Insect cockroach: domestic pests and amazing animals
Cockroaches. Disgusting creatures that intimidate those living in a house or apartment. They are unpleasant, harmful and can spoil the products. But not all representatives of cockroaches are harmful, if useful individuals and even very cute ones.
Content
general description
Cockroaches are representatives of insects. There are more than 4640 species of the cockroach superorder. These animals are one of the most ancient, found in deposits of the Late Carboniferous and Paleozoic.
Animals are thermophilic and moisture-loving. They are nocturnal and rarely come out during the day. In nature, they prefer to live under stones, in cracks in the ground, near roots and stumps. They feed on the remains of organic matter, moreover, plants and dead animals.
Structure
The size of the animal depends on the species. The length of small individuals is 1 cm, and the largest reach 12 cm.
- They have a flat oval body, a strong chitinous shell and strong jaws.
- The body is segmented, divided into several parts.
The structure of a cockroach.
- Two eyes do not have strong vision, in some species they may be completely atrophied.
- The long antennae consist of a number of segments.
- The legs are strong, most often running.
- The wings are developed or partially shortened, in some species they are completely absent. But they are used more for planning, cockroaches do not fly very well.
Lifestyle and behavior
Cockroaches live in a group, but they do not have a clear division of roles in the colony. Only some decisions, the choice of the place of migration and rescue under threat, they pass together. But in the course of research, it was revealed that there are several individuals that lead the colony.
There are synotropic species. These are the ones that live near humans and have gained a reputation as a pest. They also live in a colony and have a certain hierarchy.
cockroach breeding
Life cycle
Cockroaches are insects with an incomplete life cycle. There are three of them, and each has its own metamorphoses.
Usually found in an ootheque in one or more rows. The term of development depends on the species, usually 3-4 weeks.
These are the stages during which, from the birth of a cockroach, it becomes an adult. At first, the animal is white, but it goes through several molts and becomes full-fledged. Procedures can take several months or several years.
These are mature adults. For the entire life cycle remain unchanged. One female can lay 4-6 ootheca in her life, but some species up to 12. The number of larvae is different - from 20 to 200.
life span of cockroaches
The type of life span depends on which species the insect belongs to. Animals easily adapt to the lack of food, they can even live for some time without food. But lowering the temperature is critical, at -5 degrees they die.
The term depends on the place of residence, because some become the prey of enemies, while others become a victim of a person in the struggle for purity.
Diet preferences
Cockroaches are one of the most omnivorous animals. Living in nature, they feed on fruits, organic remains, carrion, grass.
Insects living in the house are more unpretentious and eat everything that a person eats:
- crumbs;
- flour;
- fruit;
- paper.
In conditions of lack of food, they eat soap, clothes, book bindings and leather shoes. They attack humans only on rare occasions when there is no food to eat at all.
Benefit and harm
A person is accustomed to perceive cockroaches as pests. They break into houses, which annoys the residents. But there are both sides of the coin.
Benefits of Animals
In nature, they eat plant debris, thereby accelerating the decomposition process. They are also part of the food chain and are present in the diet of many amphibians. They conduct experiments on cockroaches and use them in medicine.
Harm from cockroaches
More people are familiar with the harm that insects carry. They:
- carry diseases;
- are a source of infection;
- contaminate food;
- live in garbage chutes;
- damage valuables;
- aesthetically detrimental.
cockroaches and people
Several common types
There are a number of species that are most commonly found near humans.
Unusual facts
There are a number of unusual facts that may surprise the townsfolk.
| Cause of death | Cockroaches easily live without a head for more than a week. Their respiratory organs are located on the body, and they die of thirst. |
| Cockroaches are afraid of people | And this is a normal intense response to a threat. But, also, a person leaves animal oils on the body, which disrupt their vital functions. |
| They still bite | It is comparable in strength to a mosquito bite. But after that you need to undergo treatment, because they can bring an infection. But they bite not from evil, but from hunger, they can only be tempted by the remnants of food that are stuck to their hands. |
| They change the way they run | In the normal state and from stress, they run differently. When they flee from danger, they begin to rearrange their paws in a different way, taking turns in pairs. |
| They are still very useful. | Chemicals from the brains of cockroaches are being used to develop cures for two deadly diseases, E. coli and Staphylococcus aureus. |
Conclusion
Cockroaches are mostly presented as pests. They harm people and food with their activities. Their lifestyle in the trash and landfills makes itself felt, because they carry a lot of pests. But in fact, they are part of the ecosystem and are of great benefit.
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