Why are cockroaches afraid of light?

Nowadays, every person is concerned about the cleanliness of his home and regularly keeps it in order. However, even with such care, the appearance of cockroaches in the house remains a pressing problem. Fighting these insects can take a long time, since they are resistant to poisons from the store and know how to avoid places that are dangerous for them.

However, it is important to start controlling cockroaches as soon as they appear, since every cockroach can carry diseases and cause serious illness. This is especially important to consider if you have small children or pets in your home who explore the world based on taste and smell, and may accidentally taste an infested cockroach.

How to understand that there is a colony of cockroaches at home

Before you begin to actively fight cockroaches, it is important to make sure that they have actually appeared in your apartment. If you have light-colored walls or floors in your kitchen or bathroom, you should carefully inspect the surfaces. Since cockroaches constantly move on bright surfaces, they leave traces of their activity. If you notice a lot of black spots on your tiles or wallpaper, this could be the first sign.

Cockroaches prefer a nocturnal lifestyle and search for food in the dark. If you have food in your home that could be accessible to insects (such as an open bread bin or a plate of cookies), check it for damage. Cockroaches may leave crumbs or holes in food to indicate their presence.

If you accidentally find at least one cockroach in your apartment after dark, this is a clear sign that insects have appeared in your home. Cockroaches try to avoid light, so their appearance in lit rooms indicates a serious problem. It is especially important to fight cockroaches if you live in an apartment building on the first floor. In this case, the likelihood that all the floors above you are already contaminated is high, and it is necessary to treat the entire house together with other residents.

How to deal with cockroaches at home

Although cockroaches are highly resistant to chemicals, you can control them by avoiding the use of professional treatments and the services of specialized cockroach extermination companies.

In order to get rid of cockroaches in the house, you can use the following methods:

1. Cutting off access to water and food: Cockroaches, like other living creatures, need water and food. However, they can survive without food for long periods of time. If you cut off their access to water, they will die from dehydration within 6-8 days. By turning off the water and leaving the house for a few weeks, you can be sure that the cockroaches will disappear.
2. Sudden change in temperature: Cockroaches cannot tolerate sudden changes in temperature. When the temperature drops to -10 degrees or below, the conditions for their life become unbearable and they will die.
3. Bright smells: Cockroaches rely on smell when searching for food. Use strong scents, such as ammonia water or bleach, to repel them in the short term.
4. Ultrasonic repellers: Cockroaches react to sounds of a certain frequency. High-quality ultrasonic repellers can force them to leave their habitats.
5. Pitfalls: Use traps, such as boric acid and food, to attract and catch cockroaches. Place them in areas where you frequently see insects. Such treatments can be carried out once every 1-2 weeks to achieve good results.

It should be noted that light traps are not always effective, as cockroaches may come into the light in search of food, despite their fear. However, the use of the described methods can help get rid of cockroaches without the use of chemicals and professional treatment of premises.

Rating of the best means for fighting cockroaches

If you do not like traditional methods or it is not possible to order professional services in the near future, you can use specialized chemistry that effectively fights cockroaches. Here are a few drugs to which cockroaches react negatively:

1. Gektor: This drug is available in powder and gel form. The unique formula allows you to completely get rid of cockroaches. They pick up particles of the product and transfer the poison to other individuals, destroying the entire colony. The main advantage of Gektor is safety for children and pets (in case of contact with skin or mucous membranes, it is recommended to consult a specialist).
2. Dichlorvos: This is a classic remedy that kills cockroaches instantly. However, it is extremely toxic to humans and animals, and cockroaches can develop an “addiction” to its active ingredients.
3. Cockroach chalks: This type of product is safe and odorless. You need to draw a few lines with chalk around the corners and legs of the furniture. Cockroaches will feed on the product and die within XNUMX hours. The disadvantage is that insects can become accustomed to the product, but this process occurs much more slowly than when using dichlorvos.
4. Get: This unique remedy makes cockroaches fall off their feet. The granules are mixed with water in a ratio of 1 to 10 and sprinkled in places where insects accumulate. If the product gets on the larvae, they do not even have time to emerge into the light, and adult cockroaches die within a few hours. It is recommended to carry out treatment at night, since cockroaches are active at night and try to avoid light.

Why are cockroaches afraid of light?

Most people who encounter cockroaches have a strange pattern of behavior: when you turn on the light, each cockroach tends to leave the illuminated space and hide in the darkness. This gives the impression that cockroaches are afraid of light, but in fact this is an incorrect assumption.

In the process of evolution, all cockroaches have developed a reaction to the sudden appearance of light in the surrounding space - flight. Cockroaches are nocturnal, preferring to hide in the dark, where their brown body color makes them virtually invisible and inaccessible to predators.

However, sunlight or lamplight is not dangerous to cockroaches; they can exist calmly in well-lit rooms. The reaction of cockroaches to the sudden appearance of light is not due to fear of light, but to an unexpected change in conditions for which they are not prepared. When they find themselves in an open space, they tend to run away, not because they are afraid of the light, but because they feel unsafe. Therefore, the question “why are cockroaches afraid of light” has no factual basis.

F.A.Q.

How do cockroaches see?

The visual system of cockroaches is significantly different from that of humans. These insects perceive the world through many small lenses. Although their vision does not allow them to see the smallest details, it is quite sufficient to detect animals or people, especially in case of danger. In the eyes of a cockroach, a person looks like a large moving object. Over the course of evolution, cockroaches have developed one single reaction to such objects - to run away as quickly as possible, taking refuge in the corners of the apartment.

Why do cockroaches come out at night?

Cockroaches prefer to be nocturnal, and there are clear reasons for this phenomenon. Sunlight or artificial lighting is not a direct threat to them, as their eyes are adapted to these conditions. However, daylight hours make cockroaches more vulnerable, so they prefer to be active at night when the lights are off. Their reaction to light is not related to fear of it, but rather to a feeling of vulnerability at the sudden appearance of light.

What are cockroaches afraid of?

Despite their resilience, cockroaches react to a variety of common stimuli. Insects are scent-driven, and bright natural scents such as lavender or mint can repel cockroaches in their habitats. Also, kerosene or ammonia odors are an effective means of combating them. Ultrasonic repellers, which operate at frequencies inaudible to the human ear, are also effective at driving away insects. In addition, cockroaches are afraid of light and try to avoid illuminated areas where they can be easily seen.