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Do Roaches like the Cold?

Although cockroaches are the sturdiest organisms, they are not immortal. Just like other creatures, roaches also suffer from the consequences of environmental insults like changes in temperature, humidity, and wind. These environmental factors have a profound effect on the average life span of roaches.

No! Roaches do not like cold; instead, they hate the cold more than hot. This is because cockroaches are cold-blooded organisms; they can’t conserve body heat and hence can’t regulate body temperature.

The ideal temperature for roaches to function is between 77 and 86 degrees Fahrenheit. Moreover, cockroaches can’t survive temperatures above 115 and below 32 degrees Fahrenheit. Their bodies were not designed with a homeostatic function in mind. Therefore, they cannot cope with temperature changes (Details in the blog below).

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Why roaches don’t like the cold?

If you are thinking, do roaches like the cold? It means that you are not aware of cockroach physiology. Cockroaches are cold-blooded organisms that lack thermoregulatory function.

Once exposed to cold, cockroaches do not have a built-in response to cope with it, and neither are they designed to hibernate like other organisms.

After 2 to 3 hours of continuous exposure to cold temperature makes their system non-functional. Their respiration ceases, and the circulatory system stops killing them instantaneously.

That is why roaches do not like cold; instead, they hate it and move to warmer places.

Do Roaches Hibernate?

Hibernation is a natural process that living organisms adapt to survive cold temperatures. Most organisms move under the soil or deep under the water to conserve body heat in hibernation. Moreover, they slow down the activities and metabolism to low levels, just enough to sustain life.

Amphibians and reptiles like frogs, turtles, and snakes chiefly hibernate. However, insects, including butterflies, usually migrate from one place to another in winters (Reference).

Interestingly, roaches do not hibernate in winters. Instead, they move to places where the effect of cold is less pronounced, like crevices and cracks, and in the basement and attics.

If the temperatures drop below the survival limit, cockroaches die in the cold but do not have the capability to hibernate.

Where do roaches go in the winter?

Winter is not a season of joy for everyone. Many living creatures have a hard time surviving winter. Many insects like caterpillars successfully hibernate in winters, while others, including roaches, cannot hibernate.

Cockroaches are most active in warm and humid summers. In winter, roaches move into deep pockets of the house like basements, attic, crevices, and cracks. This is how they can successfully pass their chilly months.

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Are roaches worse in summer or winter?

It is a fact that roaches can’t live in winter when it’s freezing. This is because they do not have a thermoregulatory system like animals and can’t survive in the cold for long.

On the other hand, a warm and humid temperature favors roaches. They live, eat, breed, and thrive in summers. The peak breeding time of roaches is in the late summer months when it’s warm and humid. This is the time for peak roach infestation.

So, it’s undeniable that roaches are worse in summer than in winter.

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Will Roaches leave a Cold House?

Roaches are designed to live, breed, and thrive in warm temperatures above 25 degrees Celcius. However, when the temperature drops below 25 degrees, survival for roaches becomes difficult because they can’t hibernate in winters.

Therefore theoretically, roaches will leave a cold house with freezing temperatures. However, a typical household always has warm temperatures to sustain roach life no matter how cold the temperature gets. These locations include the kitchen, inside the wall insulators, and electrical appliances.

In short, cockroaches do not leave a cold house; instead, they relocate themselves to the warm corners around the house like basements, kitchen, electric appliances, and inside the wall insulators.

Do roaches like air conditioning?

Roaches do not like air conditioning. They will tend to live away from a room with a colder temperature than in a room with a warmer. The warmer temperatures result in high humidity providing more moisture to roaches. Below 77 °F (25 °C) is uncomfortable for roaches and they will seek a place with a warmer temperature.

Additional Read!