Cockroaches are resilient insects that can survive more situations than other insects. In addition, they are opportunistic feeders and are everywhere on the globe.
Even in the harshest conditions cockroaches can go for days without food, looking for shelter and feeding on anything they see.
However, roaches are susceptible to dehydration and cannot live for long without water. As such, you can usually find them near sources of water.
So, if you think that you can kill a cockroach by flushing it down the toilet or drowning it in the drain pipes, you are wrong. These insects are not easy to kill and actually need water.
They can quickly adapt to their environment and have an open circulatory system. Besides, their breathings spiracles transport air to different cells without any transportation medium like blood.
But can cockroaches swim? Keep reading this article to learn more.
Significance of Water to Cockroaches
Water is a cockroach’s basic need; it cannot survive without it. Besides, roach nests and other hiding spots are usually found close to a water source.
Moreover, some cockroach species, for instance, the Oriental ones, are known as water bugs because they prefer damp areas for habitation, breeding, and feeding.
Read More: Get Rid Of An Oriental Cockroach
Even though roaches are incredibly resilient, they need oxygen to survive. However, you cannot kill them with water.
They might not be able to swim but can hold their breath for at least 30 minutes underwater, making drowning rare. Besides, they can close their breathing holes and float.
Most cockroach infestations are made up of the American cockroach and German cockroach. One common thing with these adaptable creatures is that they dislike water and need just a little water to stay hydrated and drink.
However, Oriental cockroaches swim or at least navigate water better than other species. These roaches are very prone to dehydration. Therefore, you can find these underwater cockroaches in areas with plenty of water, for instance, a flooded basement, near showers and bathtubs.
Can Cockroaches Swim Underwater?
No, cockroaches cannot swim underwater. However, some cockroach species can navigate underwater. For instance, Oriental cockroaches are more attracted to water than American cockroaches and can move through it better.
It is also vital to note that swimming and floating for cockroaches is only incidental. When underwater, roaches close their spiracles, hold their breath, and float.
Next, they will bob up to the surfaces to get oxygen while paddling their legs in an attempt to flee. By doing this, the cockroaches will help themselves to the nearest bunk or drain opening.
When submerged, roaches can paddle around but with less flexibility. Also, swimming is not a normal behavior for roaches.
Therefore, roaches will mainly float as opposed to swim for two main reasons:
Their Legs Aren’t Adapted for Swimming
Roaches have legs that they use to accomplish most of their tasks, for instance, climbing on surfaces and grooming themselves.
However, in terms of shape and build, the roaches’ legs cannot help them swim. And while it can paddle in panic, it will not be able to create enough power to drag its legs to move around the water.
Instead, it will move around with the forces of water, more like spinning helplessly.
They Have No Swimming Instincts
Besides the Oriental cockroaches, most roaches don’t do well in water. Moreover, they don’t have accurate instincts to move around in the water or swim.
To confirm this, you could try putting a cockroach in water; you will notice that instead of swimming, it will just freeze up and stay put instead of wasting any energy trying to navigate the water.
If it tries to swim, it will not coordinate its legs to move in one direction. So instead, the panicky movement will have its legs working in different directions and throwing it off course, doing zero work.
If the roach had swimming instincts, it would immediately swim when placed in water, both above and under it.
Can Cold Water Kill Cockroaches?
Yes, cold water can kill cockroaches, but it has to be below zero degrees to kill them. In addition, you will need to expose the roaches to cold water for a prolonged period for them to die.
Besides, roaches are cold-blooded arthropods and cannot instantly regulate their inner body temperatures. So, exposing them to freezing water can actually kill them.
Does Hot Water Kill Roaches?
Yes, hot water kills roaches.
While cockroaches might be resilient against rising temperatures, they are not heatproof. In addition, they are cold-blooded, meaning they cannot regulate their internal temperatures.
So, the roach will die when exposed to more than 125 degrees Fahrenheit. In addition, roaches can get uncomfortable under significantly lower temperatures.
That said, it will take one or two minutes to kill the roaches with hot water, so you will have to submerge them in the boiling water for a while.
Do Roaches Drown in Water?
Yes, roaches can drown in water like any other creature when unable to come up.
Besides, roaches are not fish and do not have organs like gills that allow them to filter oxygen into their bodies.
However, you will have a hard time if you try to drown a cockroach because:
They Have a Spiracle Respiratory System
Unlike most animals, roaches don’t have lungs. Instead, they depend on a spiracle respiratory system. This system comprises breathing holes layered across the body, which close and open to let air in or out.
So, if you think you can drown a roach, you are wrong. It won’t need its face to breathe. Instead, it opens its spiracles and traps air inside.
In fact, cockroaches can hold their breaths for at least thirty minutes when submerged.
Additionally, roaches can use their breathing holes to escape eradication. For example, they can close their spiracles and avoid inhaling the poison when sprayed with insecticides or pesticides.
Moreover, roaches breathe in and fill their spiracles with air when it comes to floating, allowing them to bob up.
They Have an Incredible Ability to Climb
Like most insects, roaches cannot climb glass, porcelain, and smooth metal surfaces. So, when on a slippery slope like the inside of a glass or toilet bowl, they will struggle to climb up.
However, these insects have claws that can get them a good grip on any rough surface.
That said, if you are trying to drown a roach in a wood or plastic bucket of water, it will probably find traction within the container and crawl up.
So, if you think that putting a cockroach in a bucket of water will drown it, you are wrong.
Cockroaches Can Hold Their Breath Below and Above Water
Apart from filling their breathing holes with air to float, roaches can use them to hold their breath for a remarkable amount of time.
When underwater, these creatures can hold their breath for at least thirty minutes and get enough time to bob up and rush out of the water or wait for the person who put them in the water to leave.
Furthermore, these pesky insects can play dead by holding their breath underwater or floating on the water until they find something to hold on to and escape.
How Long Can Roaches Survive When Submerged?
Roaches can survive for thirty minutes when submerged. Just like other living things, roaches need oxygen to thrive, so they will ultimately die when deprived of it.
That said, you might think submerging the cockroach will deprive it of oxygen. However, roaches can hold their breath for at least thirty minutes below water.
Besides, they can fill their breathing holes with air and create an air-tight seal.
But it is vital to note that the time roaches can survive underwater depends on the amount of oxygen at their disposal.
So, when submerged, the roaches will have little oxygen because they don’t have gills to filter the little oxygen in the water and will die in thirty minutes.
How to Effectively Drown Cockroaches
As mentioned earlier, roaches are resilient pests and can hold their breath, seal up their breathing holes, and becomes an air-tight sealed unit.
So, the best way to make them drown will be by:
- Submerging them in water for more than thirty minutes
- Cracking their outer shell or exoskeleton
This way, the cockroaches cannot close their breathing holes and keep water from entering their bodies.
However, cracking the exoskeleton doesn’t make much sense, and you would have smashed the roaches and killed them even before drowning them.
Moreover, cracking the exoskeleton will expose the cockroaches to many other issues, and they will eventually die anyway.
That said, the other best way to drown cockroaches is by submerging them in
Can Cockroaches Swim?
No, cockroaches cannot swim; they fill their spiracles with air and float. That said, it can be hard to kill them by drowning.
Besides, they can hold their breath underwater for at least thirty minutes until they find an escape route.
Hopefully, this guide has shed light, especially if you wonder whether cockroaches swim or why they keep coming up your toilet bowl even after flushing them down.
