Suppose you attempt to teach your dog how to play dead. However, although animals like possums, guinea pigs, and other small creatures can do it very well, you might be wondering if many insects do as well. More specifically, do roaches play dead?
Yes, cockroaches play dead from time to time, especially if they sense danger. For example, if you enter a room, they may go on their backs and pretend to be dead. However, cockroaches will get up and return to safety once you leave.
This is crazy to even think about; how can cockroaches play dead for so long? We will find this out below and how to confirm whether a roach is dead or alive. Continue reading for more information!
Why Do Cockroaches Play Dead?
Cockroaches play dead because it is a defense mechanism. Some might consider this playing possum, tonic immobility, or apparent death.
When there are deadly situations around them, like a predator being around, they will pretend to be dead until said predator passes. Then, once the threat is gone, they will return to doing whatever activity they previously did.
However, other cases of playing dead are not voluntary, like when insecticides are used, physical damage, or cold temperatures.
Insecticides
Many insecticides are meant to paralyze their victim and not kill it. In that case, it is wise to invest in something that kills them instead of paralyzing their bodies. For example, boric acid can kill roaches quickly.
Physical Damage
When people step on a cockroach and think it’s dead, its strong exoskeleton keeps them alive. For example, American cockroaches can squeeze its body through tiny cracks in walls and foundations. In that case, you might believe it is a dead cockroach when, in reality, they are only playing dead.
Cold Temperatures
Although cockroaches are cold-blooded animals, they move much slower during winter. This means you might think they are dead but are not.
How to Know If Cockroaches Play Dead
You can know if cockroaches play dead by gently poking them with a pencil, stick, or feather. If it “comes back alive,” so to speak, or moves its limbs, have something nearby to smash it.
Another way to tell if these unwanted guests are faking death is by touching them with your hands. However, use gloves instead of your bare hands because they carry diseases that can spread due to cross-contamination.
Something to be aware of is that this method only sometimes works every; it can be ineffective at times, especially when there are low temperatures or the cockroach is affected by insecticides. However, if a cockroach plays dead from fear of death or if it loses its head or other parts of its body, then it will work.
If a cockroach seems dead due to extreme temperatures, it will eventually get control of its body if the temperature rises. On the other hand, a roach will eventually die from hunger if its body movements remain too slow.
On the other hand, if you spray your home with insecticides meant to paralyze specific bugs, they will regain control after the insecticides wear off. This is also determined by the strength of the poison used.
Do Roaches Come Back to Life?
No, roaches do not come back to life once entirely dead. However, one might think that when playing dead, their nervous systems are affected by insecticides or because they can lose their limbs.
However, cockroaches have limb regeneration, allowing them to regenerate their body parts. This is why you may notice roaches living without a head for weeks.
On the other hand, cockroaches can hold their breath for 40 minutes underwater. An older experiment from MythBusters submerged five cockroaches in water for 30 minutes, and they didn’t move and seemed dead.
The people doing this experiment poked them with a Q-tip, and none moved. Sure enough, the next day, these insects were all alive!
This is because they take in air from a network of tubes called trachea, allowing them to use a little oxygen to survive. Because of this, they do not easily drown and survive underwater much longer than humans.
This information is also one reason why it is so hard to get rid of cockroaches. Other reasons are that many homes provide a food source, water supply, and shelter.
Why Do Cockroaches Come Out to Die?
The reason why cockroaches come out to die is not well understood. When an animal typically dies, it usually likes to find a small hole or somewhere comfortable to pass away in. However, you will notice a cockroach go in the center of a room to die eventually.
One myth people believe is that a roach is commonly mistaken because of the insecticides you use. As a result, they get disoriented and have multiple muscle spasms after being sprayed with poison.
In that case, they might come to the middle of the room thinking it is their hiding space. Still, although the reasoning is uncertain, it is odd at best.
Why Do Cockroaches Flip Over to Die?
Cockroaches flip over to die because they have bulky bodies. Their backs are the heaviest part of their body that their six long and thin legs support. Therefore, they typically involuntarily turn over and have difficulty getting back up.
If a cockroach has nothing to grab onto, it is stuck there and eventually dies. However, in nature, debris or other organic material typically lies around where roaches will turn back on their legs.
On the other hand, if a cockroach is sprayed with insecticides, it will become paralyzed and usually have multiple muscle spasms, as mentioned above. In addition, their legs typically tuck under their bodies, causing them to lose control. Because of this, they will lose control of their bodies, eventually lying on their backs.
Why Do I Wake Up to Dead Cockroaches?
You wake up to dead cockroaches because there is an infestation within your home or an infestation is dying out. Cockroaches typically come out at night, so you might find a cockroach dead in the middle of your floor.
Another reason might be if you set baits, traps, and poison around your home. In that case, a cockroaches die from what you laid out.
Do Dead Roaches Attract Roaches?
Yes, dead roaches attract roaches that are still alive. This is because other cockroaches will eat the dead bodies of their counterparts and other dead insects they notice. Not only that, but cockroaches essentially eat decaying organic foods and other materials.
In that case, cleaning up any dead roaches is extremely important so others will not be tempted to eat them. Cockroaches will survive on almost anything, so eliminating any food sources is a must, especially during an infestation.
Final Thoughts
To summarize everything, cockroaches can play dead when they feel threatened. However, it is tough to tell if they are actually dead or just playing it if they were recently sprayed with insecticides or if it’s too cold to tell. Cockroaches are survivalists who want to live, but that does not mean they should do so in our homes!
We hope you have found this to be an interesting article. If you need to learn more about cockroach behavior and how to eliminate them, check out our other blog posts.
