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Are Cockroaches Dangerous?

Cockroaches are probably the sturdiest insects alive. They live in challenging places, and even some people speculate that roaches can survive a nuke. The US alone contains approximately 85 species of roaches, and the economic loss at controlling invasive pests, including roaches, exceeds billions of dollars annually (Reference).

Cockroaches are dangerous; they transmit diseases like typhoid fever, trigger allergies, and Asthma episodes, and are extremely invasive with devastating losses to the global economy. Moreover, dangerous cockroaches destroy properties and disturb the natural habitat (Reference).

An infestation with roaches should never be taken lightly. They will invade every possible space and prove havoc. However, all cockroaches are not dangerous; some are found only in the wild and never infest homes, while others are only accidental intruders that are easy to exterminate. This blog will help you differentiate between Dangerous cockroaches and innocent roaches.

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Why are Cockroaches Dangerous?

Cockroaches have established themselves as the worst enemy of humans for decades. They are filthy and disgusting.

Cockroaches are dangerous for the following reasons,

  1. Transmit disease from humans to humans by feeding on human excreta.
  2. Trigger allergies and asthma in humans and pets by their body parts, eggs shells, and saliva (Reference).
  3. Destroy properties by invading apartments, hotels, and residences.
  4. Destroy electric appliances including microwave ovens and fridges.
  5. Invade cars and establish their colony.
  6. Disturb natural habitat and ecosystem.

Moreover, scientists have recently isolated several Multidrug-Resistant bacterias, including Salmonella, Shigella, Campylobacter, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and Klebsiella pneumonia, in Gondar Town, Ethiopia (Source). This is an alarming situation and points towards an increased threat from roaches.

In short, cockroaches have invaded every space that human occupies and will carry on to prove dangerous to humanity.

Why are Roaches so Gross? Read this interesting article to know more.

What are the Dangerous Cockroaches?

Not all cockroaches are dangerous. Some are pretty innocent and never infest homes. Instead, they live in the wild, feeding on plants and rotten leaves.

On the other hand, many cockroaches that infest homes are very dangerous and prove disastrous for society by transmitting disease, triggering allergies, and destroying properties.

The dangerous cockroaches mainly consist of small roaches less than 1 inch in size. They include,

RoachHabitatFeedingType
GermanIndoor/ SewersFilth/GarbageVery dangerous
Brown BandedIndoor/ SewersFilth/GarbageDangerous
AmericanSewers/OutdoorsFilthModerately Dangerous
AustralianSewers/ OutdoorsFilthRarely Dangerous
OrientalIndoor/SewersFilthHighly Dangerous
Dangerous Cockroaches

Are any Cockroaches Poisonous?

Some insects like the Asian giant hornet or bees inject poison when threatened. However, the bite is trivial in most cases, with mild swelling and inflammation that subsides with time. Contrary to that, the poison can be life-threatening in some individuals with severe allergic reactions, including anaphylaxis (Reference).

The good news is that although cockroaches are highly invasive species that cause a lot of distress in the form of disease spread and allergies, none of them is poisonous. Cockroaches are not poisonous because they lack a defense system and rely on pheromones for warding off a predator.

Furthermore, cockroaches rarely bite when felt threatened or in case of heavy infestation when they lack food.

You might be interested in knowing about Can Cockroaches Hear?

Least Dangerous Cockroaches

Interestingly, some of the biggest cockroaches found in the world are the least dangerous in terms of disease spread and infestation. This is because they prefer to live in the wild and never infest homes.

Similarly, many palmetto bugs are also least dangerous they are also accidentally intruders and are easy to exterminate.

Discoid, Dubia, and Red Runner roaches are breeder by many people for exotic pets, including lizards, bearded dragons, and geckos.

Madagascar hissing cockroach is kept as a pet, and people organize racing games and bet on them.

CockroachHabitatInvasivenessStatus
Dubia Outdoors/Sandvery rareNot Dangerous
Red RunnerOutdoorrareNot Dangerous
DiscoidOutdoor/Herbsvery rareNot Dangerous
Madagascar HissingOutdoorleastNot Dangerous
Megaloblatta LongepennisTropicsleastNot Dangerous
Wood RoachesTimberlandmoderateSlight
Least Dangerous Roaches

Additional Read!