Roaches are often associated with dirt and grime; it can, therefore, be challenging to understand that they play an important role in anything.
In fact, several types of wasps, including parasitoid wasps, would become extinct if these “pesky bugs” did not exist. [1] The effects would also extend to the creatures and birds that typically prey on cockroaches.
Cockroaches also impact forests because they help trap nitrogen in the soil required for tree growth.
Though they are known to carry at least thirty types of bacteria that cause typhoid, cholera, and dysentery, seeing the role they play in the environment could shift how we perceive them.
This article will answer the “why do cockroaches exist” question, explaining their role in the environment, their benefits to humans, and whether they are safe to eat.
Purposes Roaches Serve Today
Apart from being a household nuisance, roaches:
- Are an essential food source
- Play a role in nutrient cycling
- Propagate the life cycle of plants
- Help in the production of natural antibiotics
- Are studied for the development of robotics and prosthetics
Essential Roles Roaches Serve in the Environment
Cockroaches are good for the environment. They are:
Pollinators
Cockroaches are pollinators of eleven plant species. As they move in search of food and water, they have been known to transport pollen. It is this movement that has seen cockroaches facilitate plant reproduction.
Cockroaches are even the primary pollinators of a rare Chinese flower, Vincetoxicum hainanense. [2]
Decomposers
From the food on your counter to dead plants and animals in the wild, cockroaches help in decomposing food and plant matter.
As scavengers, roaches seek out organic waste, breaking it down to micronutrients, which improves soil quality.
Compared to earthworms, roaches are more effective at this. However, the surface-to-volume ratio of earthworms allows them to eat through decaying matter found deeper in the Earth.
Read More: Cockroach Diet
Part of the Food Chain
Roaches exist to play a vital role in the food chain. They are arthropods, salamanders, lizards, geckos, turtles, and even birds’ prey. [3]
Most of these animals do not rely on roaches as their primary food source, so they are unlikely to go extinct if the roaches become extinct. However, their numbers would considerably drop. This means cockroaches are a significant food source.
Conversely, the outcome is different where parasitoid wasps are concerned. Some species of parasitoid wasps rely on cockroach eggs as part of their reproductive process and as a food source for their young. [4] Without these bugs, wasps would be completely wiped off.
Contribute to the Nitrogen-Cycle
Cockroaches benefit the nitrogen cycle by recycling nutrients. Cockroaches play a crucial role in the forest by serving as the primary nitrogen source for tree growth and an essential part of the habitat. [5]
Cockroaches eat nearby wood, decaying organic matter, and leaf litter. When cockroaches eat the organic matter, they release the trapped nitrogen into the soil through their fecal matter, which traps a significant amount of atmospheric nitrogen. Plants and trees then absorb that nitrogen to aid in their growth.
Benefits of Cockroaches to Humans
Though hard to believe, cockroaches have a direct positive impact on humans. Below are a few ways cockroaches are beneficial to humans
Medicine
The brain of a cockroach may contain valuable antibiotics that can save lives. Scientists believe that the central nervous systems of American cockroaches produce natural antibiotics capable of killing bacteria that are often fatal to humans, like methicillin-resistant Staph and toxic strains of Escherichia coli.
90% of drug-resistant E. coli and MRSA bacteria were killed by tissues from the brains of locusts and cockroaches without harming human cells, according to research done at the University of Nottingham.
Though these medicines are not available now, it is a step in the right direction.
Insect Feeder
A cockroach infestation can help you eliminate other bugs in the home. However, as opportunistic insects, cockroaches feed on creatures that are slow and simple to catch.
Bed bugs and their eggs are some of the common household pests that cockroaches eat. What’s more, cockroaches are known to eat both live and dead insects and even dead spiders.
Nutrition
Cockroaches’ milk is a superfood. Cockroach milk is a crystalline milk-like substance produced by Diploptera punctata cockroaches.
It is protein-rich and provides nutrition for their young, but humans can harvest it by killing female cockroaches and retrieving it from their mid-gut.
Prosthetics
The physiology of cockroaches could significantly impact the development of human prostheses.
Recently, undergraduate bioengineering students at the University of Pennsylvania constructed cockroach leg prostheses.
The students developed an “HCMI,” which translates a person’s nerve signals into signals that can control cockroach legs. This is important in developing prostheses that a person’s nerves can control.
Robotics
Though humans can run, our abilities cannot be compared to those of insects such as cockroaches. Nevertheless, cockroaches have inspired scientists all over the world to develop robotics.
Cockroaches are often used as bioinspiration because of their quick reflexes, ability to maneuver over uneven terrain, and ability to respond to disturbances more quickly than a nerve impulse.
Mechanical roachbots, according to NBC news, are being developed for and are inspired by the qualities that make roaches challenging to eradicate.
Roaches are frighteningly quick and can squeeze through tiny spaces, but they also appear to be able to withstand destruction.
Additionally, to teach robots to move more freely in the real world and help them navigate uneven surfaces, Hopkins researchers are studying how cockroaches move.
Are Roaches Dangerous to Eat?
Yes, roaches are dangerous to eat. They are known to spread the Salmonella bacteria, which can lead to salmonellosis, a condition that manifests in humans as food poisoning-like symptoms.
This is particularly true because some cockroach pest species can enter homes through sewer lines and possibly emerge through floor drains into the living areas.
However, if these roaches are farmed in a clean environment, they can be eaten regularly. In fact, it is a favorite cuisine in some communities. They are a cheap source of protein and can be used in stir-fries, boiled dishes, and deep-fried foods.
Cockroaches Serve Essential Roles in the Environment
Though roaches will still make your skin crawl, their contribution to the ecosystem cannot be overlooked.
Only about 1% of the world’s cockroach species are considered pests. That equates to about 30 different cockroach species. So perhaps roaches don’t deserve the blanketed bad reputation.
Arthropods, birds, and mammals are just a few of the organisms that depend on cockroaches as a food source. In light of this, roaches exist to play a crucial role in the food chain. Furthermore, cockroaches are crucial to the cycling of nutrients.
The other species, and those you should be concerned about, are most commonly found in American households. These include the brown-banded, American, German cockroach, and Oriental cockroaches. If you see any of these insects in your home, take steps to get rid of them and ensure you seek pest control services.
References
- Gal, R., Kaiser, M., Haspel, G., & Libersat, F. (2014). Sensory arsenal on the stinger of the parasitoid jewel wasp and its possible role in identifying cockroach brains. PloS one, 9(2), e89683. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0089683.
- , , , , , , , and . 2020. Specialized cockroach pollination in the rare and endangered plant Vincetoxicum hainanense in China. American Journal of Botany 107( 10): 1355– 1365. https://bsapubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1002/ajb2.1545.
- Bell, W. J., Roth, L. M., & Nalepa, C. A. (2008). Cockroaches: Ecology, Behavior, and Natural History. Integrative and Comparative Biology, 48(4), 541-543. https://doi.org/10.1093/icb/icn074.
- Gal, R., Kaiser, M., Haspel, G., & Libersat, F. (2014). Sensory arsenal on the stinger of the parasitoid jewel wasp and its possible role in identifying cockroach brains. PloS one, 9(2), e89683. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0089683.
- Bell, W. J., Roth, L. M., & Nalepa, C. A. (2007). Cockroaches: Ecology, Behavior, and Natural History. JHU Press. https://books.google.com/books?hl=en&lr=&id=R7eVRP08kasC&oi=fnd&pg=PP17&ots=80gCdsIPwE&sig=N8gdk-O7od7H1qL1WC0IOSc68sY#v=onepage&q&f=false.
