’: PM Modi alleges Congress dropped important stanzas of ‘Vande Mataram’

Pune deal case live: Ajit Pawar says sale deed stands cancelled, not a single paisa exchanged