Fascinating Facts About The Georgia Cockroach
Cockroach
Cockroaches are some of the worst pests you can find in your home. Cockroaches are objectively disgusting creatures because of the fact that their feces can cause allergies and spread diseases. Other than that, cockroaches are fascinating creatures that have adapted in some of the strangest ways in an effort to survive.
Cockroaches Are Prehistoric
Cockroaches may not be the most destructive pest in Georgia, but they are by far the oldest. To put it into some context, cockroaches were the only creatures living in caves before the dinosaurs were wiped out 66 million years ago. Recently, In a scene reminiscent of Jurassic Park, scientists have found a huge chunk of prehistoric amber in a cave in Myanmar. Inside the amber, they found the preserved bodies of two new species of cockroaches. Testing dates the creatures at around 99 million years old which would put them square in the Cretaceous period when dinosaurs walked the Earth. Sure they may make your skin crawl but have to admit, that’s pretty impressive.
Cockroaches Can Live Almost Anywhere
After millions and millions of years of evolution and adaptation, cockroaches can live in almost any place on the planet and are notoriously hard to kill. Today, there are over 4,000 species of cockroaches on earth. Only 30 species live with humans. The rest live deep in jungles, swamps, and caves. The only place on Earth where cockroaches have not been seen is Antarctica but with temperatures rising and more land being exposed, that could soon change.
Roaches Can Stay Fertile For A Long Time
Part of the amazing evolutionary adaptations of the cockroach is its will to reproduce. The cockroach only needs to mate once and she is fertile for life. After the female mates, she stores the sperm and fertilizes her own eggs over the course of her lifetime. This could have been an adaptation from living in deep, dark caves when encounters with another male could be few and far between.
Cockroaches Can Fit Almost Anywhere
Cockroaches are notorious for sneaking through small cracks and coming up through drain pipes in apartment buildings. That’s because cockroaches can spread their legs and flatten themselves to squeeze through even the smallest cracks and gaps. If you live in an apartment or have city water in Georgia be sure your drains have small holes so these pests can’t sneak into your home.
Cockroaches Can Fast For A Really Long Time
If you thought you could starve a cockroach out of your home, think again. Sure, cockroaches love to eat but if they can’t, they go up to a month without food. But they can go even longer. Once all food has run out, cockroaches will turn on each other and become cannibals in an attempt to continue the species.
Roaches Can Survive Without Their Heads
It’s almost as if cockroaches knew they would be the most hated insect on the planet and prepared for it. At some point in their evolution, cockroaches developed two brains, one inside their head, and a second, more primitive brain in their thorax. If a cockroach loses its head this primitive brain takes over and provides the headless body with enough information to move and lay eggs.
Cockroaches are the most adaptable creatures on earth, which makes controlling them all the more difficult. To make sure you never get a cockroach infestation in your Georgia home:
- Keep food sealed
- Dispose of garbage in sealed containers outside
- Seal cracks and holes in homes
- Seal around utility pipes
- Keep basements and crawl spaces well-ventilated
For All Your Residential Pest Control Needs Call the Professionals at Progressive Pest Control
If you are having trouble with a pest infestation call the experts at Progressive Pest Control. With our commercial and residential pest control services we can protect your home from a range of pests from cockroaches to mice. We are standing by to take your call.
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