When it comes to being a survivor through the centuries, cockroaches are experts. The versatile pests are estimated to have inhabited the planet for over 280 million years. While dinosaurs became extinct, cockroaches could quickly adapt to changes on earth and have continued to thrive and survive.

1. Squeezing Through Tiny Spaces

Even the smallest opening can become an entryway for cockroaches. Because their ecosystem is extremely flexible, a cockroach can make its way through tiny cracks, holes, and crevices by flattening its body while positioning its legs sideways. Cockroaches have the ability to fit through spaces that are no larger than a quarter of their height.

2. Flying Cockroaches

While it may seem like cockroaches can fly due to their set of wings, the pests don’t fly in the traditional manner of other winged pests. A cockroaches’ wings only allow them to be aerial for very short distances. Instead of flying, their mode of flight is mostly gliding.

3. Health Concerns

According to the World Health Organization, only cockroaches are known carriers of diseases such as typhoid fever, cholera, and dysentery. Information from The Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America notes a protein carried by cockroaches is an allergen, and for some individuals, it will trigger an asthma attack.

4. Breathing Ability

Cockroaches have an interesting water conservation system consisting of small tubes that they use to breathe. The tubes, known as spiracles, can be manipulated by the cockroach to open or shut as needed. This ability allows cockroaches to do two things. For one, they’re able to survive and stay alive underwater for 30 minutes. The bugs are also capable of holding their breath for an estimated 40 minutes.

5. Headless Cockroaches

A headless cockroach does not mean a dead cockroach. Because the cockroaches use the tubes (spiracles) for breathing, plus their ability to go without any nourishment for a month, headless cockroaches can survive for up to a week.

6. Beer and Cockroaches

Cockroaches are drawn to many things to quench their thirst, including beer. An opened can, or one nearly empty left in the garbage, is a satisfying enticement for the pests drawn to the hops and sugar.

7. The Cockroach Appetite

Cockroaches are not particular when they’re on the hunt for food. These pests will eat just about anything from glue and pages in books to turning cannibalistic and eating other cockroaches.

8. Speedy Cockroaches

When a cockroach is in run mode, it can be next to impossible to swat or spray them. Because cockroaches are food for other types of pests such as spiders, beetles, mice, and frogs, their ability to run fast serves as their defense mechanism. According to the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, cockroaches can run up to 3 mph.

Even with their ability to survive under extreme conditions, a cockroach infestation can be eliminated with professional pest control Tulsa services.  With one-time or ongoing pest treatments, the interior and exterior of your home can remain healthier and pest-free.