Answering Common Cockroach FAQs

Having been around for about 300 million years, cockroaches are quite resilient. It is believed that they might survive a nuclear blast because they have a much higher resistance to radiation than most other creatures — especially humans. That said, while cockroaches as a species could survive a nuclear blast, individual roaches will die if exposed to high levels of radiation. They are prolific breeders, so even if a nuclear blast killed off most of them, some could survive and quickly replenish their population. 

Cockroaches can live for up to a month without eating. However, they have evolved to be able to eat just about anything. When nothing tastier is available, they will eat cardboard, glue from book bindings, hair, and any other organic materials they can find. It’s nearly impossible to starve out a cockroach.

Like most animals, cockroaches can survive much longer without food than without water. Cockroaches will die of dehydration after just one week without water. This is why they tend to be found in damp and humid places like under sinks, in basements, and in bathrooms. However, they can get some moisture from food they eat, so replacing leaky pipes won’t fix the whole problem.

There are about 4,000 species of cockroaches in the world. Fortunately, only four species live in North America: the American cockroach, the German cockroach, the Oriental cockroach, and the Brown-banded cockroach. The most common cockroach is the German cockroach.

The average lifespan of a cockroach depends on its species. For example, the brown-banded cockroach can live for about four to ten months, while the Oriental cockroach can live for four to six months. The German cockroach lives for 100-200 days, and the American cockroach can live for up to a year. During their lifetime, they will lay up to 200 eggs, ensuring the species multiply and thrive.

Cockroaches are omnivores and will eat both animal and plant life. They are opportunistic eaters and not picky, but they like starches, sweets, greasy foods, and meat the most.

Outdoors, cockroaches can live in tree trunks, piles of rotting wood, sewers and drainage pipes, and near garbage. In a home or commercial building, they hide out during the day behind appliances, in basements, and in cabinets. At night, they scurry about eating and drinking, often touching and contaminating human food and cooking utensils. As a rule, they typically seek out dark, secluded places near food and water.