Diet of cockroaches in the mantis family, their natural enemies, and whether the places they crawl over are toxic

The cockroach, also known as "Xiaoqiang," is a common household pest in daily life. It often likes to live in damp places, generally appearing in kitchens and bathrooms, and likes to eat while defecating, so it is very annoying. So what do cockroaches eat to grow? Are the places they crawl over toxic? What are their natural enemies?

Cockroaches are omnivorous insects with an extremely wide range of food types. Various foods include bread, rice, cakes, cooked meat and vegetable dishes, melons and fruits, and beverages, among others. They are especially fond of fragrant, sweet, and oily flour-based foods, and have a habit of craving fats and oils. Among sugars, brown sugar and maltose have the strongest attraction for them. Besides liking various foods, cockroaches also often bite and eat other items. For example, in residences, warehouses, storage rooms, and other places, they can gnaw on cotton and wool products, leather goods, paper, books, soap, and so on. Outdoors in garbage piles, sewers, and toilets, they feed on decaying organic matter, and even gnaw on dead animals. However, different species of cockroaches also differ to some extent in their feeding habits.

Are the places they crawl over toxic?

Not toxic, but they are harmful to the human body, because cockroaches can spread more than 50 kinds of diseases through eating, spitting, and excreting, as well as by crawling on food and clothing. The body surface and gut of cockroaches can carry many kinds of pathogenic bacteria, viruses, molds, and parasitic eggs. Crawling on the human body can cause dermatitis, and bites can cause allergies. For example, they carry the eggs of many kinds of worms such as Ascaris lumbricoides, Ancylostoma duodenale, Taenia saginata, pinworms, and whipworms. They can also serve as intermediate hosts for many kinds of nematodes such as Moniliformis, Hymenolepis nana, and Gongylonema. They can also carry many kinds of protozoa, among which 4 kinds are pathogenic to humans or animals, such as Entamoeba histolytica and Giardia intestinalis. Therefore, after cockroaches have crawled over an area, it should be disinfected to prevent bacteria from breeding, infecting the body, and causing adverse conditions in people.

What are their natural enemies?

The natural enemies of cockroaches are spiders, scorpions, centipedes, ants, toads, lizards, geckos, and so on. There is also a bird: commonly known as Cucarachero (scientific name Troglodytes audax), which also preys on cockroaches. In addition, cats, monkeys, and rats also prey on cockroaches and are natural enemies of cockroaches. Biological control is the most effective way to eliminate cockroaches.

How to completely eliminate them

1. Carefully check drains, cracks in walls, floor gaps, and windows to prevent cockroaches from entering.

2. Keep the interior dry. Cockroaches mostly live in damp environments, so care should be taken to ensure there are no leaking places, especially in the kitchen.

3. Keep the interior clean. In a clean, dry environment, cockroaches will feel unwelcome. After meals, seal food promptly, clean up garbage on the floor and in garbage bags in time, and rinse tableware clean with hot water. Unclean tableware will attract the attention of cockroaches. In addition, stoves and other places should also be cleaned regularly.

4. Use insecticides to eliminate cockroaches when no one is in the house.

5. Fresh cucumber repels cockroaches. Put fresh cucumber in the food cabinet, and cockroaches will not approach the food cabinet. After the fresh cucumber has been placed for two or three days, cut it open so it continues to give off cucumber smell, which can also effectively repel cockroaches.

6. Fresh peach leaves repel cockroaches. Place newly picked peach leaves in places where cockroaches often appear. When cockroaches smell the odor given off by the peach leaves, they will stay away.

7. Onion repels cockroaches. If a plate of cut onion slices is placed indoors, cockroaches will immediately flee when they smell it, and at the same time it can also delay other foods indoors from developing off flavors.