Cockroaches bite or not: myths and reality

Hello. How many stories from friends I heard that at one time they were bitten by cockroaches. And almost everyone in a dream.

Straight horror already turned out some kind. They were still afraid that in a dream they could crawl into an ear or nose and thereby cause suffocation.

I myself have practically never encountered cockroaches in my life, but I want to analyze this question thoroughly in order to dispel guesses. Want to know if cockroaches actually bite or not? What is the likelihood of a person suffering from these insects? Now I will sign everything in detail.

Do cockroaches bite. Cockroach bite on a person, photo, how it looks

This is strange, unusual, but it turns out a cockroach can bite a person. If you have not heard about this before, then read carefully.

The greatest activity of these insects occurs at night. You have already laid down, turned off the light, and here, after some time, these household parasites begin to climb out of all the cracks. Of course, if they are in your house or apartment.

That is, the main purpose of the cockroach is to gobble up the remnants of food, but if the sweet soda is on the skin, then trying to use it, the cockroach can inflict bites. And the skin of children is more sensitive to various kinds of irritants, albeit insignificant.

Especially such skin areas:

• neck
• lips
• ears
• folds under the knees and arms
• face
• skin on fingers and hands
• stomach

By the way, red cockroaches are less than black, and they can bite more often.

How is a bite possible?

A cockroach is able to bite thanks to a strong gnawing mouth apparatus. Fixation of the human skin epithelium occurs between powerful chitin lips and horns of the insect mandibles. A pair of upper jaws with teeth nibbles the upper layers of the epidermis. At the same time, there is an inevitable infection of contaminated oral apparatus and saliva of the wound pest.

If characteristic signs of a bite are found, you do not need to wait for an inflammatory reaction. Treat the damaged area as soon as possible with chlorhexidine or hydrogen peroxide.

Causes

The reasons why cockroaches attack people are hunger, thirst and an increase in the pest population. Since the pest cannot do without water for more than 2 days, then if it does not receive the liquid through plain water, fruit or vegetable juice, it rushes to human skin.

If the food in the apartment is securely hidden, or it is over, cockroaches will look for other sources of food. Soft tissues and human skin can be damaged by parasites when too many have bred and not everyone has enough food and water.

The bite place, how it looks

Parents can confuse a cockroach bite with a manifestation of food dermatitis, especially if the phenomenon in the wound has acquired an allergic component.

Any bite is characterized by the presence of a puncture site in the center of inflammatory edema, no matter how extensive it is. The puncture looks like the smallest red dot formed by a droplet of clotted blood pouring out.

A cockroach bite in a photo or a human body looks almost like the bites of other insects. Edema necessarily occurs, which tends to go beyond the site of skin damage and spread to nearby soft tissues.

After a few hours, a delicate red-pink crust appears around the bite site with a diameter of up to 5 mm. In people with sensitive skin, the crust can reach large sizes. It is indistinguishable against the background of allergic edema. For foci of contact dermatitis, neither the puncture point, nor the tender inflammatory crust are characteristic.

If you touch the bite, it will be dense. In addition to redness, an unpleasant phenomenon of hyperemia is often present. Which means filling the site of damage with blood, followed by an increase in tissue temperature in this area.

Insect tissues, harmful dust particles and bacteria present on the oral apparatus and entering the wound are contact allergens and infectious agents. Therefore, a violent inflammatory and allergic reaction to the bite of this pest is possible.

Most likely, insect bites can be found in the corners of the mouth and near the lips, on the eyelids, lips, nose, earlobes, in the corners of the eyes, on the arms, neck, inner thigh, in the area of ​​the nails.

During and after a bite, a person rarely feels discomfort. Because often during this period he sleeps soundly. If he is awake, then feel a slight tingling sensation. Weak, because the jaws, chitinous tongue and lips of cockroaches are designed so that their small size is not able to cause severe discomfort. Later, a burning sensation and itching will be felt at the site of the bite.

Cockroaches often bite when they are in buildings where it is difficult to carry out normal pest control. No, do not think that these are necessarily basements in which homeless people or migrant workers live.

Insect bites occur in hospitals, prisons, nursing homes, dormitories. Cockroaches are able to bite their victims if they moved to an apartment in which for a long time there was no food and water was blocked. They are preoccupied with the search for food and liquid sources, being on ships or other isolated structures.

Myths about cockroach bites

Many seriously believe that, since cockroaches are not afraid of the radiation that they accumulate inside their body, their bite can contribute to mutations. The truth is that parasites can withstand radiation that exceeds the permissible limit for humans by 15 times.But the accumulation of radiation and even more mutation after a bite never occurs.

In fact, cockroaches are omnivorous, so they can bite a person in any place they like. If there are too many insects in the room, they can even crawl into the ears of a person, creating a health hazard.

The third myth tells that a cockroach bite can cause anaphylactic shock. It develops in extremely rare cases. Since cockroaches do not belong to blood-sucking insects, the likelihood of anaphylactic shock as a result of a bite is extremely low.

Most often, due to a special reaction of a person to substances in an insect saliva, an allergic reaction is observed. Which manifests itself in the form of itching, lacrimation, even shortness of breath. In addition to the reaction to cockroach bites, such phenomena occur when a person was bitten by a wasp or bee.

Can the Prussians bite a person

In 1960, after a series of experiments, American scientists stated that cockroaches can bite people. In place of the bites, a wound with a crust appears, which is prone to inflammatory processes and does not heal for a long time. Too impressionable persons, it is worth immediately reassuring that insects can bite only in exceptional cases described above.

There are also known cases when sailors on ships were attacked by pests. After a night's sleep, they found bites in themselves - gnawed skin near the fingernails. Sailors had to sleep in gloves so that cockroaches could not bite them.

What to treat

It is necessary to treat the wound with an alcohol solution, hydrogen peroxide or chlororgixedine, and then with an anti-inflammatory ointment. If itching or allergic reactions occur, the bite should be treated with an antihistamine. To avoid the penetration of infection, the bite site should not be combed.

Lotions of black or green tea can help. Allergy sufferers should definitely take an antihistamine. And the best thing is not to self-medicate and visit a dermatologist right away.

Myths and reality about whether cockroaches bite

The presence of such insects in an apartment as the Prussians is a fairly common occurrence. Some American families start special aquariums with such individuals, only in different colors and sizes. But no matter what color or size they are, the dislike of the common man towards them is extremely high.

What is the reason for this is not entirely clear. After all, such omnivorous creeping "neighbors" can be found everywhere. For example, ants. Which are no less pests for humans.

They also spoil foods that can bring infections and parasites into the house. But they are more loyal to them than to the yellow "guests." Perhaps the fact is that there are many myths and legends about such creatures.

One of these is the story of how they bite and damage the auricle. But do cockroaches really bite? How dangerous are they for humans? The need to dispel myths or affirm is crucial.

Is the Prusak able to bite

To approve or refute cockroaches bite or not, you should talk about their structure and capabilities. With a detailed examination of adults, you can understand that the structure of the body is complex.

Those wings that are and are very noticeable are completely inactive. Insects do not fly, but move on legs. They are nimble and nimble. They hunt mainly at night. In the daytime, they rarely go hunting, only if there is not enough food.

The birth of babies increases the colony. Lack of food sends them in search of food from the kitchen to other parts of the house. Since cockroaches are omnivorous, for lunch they are suitable:

The whole process of absorbing food or what was found in the house occurs with the help of the mouth. They have a very well formed and even have lips. There are also strong plates on which teeth are attached. If the chitin lobes in the lower part are quite well developed, then not only they chew.

There is also a language. More precisely, this is what reminds him. If food has not been chewed into the stomach, then it is completely processed in it. The tongue is chitinous and hard, and the stomach is adapted not only to digest, but also to chew.

Since an adult lives calmly for forty days without food, only one option can push to extreme measures - a large family and lack of food. A sterile room or regularly treated with special tools does not stop the population.

Therefore, the bite of a cockroach can be found on the body of any person. But most often children suffer. In what places does this happen more often? Student dormitory and long-distance vessels. Here the number of insects just rolls over.

If there are babies in the house who are under the age of one, then it is better to carry out a complete disinfection of all types of living creatures before bringing the baby up. The fact is that milk especially attracts all insects without exception. Even if there is food in the corners, cockroaches will go to the child to absorb the delicacy.

When an attack occurs

Do home cockroaches bite? If there is plenty of food, then for no apparent reason an attack will not occur. Such problems rarely occur, but still happen. What can push a creature to attack a person:

Since the omnivores belong to the genus of night creatures, then midnight is the best time for an attack. In the afternoon, they will wait for complete silence and darkness in secluded corners:

• under the wallpaper and baseboards;
• between the joints of the tiles and near the pipes;
• in the far corners of the bathroom and kitchen.

After everything in the apartment subsides and the cunning "neighbor" will check several times that everyone is sleeping, he will go strictly by smell: to the body of a person who is already motionless and unable to sense. Small jaws of the jaws are almost invisible. If several individuals attacked, then the maximum sensation is a slight tingling sensation.

Favorite Places of the Prusak

Cockroach bites can be observed only in places where very soft and delicate skin. The fact that they have a powerful jaw completely makes it impossible to bite through the human epidermis. Therefore, you can find a nocturnal dinner all over the body of the child (especially the baby). In adults, it suffers:

It should be noted that adults do not notice bites very much. And the reason is not thick skin. And due to the fact that fatigue is increased and nerve endings are less sensitive. Children wake up faster. Already on their cry and cry, adults will also come running.

In the morning, redness and small wounds will be found on the body. Edema also forms. And in the immediate place of dinner, the wound will be covered with a crust. Naturally, burning and desire to scratch will be strong. It is possible that combing will make the wound even larger in size. With proper treatment, 3-5 days are enough for healing.

What is the danger of a bite?

It's no secret that cockroaches are carriers of many diseases. On their feet they carry a lot of germs and harmful substances.

They move wherever there is food and moisture. Such places are latrines and nooks with mold. And the fact that insects visit garbage cans and garbage chutes is not worth talking about. This is quite natural for such creatures.

After all, they eat everything that their body can digest. But the appearance of helminthic invasion is only part of the problem, which is solved independently using conventional dosage forms. Medicines are created according to folk recipes or are purchased at drugstores.

But that’s not all. Cockroach saliva in its composition has such a substance as tropomyosin. This substance causes an allergic reaction. How it manifests itself and in what form depends on the immune system. It can be a urticaria or an asthmatic attack.

Often puffiness and dropsy. The effects of tropomyosin residues lead to a terminal allergy to dairy products or fruits, vegetables and even wool.

It is impossible to guess how the allergy will manifest itself in the future. This reaction of the body does not always happen, but only in those cases when the microbes on the paws hit the wound. Or the processing was carried out incorrectly or completely absent.

The second problem point, which always gives an adverse reaction, is called combing the bite zone. On the fingers there is always a large number of microorganisms that, when getting into the bloodstream, produce inflammatory processes.

If a red cockroach bites and is spotted mono only in the morning, then the Egyptian neighbors with their bite cause wild pain. But if we conduct a comparative characterization with other harmful insects, then mosquitoes and fleas, ants and spiders do more harm.

It is as hard to get them out of housing as cockroaches. According to scientists, the cockroach army will survive in any conditions and even atomic warfare will not harm them. Therefore, the fight against such pests is delayed for a long time.

After a thorough study of all the possible nuances of the behavior of cockroaches, we summarize:

1. the legend of saliva leading to a mutational reaction is not a reality;
2. creatures are not able to cause anaphylactic shock;
3. cockroaches do not eat human skin and hairline, as this is their favorite treat.

But even after such myths have been dispelled, it is necessary to regularly process the premises and not create favorable conditions for creatures to reproduce.

Do home cockroaches bite and what could be the consequences?

Insects are perhaps one of the few classes of the animal world that does not cause sympathy and tenderness in most people. Invertebrates cause such hostility not so much by their repulsive appearance, but by the person’s fear of being stung or bitten.

The most famous house parasites include home bugs and cockroaches. And if everything is clear with the first bloodsucking, then cockroaches do not cause such a clearly negative reaction.But is it really safe for a person to have such cohabitation? Many are interested in whether home cockroaches bite and how they look?

Probably, most people still have an idea of ​​what cockroaches look like. In the premises you can find their red, black and American appearance.

Insects have an elongated oval body with a triangular head, equipped with antennae - “antennas” that transmit information about the outside world to them. The question is, do cockroaches have wings, because they can be confused with ordinary bugs? Indeed, these pests are winged, but do not fly.

Since the oral area of ​​these parasites is equipped with strong jaws, hard chitin lips and tongue, it is not difficult for them to deeply bite through human skin.

In the 60s of the last century, thanks to the research of American scientists Roth and Willis, several cases of cockroach attacks on sleeping people were revealed. The parasites bit through thin skin on the eyelids, earlobes, elbows and neck.

In children, they ate cilia, as well as the epidermis in the nasolabial areas, causing infection damage. In general, the bite of a cockroach itself is harmless, but since the lifestyle of cockroaches implies being in unsanitary places, they can transmit various diseases.

The life of domestic Prussians and the reasons why they bite

How many domestic cockroaches live? With normal access to water and food, insects live from 20 to 30 weeks. Black cockroach - up to two years. Cockroaches will not last without water for more than a week, therefore, to reduce their population, access to moisture should be closed. In addition to professional insecticides, pests also can not tolerate low temperatures and certain odors.

What smells scare off cockroaches? Folk recipes recommend the use of aromatic oils of eucalyptus, cedar, mint, red elderberry or anise. What do cockroaches eat at home and the cause of bites?

The main reason for cockroaches attacking people is the lack of water, which they try to get from human secretions in the form of saliva, sweat or tear fluid.

Fortunately, a cockroach bite is a fairly rare occurrence. After all, these pests are omnivorous and can digest a wide variety of substances: from organic food, to paper and synthetic materials; there are frequent cases of cannibalism - eating wings and paws of their fellows.

Thus, cockroaches bite a person in case of acute shortage of water or food, when their indoor population exceeds the amount of food reserves. Cases of mass bites on ships are known when sailors even had to sleep wearing gloves, because hungry insects ate the skin on their fingers.

Complaints about cockroach bites often come from social settings: hospitals, kindergartens or dormitories.

Effects

Saliva and other secretions of cockroaches contain tropomyosin - a special protein that can cause a severe allergic reaction. A bite can result in eczema, hives, pain, redness, and even an asthma attack.

Damaged epidermis is covered with blisters, dermatitis or scars. An open wound becomes vulnerable to bacteria, since the parasite can carry worm eggs on its paws, as well as the possibility of infection with tuberculosis, dysentery or typhoid fever. With weakened immunity, the risk of developing an introduced infection in a chronic disease increases.

Legends of Bites

Along with the really negative reactions of the body to bites, the people also have several scary legends about the consequences of cockroach attacks on humans.

Cockroaches are carriers of radiation, therefore, cockroach bites can cause mutations in the human body. Yes, these parasites are capable of transmitting radiation that is 15 times higher than the threshold hazardous to humans. However, they do not accumulate radiation and, moreover, do not transmit it through a bite.

Cockroaches love to eat human hair, eyelashes, nails and earwax. The emergence of this legend may have contributed to the story of sailors suffering from bites in the eyes, ears and fingers.

However, there have been cases when insects crawled into the ear of a sleeping person, causing severe pain and creating a dangerous situation with the risk of damage to the eardrum.

First aid

If a bite is detected, it should be determined which insect left a mark and do not delay the treatment of the wound. If the damaged area looks like a reddened path and itching is felt, but there is no crust and bruising, this is most likely the result of an attack by a blood-sucking parasite, tick or bug.

If redness is observed in places with delicate skin (in the eyelids, neck, elbow bends, etc.), perhaps this is the “work” of a home cockroach.

It is also good to use effective recipes of traditional medicine: compresses from grated raw potatoes, cabbage juice or plantain, an infusion of green or black tea.

With a tendency to an allergic reaction, it is worth taking any antihistamine. If in two days it was not possible to get rid of the above symptoms, then to rule out an infectious infection, you should consult a doctor.

The importance of cockroaches in nature

Despite the unsightly reputation, cockroaches are not useless insects. What is the significance of cockroaches in nature?

According to the American professor Kambampati, cockroaches eat organic food with a high nitrogen content, which, when it enters the soil through insect waste, serves as an excellent fertilizer. In addition, the cockroaches themselves serve as food for a large number of birds and animals.

So, do not underestimate the importance of cockroaches in the life of our planet. After all, wise nature provided for everything, and the complete disappearance of cockroaches can adversely affect the animal and plant world.

Cockroach bites

People are used to treating cockroaches with disgust rather than fear. The first feeling a person experiences when he sees a cockroach at home is disgust, the second is fear for hygiene, and only then the question arises: do home cockroaches bite?

Cockroaches bite! Although not so often to sound the alarm about it. Basically, these insects get food in a more harmless and safe way for them.

Bites can cause serious damage to the epidermis, leaving blisters, wounds and erosion on the skin. After bites, the human skin begins to become inflamed, scarred, and crusty. Usually, wounds after cockroach bites do not heal for a long time. Allergies, dermatitis, and other skin irritations may occur.

Do home cockroaches bite? Now we know yes! Now we need to find out under what circumstances this happens and what consequences it entails.

When do they attack?

Home cockroaches do not attack people when there is enough food and water and they are freely available. Despite the survivability of the cockroach, it lives without water for only a few days. And when food, especially water, becomes a cockroach in short supply, they begin to bite people.

For the most part, cockroaches often bite young children. Their skin is very thin, it is easy to bite through. It smells good from them. If it is a baby, then it smells of milk. The smell of tobacco, perfumes and cosmetics can frighten off cockroaches from adults.

Cockroaches also attack people when the number of insects becomes huge and there is not enough food for everyone. Such insect pilgrimages often occur on ships.

Insects eat fingers around the nails of sailors and those present on the ship are forced to sleep wearing gloves. Oddly enough, cockroaches bite not only in dirty homes, but also in kindergartens, hospitals, and hostels.

What kinds of bite

Red cockroach. The most frequent cohabitant of a person is a Red cockroach. In the common people "stasik". One of the smallest types of home cockroaches. Its length is 16 mm. This category of cockroaches is brown.

American cockroach. "American" is very reminiscent of our "stasik." But the body of the "American" is more elongated. Lives mainly in America. But in Europe, too, a frequent guest.

Black beetle. This insect came to us from Asia and Africa. This is a big cockroach. The length of his body can be up to 50 mm. The body is completely covered by a chitinous black shell. A kind of knightly armor.

These home cockroaches have an excellent digestive system. The fumes of these insects have a repulsive odor. These are long-lived cockroaches. Their life expectancy reaches 5 years. In the wild, they do not live. Only a person can live.

Central Asian cockroach. "Asian" lives in southern Russia. Dark, almost black belly. This insect jumps high and can even fly.

What are dangerous bites

A cockroach bite can create extensive inflammation and severe swelling of the tissues. A bite not only damages the skin. During the biting of soft tissues, a different infection is introduced into the dermis. Here are the types of cockroaches whose bites are especially dangerous for human skin: Cancrelat, Cucaracha, Cockroach.

Cockroaches from Egypt or America cause severe inflammation and pain in the skin at the bite sites. A purulent crust appears above the lesion site. And the microorganisms that get there re-infect the human skin, and sometimes the entire body.

Russian home cockroaches are not so insidious in their bites. But they also infect places of bites and skin around. True, not on such a scale as the American and Egyptian cockroaches do.

But in any case, it is not necessary to bring to this and greet the hordes of cockroaches in their homes. It is necessary to take all preventive measures in time and get rid of uninvited neighbors.

Now we know the answer not only to the question: do home cockroaches bite? But we also know when they bite, why and with what consequences. And it remains only to decide which way to choose in order to prevent this.

Do cockroaches bite and what does the bite look like?

As a rule, many owners regularly encounter such an unpleasant problem as the appearance of cockroaches in a house or apartment.Do not delay with their breeding, because they breed very quickly. Moreover, many people are afraid of cockroach bites.

Is it possible?

Some time ago, the fact that a cockroach could bite was denied. But today we can safely say: fear is justified. Everyone should know and understand that indeed these insect pests can bite a person. The structure of their jaw allows you to do this, so you need to protect yourself.

You need to understand that if all this does not happen, cockroaches will want to switch to another food, and it can be solid. The oral apparatus of insects easily eats paper, and various solid objects.

And human skin will also become soft food for insects, despite the fact that it is considered quite dense. Now you are well aware that cockroaches can actually bite.

Reasons for attacking a person

One of the main reasons an insect can bite a person is because of a lack of food. This is due to the fact that food is required by all living organisms for a full existence. And if it doesn’t exist, then the cockroaches will have no choice but to begin the search for other sources of food, which, in extreme cases, can become people.

It is important to know that cockroaches will not survive, if they do not have enough liquid, insects can survive only a few days without water.

Do not be alarmed. If cockroaches are wound up in your apartment, this does not mean that they will climb you at night. They are rather cautious and timid, trying to avoid contact with a person.

It should be noted that cockroaches are very active in the dark, when the light is turned off, and during the day they hide under various inaccessible places, becoming almost invisible.

They love the dark and just at that time they go out in search of food, they can bite a person. Indeed, at night a person sleeps soundly, and parasites will not interfere with anything to climb to the surface of the body, crawling without obstacles and restrictions.

At the time of the bite, you will not notice anything, since there is no particularly pronounced pain. In most cases, a person calmly tolerates a cockroach bite, especially if he likes to sleep soundly.

If the victim does not sleep, she may feel discomfort, a slight tingling sensation. In the daytime, it’s simply impossible not to notice that a cockroach is approaching.

What to do?

We figured out that cockroaches bite, but only in very rare cases. If this happens, you need to know how to handle the bite site. It is first of all necessary to disinfect the wound with an antiseptic solution - hydrogen peroxide, brilliant green, iodine or alcohol.

An allergy can occur due to a bite of a cockroach, in this case the affected area must be thoroughly disinfected, treated with a special ointment or cream, and an antihistamine should be taken.

Then be sure to contact a qualified specialist for help to avoid dangerous consequences.

Do cockroaches bite? Yes!

Cockroaches or Blattoptera - insects from the cockroach squad or Dictyoptera. Almost five thousand species of cockroaches have been studied. Many will be surprised, but cockroaches do bite people and do harm.

Bites and consequences

Although the bites of cockroaches are quite rare, they do happen. Cockroaches begin to bite people if there is no free access to food.

Cockroach bites provoke irritation and powerful swelling of the skin, and are also accompanied by burning pain. Unfortunately, cockroaches during bites can introduce various infections into the human body.

After a bite, a wound forms, which is covered with a very dense crust. And she, in turn, contributes to the inflammation of the surrounding tissues.

What to do with bites?

If after sleep you find yourself biting on your body, then first of all disinfect the places of bites. For this purpose, both ordinary hydrogen peroxide and alcohol are suitable to prevent infection of the skin.

And then go to the dermatologist and find out that cockroaches, bed bugs or other pests have bitten you.