Are Cockroaches a Health Hazard? These Facts Will Change How You Clean

 

Are cockroaches a health hazard? 

 

Do cockroaches carry disease?

 

Can cockroaches bite? 

 

Are people actually allergic to cockroaches?

 

These are all great questions, and our experts in household insect control are here to provide the answers; keep reading to discover them!

 

Are cockroaches a health hazard? 

This question sets the theme for the rest of this post; consider the questions and answers in the upcoming sections as follow-ups to it. 

In short, yes, cockroaches can pose a health hazard, although they do not directly harm anyone. 

Do cockroaches carry disease?

Yes, being a vector for disease is one way cockroaches can pose a health hazard to people and pets. 

Cockroaches can pick up disease- and illness-causing pathogens (i.e., viruses, bacteria, and parasitic worm eggs) as they crawl around in unsanitary environments such as trash and sewage in dumpsters, sewers, the ground, and other unsanitary places where they live, hide, and rummage for food. These pathogens adhere to their prickly, spindly legs and bodies, hitching a ride to their next destinations. 

Can cockroaches bite? 

Technically, yes; cockroaches have mouths, and that is how they bite their food. However, it is extraordinarily uncommon for cockroaches to bite people with their tiny mouths because they are very skittish around large mammals (i.e., humans) and will only get close to grab organic debris from human skin if they lack a food source. Some people even claim that cockroaches have bitten them in an attempt to eat their earwax (gross, right?!). 

Cockroaches do not have a poisonous bite and do not transmit disease through biting, either. 

Are people actually allergic to cockroaches?

Yes, some people are allergic to cockroaches and experience symptoms such as itching, sneezing, coughing, hives, and similar reactions.  

Individuals with a cockroach allergy and asthma can also suffer asthma attacks and related symptoms like wheezing. 

If cockroaches don’t cause disease or trigger asthma/allergies through biting, how do they cause a reaction?

As we mentioned in the “Do cockroaches carry disease?” section above, cockroaches pick up disease-causing pathogens on their legs and bodies when they crawl around in who-knows-what, who-knows-where, as they always do. When you touch something that you don’t realize a cockroach has crawled on (which happens more than you think, since they move sneakily in the dark as nocturnal creatures) and come into contact with the pathogens they leave behind, you are exposed to them and can contract disease that way. 

Cockroach allergens and exposure to them are a little different. People allergic to cockroaches experience allergic or asthmatic reactions when they are exposed to traces of cockroaches’ bodily fluids, such as their frass (the term for insect poop), enzyme-rich saliva, or their carcases, which will have some residual traces of these fluids. When the microscopic particles from these fluids become airborne, people with asthma and allergies can inhale them, triggering their reactions. 

Is it realistic to be concerned about cockroach exposure?

It depends. If you see a single cockroach on the ground outside where you don’t have any pest prevention safeguards in place, then you’re fine; you won’t risk disease or allergen exposure that way unless you touch the cockroach.

However, if you see roaches inside your house, it is a likely sign of infestation and should prompt you to take action. A few cockroaches in your home is usually a sign of more to follow. Their presence indicates that they found a way inside, and more may enter—after which they may quickly reproduce.

 

How can I get rid of cockroaches?

Cockroaches can be difficult to completely eradicate from your home. They’re nocturnal, adaptable, quick, and hardy. It’s also easy for them to spend extended periods of time in confined spaces, without water for up to a few days, and without food for weeks. Additionally, cockroaches are omnivores that aren’t picky eaters at all; if you don’t have crumbs on the floor for them to consume, they’ll happily sustain themselves by eating hair, soap, cardboard, or whatever else they can find. 

Cleaning up and putting away as many food sources as possible, in addition to using the following types of products to wage chemical warfare, is usually the most effective approach to eliminating cockroaches:

• Pest control products with chelating agents are highly effective, as they melt a roach’s exoskeleton on contact. These chemical products are the ones that cockroaches have the hardest time surviving because they can’t develop a resistance to a substance that melts their bodies.  
• Liquid bait traps can also help eliminate cockroaches successfully, as they appear to contain the main thing that they’re after (water) for both their survival and because they seem to enjoy drinking it. The liquid is fatally poisonous to both imagos (adults) and nymphs (in between phases/juveniles). Additionally, the poison can be transferred to other cockroaches or cockroach eggs that they come into contact with, as they carry it on their legs or bodies, just like pathogens.
• Gel baits do essentially the same thing as liquid bait traps: you simply dispense some gel onto a surface and wait. The gel’s glistening, wet-like appearance tricks the roaches into thinking they’re some sort of moist food or water source, so they eat it. From there, they suffer the same fate as if they had drunk some liquid bait. 

 

Roach sprays aren’t the best methods for DIY roach control, as traces of them can easily linger in the air without you realizing it, which can definitely harm your family. There’s also the fact that roach sprays only affect the roaches exposed to them, and a population of roaches can develop immunity to them relatively quickly. 

 

Who is the best cockroach control crew in Birmingham, AL?

Maybe you don’t have the time, materials, or ability to implement our cockroach control tips, or you have a full-blown infestation on your hands. No matter the reason you need professional cockroach control, you can trust the Vulcan Termite and Pest Control crew to handle it.

With over 40 years of experience clearing cockroaches from homes, businesses, and other establishments in the area, the people of Birmingham and across central Alabama can count on us to eliminate all traces of cockroaches and implement practical solutions to prevent them from returning. Contact us whenever you have a roach problem, and we’ll be there ASAP to help restore your property to a roach-free state.