Don't step on that roach! It can be a hazard to your health

There are hidden health risks to squishing a cockroach
Roaches love the summer
Resist stepping on the invader
Medical warning
A WHO warning
Be careful while breathing!
Carrying diseases
Salmonella and other bad things
Right in the stomach
Only a flesh wound!
What do you do with the body?
Not quite dead...
The little heavylifter
Night of the living cockroach
Universal adaptor
Six-legged escape artists
Not our best option
Lurking in your home
Fumigation could be the answer
There are hidden health risks to squishing a cockroach

It's safe to say that cockroaches are revolting. When most people spot one, their immediate reaction is to squash the nasty creature!

Roaches love the summer

During the warm summer months, cockroaches make more appearances than normal and the chances of encountering one are much higher. But what should you do if you have a cockroach in your house?

 

Resist stepping on the invader

Well medical experts advise that if you find a cockroach in your house, there is one you should definitely not do --don't squish it!

Medical warning

Scientists have started to make dire warnings about the detrimental health effects crushing these bugs has on human beings.

Image: Nowshad Arefin / Unsplash

A WHO warning

The World Health Organization (WHO) has warned that once crushed, the remains of the cockroach can release some potentially harmful bacteria into the environment.

Picture: Erik Karits / Unsplash

Be careful while breathing!

These bacteria, which are more common cases than they may seem, can cause asthma attacks or allergies when inhaled.

 

Carrying diseases

The WHO, among other organizations, has highlighted all the diseases the common cockroach can carry.

Photo: Pexels - Luci

Salmonella and other bad things

Bacteria such as salmonella, streptococci, and staphylococci are just some that cockroaches can pass on to humans after being stepped on.

Photo: Towfiqu Barbhuiya / Unsplash

Right in the stomach

These bacteria can also lodge in the intestine and lead to ailments such as diarrhea, cholera, typhoid fever, and dysentery, among others.

Only a flesh wound!

Sometimes when we squish a cockroach, we might think it's no longer a problem. That's not true. For starters, it might actually be alive!

Photo: Joe Spades / Pexels

What do you do with the body?

What do you do with a cockroach after you squish it? Do you leave it there to clean it afterward or pick it away and throw it in the trash in a paper napkin?

Photo: Egor Kamelev / Pexels

Not quite dead...

Regardless of what you do, cockroaches are resilient little foes. They can pretend that they are no longer alive, wait for any danger to pass by, and crawl to their hiding place. Even if they are squashed!

Photo: Unsplash - Aigerim Kalysheva

The little heavylifter

Just because they are little, you shouldn't underestimate these insects. According to expert entomologists, your average cockroach can lift up to 900 times its own weight!

Photo: Jesper Aggergaard / Unsplash

Night of the living cockroach

So, don't freak out if you see any cockroaches coming back from the dead! These aren't zombie cockroaches (which are a real thing, look it up!)

Photo: Mart Production / Pexels

Universal adaptor

Entomologist and pest control expert Ryan Smith told the Spanish newspaper ABC that cockroaches have “extreme adaptability” and a higher survival instinct than many living beings.

Photo: Mart Production / Pexels

Six-legged escape artists

The flexibility of their bodies allows cockroaches to shift their energy on their legs, helping them escape dangerous situations.

Photo: Najman Husaini / Unsplash

Not our best option

Overall, it seems that squishing a cockroach might be our first instinct, but it's not our best option.

Photo: Mart Production / Pexels

Lurking in your home

After all, a cockroach can survive several months without food and still shed bacteria while being seriously injured. Who knows how many of them lurk while you mind your own business in your kitchen?

Fumigation could be the answer

The best response to cockroaches? Fumigation. Though, who knows, cockroaches seem to always find a way to always come back.

Photo: Michelangelo Buonarroti / Pexels

 

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