High-energy warning: This article contains a large number of cockroach pictures, readers who are uncomfortable with cockroaches should be cautious.
Cockroach, one of the infamous "four pests". It has a hideous and ugly appearance, tenacious and indomitable vitality, always at unexpected times and places, suddenly killing from some corner, triggering a wailing and countless paragraphs. Cockroaches not only disgust a large number of people, but are more likely to carry a variety of bacteria, viruses and parasites, and infect various diseases.
Cockroaches in the home
(Image source: veer gallery)
In the face of cockroaches, some people choose to face the difficulties, from thoroughly cleaning up garbage to spraying insecticides, doing everything to the extreme, but in the face of the tenacious vitality of "Xiao Qiang", they have repeatedly lost battles; while others have moved into a dozen-story high-rise buildings in order to escape the cockroaches' sphere of influence, thinking that they are at ease, but they can always meet cockroaches in a corner of the house. At the same time, I can't help but think about such a question: Can cockroaches fly over the wall and climb up tall buildings?
Part. 1
Cockroaches that "reign supreme": the German cockroach and the American cockroach
To understand this problem, we must first find out which species of cockroaches live in our homes.
Differences between north and south cockroaches
(Image source: Wikipedia, with modifications)
Presumably everyone has heard that the southern cockroach and the northern cockroach are not a level at all, the northern cockroach is small and inconspicuous, and the southern cockroach, not only large but even flying, is the main source of people's "cockroach phobia". In fact, most of the small cockroaches in the north belong to the German cockroaches.
German cockroach (Image: Wikipedia)
The German cockroach is inconspicuous, but it is the most widely distributed and most harmful of all cockroaches. It has tenacious vitality and rapid reproduction ability, and can also quickly develop resistance to pesticides, and it is half to blame for the harm caused by cockroaches.
Naturally, there are also German cockroaches in the south, but here, people's eyes are focused on another kind of cockroach: the American cockroach. In fact, the "big cockroach" in the south also includes species such as the black-breasted cockroach, which is proud of this "big" word. American cockroaches are generally between 35 mm and 40 mm in length, and the best of them can even openly compete with the thumbs of adults. In contrast, German cockroaches are generally under 15mm, and half of the large cockroaches that can grow up to the American cockroach must "pray to God and worship Buddha". In addition, the American cockroach also has a certain flight capability. So if a friend from the north walks on the main road in the south and sees a huge cockroach suddenly flying towards you, it is definitely not your hallucination or nightmare, but a real and annoying American cockroach.
American cockroach (Image: Wikipedia)
Whether it is a German cockroach or an American cockroach, it is a dark and damp corner that likes it. If you see them swaggering in front of you during the day, it only means that there are already worms in the dark crevices that you can't see. At this point, you'll have to find their old nest: German cockroaches like to live in crevices you can't think of, while American cockroaches prefer to hide under the bed under the cabinet.
Part. 2
Cockroach legs – a sharp tool for "cornices walking on the wall"
There are more than 4,600 species of cockroaches in the world, and only about 30 are associated with human-inhabited areas, and about 10 species are recognized as pests. Among them, rhino cockroaches, which are fed as pets by some people, do not have high climbing ability. And cockroaches that dare to move their habitat into high-rise buildings have more or less the skill of flying cornices and walking on the wall. The German cockroach and the American cockroach mentioned above are among the leaders.
Cockroach "cornice walking on the wall" (Image source: Veer Gallery)
These cockroaches can walk flat on the walls, mainly due to the special structure on their legs. Cockroaches have tiny, sharp claws at the ends of their legs, like a mountaineer's mountaineer's pickaxe, that can grasp tiny, invisible bumps on walls. Even on the ceiling, cockroaches can find a fulcrum and firmly fix it on it.
In addition, there are countless tiny bristles on the legs of cockroaches, which increase the friction between the cockroach and the wall. The cockroach itself is flattened, with its center of gravity pressed against the ground, making it easier to attach to the wall from the perspective of force. All of this makes cockroaches "wall climbers".
Cockroach claws (Image: HowStuffWorks.com)
However, on the smooth glass, because the force point cannot be found and the friction brought by the bristles is not enough, the cockroach loses the ability to walk the wall of the cornice. In this regard, the creatures represented by geckos, which rely on the intermolecular forces of their claws and walls to climb, are significantly stronger. Even in the insect kingdom, most spiders are significantly better at climbing walls than cockroaches. Overall, cockroaches are not really top-notch on the cornices.
Compared to climbing, cockroaches are more outstanding than their ability to see stitches and needles. They can appear in a dozen-story tall buildings, but they do not climb into the house along the outer wall. Most cockroaches take another, more hidden path: pipes. The intricate drainage pipes, wire pipes, etc. in the high-rise buildings are all kangzhuang avenues for cockroach strategic transfer. Cockroaches are not top-notch but they are good enough to climb high-rise buildings along rough pipes, living in every dark corner of the house, ready to scare us.
Part. 3
A few tips for cockroach control
Cockroaches give us much more than just fright. Cockroaches can also burrow directly into some electrical appliances, causing damage to electrical appliances. In addition, cockroaches can carry a large number of bacteria, viruses and parasites, infecting diseases. More seriously, cockroaches may use their ears as their own wonderful shelter in people's sleep, burrowing into people's ears and causing cockroach ears. So, how can we drive cockroaches out of our lives once and for all? Here are a few tips:
Insecticides kill cockroaches (Image: Veer Gallery)
Add barbed wire at the mouth of various pipes to prevent the invasion of cockroaches from the source;
Frequently clean up kitchen waste and regularly clean narrow crevices, including under the bed, under cabinets, and infrequent kitchen cabinets;
Find cockroaches, take timely measures, such as the use of cockroach houses and other ways to trap cockroaches, and biological control can be used in acceptable cases;
In the event that the cockroaches cannot be eradicated, a thorough cleaning is carried out, the cockroach gathering point is found, and chemical insecticides are used to ensure that all cockroaches, including cockroach eggs, are completely eliminated. Pay attention to the chemical pesticides are also toxic to people, and must pay attention to safety when using;
If the above methods do not work, cockroaches are becoming more and more rampant, you must seek help from a special cockroach control company, after all, professional "wall climbing masters" still need more professional "killers" to solve it.
Producer: Popular Science China
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