Winter Cockroach Invasion Hits Russian Homes
After severe frosts, many Russians have started finding huge black cockroaches in their apartments. The insects, shimmering with a powerful carapace, are crawling out of all cracks, and sometimes even from sinks and sewers. Entomologists assure that these creatures never hibernate and are ready to actively infest city apartments year-round. V1.RU tells what cockroaches have settled in our homes and why they are dangerous.
«They Are Brought to Russia with Vegetables and Fruits»
According to entomologist Galina Fedorova of the Center for Hygiene and Epidemiology of Volgograd Region, cockroaches are one of the oldest groups of insects associated with humans. In modern fauna, there are over 4,000 species of these not very charming insects, and about 60 species are in some way linked to human dwellings.
«Eight species of cockroaches have been registered in Russia. These are the most widespread and frequently encountered species in human structures: the red cockroach — German cockroach, or Prussian; the black oriental cockroach; the American cockroach; the brown-banded cockroach; the ash-colored cockroach; the East Asian (Australian) cockroach; the brown cockroach; the smoky cockroach; and the Turkestan (Tatar cockroach),» says Galina Fedorova.
These species, according to the entomologist, are most commonly found in the country; a species such as the «Russian cockroach» is not distinguished among them, unfortunately and fortunately.
Exotic species are poorly adapted to independent life in the conditions of complete freedom in our apartments. According to the specialist, some illegal cockroaches enter our country, passing through customs unchecked in boxes with exotic fruits, vegetables, and textiles.
«For example, large Chinese cockroaches. In China, they are used in cosmetology, pharmacology, and the restaurant business. These cockroaches are used to treat AIDS, cancer, and baldness. But it is possible that they too can transmit infections,» says Galina Fedorova. «In their homeland, they are raised on farms by private entrepreneurs. The American cockroach is large; they are bred in home conditions as exotic pets, but in Russia, they are also found as household pests. In Moscow, they are often encountered in hotels.»
They Reproduce by Thousands and Never Sleep
As the entomologist assures, cockroaches lead their harmful existence in apartments year-round, contrary to the common prejudice about the seasonality of their life and pest activity. These incredible creatures skillfully hide in the darkness of bathrooms, kitchen cabinets, dark and dusty spaces under sofas, building nests there.
«Cockroaches are very tenacious insects, resistant to adverse conditions, adapted to survive even in extreme conditions,» says Galina Fedorova. «And humans have created maximally comfortable conditions for them in their dwellings. These insects have high population density, very high birth rates, high circulation of births observed throughout the year, and they have no diapause, that is, a hibernation period.»
The wide distribution of cockroaches, according to Galina Fedorova, is influenced by the ability of larvae and imago — adults — to migrate fairly quickly and successfully within buildings, premises, and structures, the formation of stable local population groups, and the absence of biological enemies.
«A fertilized female cockroach lays 28–56 eggs in a special cocoon — an ootheca. Over her lifetime, a female lays up to four such oothecae,» the entomologist explains. «The female red cockroach carries the capsule with her for 15–40 days and lays it when the larvae are ready to hatch. The female black cockroach lays oothecae in places with specific temperature and humidity. Larvae grow very slowly — from nine months to four years. Lifespan depends on the cockroach species: for the red cockroach, it is 128–180 days; for the black, 120–160 days; and for the American, 520–720 days.»
They Enjoy Feasting on Tender Skin and More
As the specialist says, cockroaches are equally active in winter and summer. The absence of food does not frighten them either: cockroaches can starve for 30–40 days. The diet of these ubiquitous insects is very diverse and nutritious:
«Cockroaches are polyphagous; they eat everything — from wood to rubber, leather, and plastic. Cockroaches can even bite not very clean people and small children. At night during human sleep, cockroaches can partially or completely gnaw off the epidermis on lips, elbows, neck, fingers, eyelids, and other places. The red cockroach is capable of crawling into the external auditory canal, causing damage to the eardrum, and medical intervention is required to remove it,» says the entomologist.
As Galina Fedorova explains, cockroaches often penetrate inside electrical appliances, televisions, computers, and other equipment, short-circuiting board contacts and exposed wires with their bodies. There are also known cases of insects damaging plastic wire insulation and causing short circuits as a result, the expert notes.
Cockroaches very much enjoy feasting on biological secretions and waste from humans and animals, which, according to the specialist, has made them carriers of deadly diseases.
«Synanthropic, that is, inseparably linked with humans, cockroaches are mechanical carriers of many infections, capable of retaining pathogenic microorganisms (viruses, bacteria, etc.) inside and on the surface of their bodies for a relatively long time and then excreting them, as well as cysts of protozoa and worm eggs,» says Galina Fedorova.
According to the entomologist, cockroaches themselves do not suffer from infectious diseases but can be their carriers. As Galina Fedorova says, pathogenic microorganisms remain viable on the surface of cockroach bodies and in their digestive system for several days and even weeks; for example, the typhoid fever pathogen is excreted in insect feces for 48 hours, and the pathogens of dysentery, paratyphoid, and typhoid fever remain viable for 3–7 days.
«16 species of cockroaches found in premises in different countries can be considered carriers of 40 pathogens of infections in humans and animals,» the specialist assures. «These include salmonella, shigella, staphylococcus, pseudomonads, mycobacteria of leprosy, plague pathogens, foot-and-mouth disease, Coxsackie virus, poliovirus, and eggs of human and animal worms. Cockroaches can cause allergies up to asthma in people who come into contact with these insects and their waste products.»
According to the entomologist, infected female cockroaches can transmit infection pathogens to their offspring even through the eggshell in which the larvae live.
Most common species of cockroaches in Russia cannot fly. They have a pair of poorly developed wings, which, however, they love to wiggle, terrifying accidental witnesses of their very active life. As the specialist explains, cockroaches can glide with the help of wings, jumping and hovering in the air, moving over short distances.
Recall that cockroaches are far from the only creatures sharing shelter and food with humans. The famous Volgograd biologist and researcher at Volgograd State University Nikolai Onistratenko told who is always near a person, without even asking if they want it or not. And why always, at any, even the most intimate moment, someone«s eyes are watching you.
