When you hear the word “cockroach,” one of the first words that comes to mind is “disease.” It’s a fact about them that almost everyone knows because of how many diseases cockroaches can help spread. But why — why do these pests carry so many diseases?
The Reasons Cockroaches Carry Disease
Cockroaches aren’t exactly the cleanest living creatures on the planet. They travel anywhere they can fit, including sewers and drains. Why here? Well, not only do they feed on food, paper products, fabrics, etc. — they also feed on human feces. The germs and bacteria they are covered with (inside and out) are what causes disease to spread.
If feeding on human feces wasn’t enough for you to bear, cockroaches will also regurgitate partially digested feces, as well as drop their own.
Recap: Cockroaches will walk through feces, eat feces, spit up feces, and drop their own feces. No wonder they have one of the worst reputations!
Diseases Cockroaches Carry and/or Spread
- Dysentery
- Cholera
- Leprosy
- Plague
- Typhoid Fever
- Poliomyelitis (Viral Diseases)
- And of Course… Diarrhoea!
Preventing Cockroach Infestations
Cockroaches are mostly found in very humid areas such as basements, crawl spaces, kitchens, near heat-emitting appliances, sewers, etc. There are some species of cockroach that don’t need as humid of an environment as others do, so don’t be surprised if you find one in a random room in your home or business.
Because of their ability to easily spread harmful bacteria along with their rapid reproduction, it’s important you call a pest management company at the first sight of a single cockroach. Otherwise, a single cockroach could turn into hundreds in a matter of weeks.
There’s a reason why cockroaches are known as the “bad boys” of the pest world — they’re hazardous to your health! When you need to control an infestation, let us know and we’ll start lacing up our big red gloves…