Insect Trivia – Cockroaches
- Cockroaches are believed to have been on the earth for 350 million years.
- Cockroaches are among the fastest land animals. They are capable of moving 50 body lengths per second. If a human could do this, he could do a 100 yard dash in one second reaching speeds of 200 miles per hour.
- There are over 3500 species of cockroaches worldwide.
- There are 70 species of cockroaches found in the United States.
- The German cockroach can survive 2 weeks without water and over a month without food.
- Cockroaches are a major cause of asthma and allergies. This is especially important in inner city areas. In one subsidized living area, 45% of the children were allergic to cockroaches and many developed asthma as a result of the constant exposure.
- In some inner city areas, over half of the foreign objects removed from children’s ears are roaches.
- Cockroaches will feed on sleeping people, they eat protein materials like finger nails and eyebrows.
- Cockroach infestations can be huge. In 1967 a treatment killed 133 pounds (yes pounds) of American Cockroaches in a Gorilla cage at the Chicago Zoo.
