The answer probably won't surprise you: yes they do. Stress is a normal and adaptive response to an ever-changing environment, and without it an organism can't survive. Insects need to react to threats and other environmental shifts just like any living thing.
Roaches show stress in several ways. Most commonly they hiss (hence their common name) the first few times we handle them, before learning we are safe. We also look for loss of muscle tone, and fighting as signs that the animals need more rest and less work.
Cockroaches Have Feelings Too
While we may not always see them displaying these emotions in the same ways we do, that doesn't mean they're not there. Cockroaches can exhibit fear responses when faced with predators or dangerous situations. They also display happiness and contentment when they're safe and comfortable.
It is likely to lack key features such as 'distress', 'sadness', and other states that require the synthesis of emotion, memory and cognition. In other words, insects are unlikely to feel pain as we understand it.
It's a fact that cockroaches are afraid of humans and other mammals or animals that are bigger than them. They see us as predators and that fear triggers their instinct to scatter away. However, they dislike strong and distinctive scents such as citrus, peppermint, lavender and vinegar.
Some suggest crushing bay leaves and placing them in areas where they hide to repel them, Essential Oils - A general idea that cockroaches dislike the smell of essential oils such as peppermint, eucalyptus, lavender, and tea tree as they disrupt and musk their scent trails in food finding.
Citrus. You may love the smell of fresh citrus, but cockroaches hate the scent. That means you can use citrus scented cleaners in your kitchen and bathroom to chase any lingering roaches away. You can also keep a few citrus peels around your home in strategic places.
Squashing a cockroach can spread disease
Indeed, salmonella, staphylococcus and streptococcus are some of the illnesses that cockroaches can cause, in addition to dysentery, diarrhoea, cholera and typhoid fever.
The first instinctive thing to do when you see a cockroach is to stomp on it or whack it. But it seems that stepping on a cockroach isn't as harmless as one might think. The World Health Organisation (WHO) has revealed that crushing a cockroach releases a harmful bacterium into the environment.
The team also found that cockroaches' exoskeletons allowed them to withstand weights up to 300 times their own body weight in small crevices and a whopping 900 times their body weight in other situations.
Cockroaches are repulsive and embarrassing to most people simply by their presence. They may contaminate food, kitchen utensils, and other household items, and they leave an unpleasant odor.
These hissing roach noises may also be produced if the insect feels threatened or is handled by a human. Now that you know why some roaches do what they do – cockroaches make noise during a variety of social interactions – you should learn how to stop it.
Cockroaches may be ugly, they may be among the most loathed creatures on the planet but at least, scientists say, they have personality. Researchers studying the behaviour of the insects have discovered that far from simply being a homogenous mass they have individual character traits.
Cockroach Bites Can Cause Allergic Reactions
The bites from the pest may not be dangerous, but the allergens they carry are the problem. It can cause skin reactions, which may also trigger asthma attacks. When you are bitten, it can swell and might have a rash, which can last for days.
Vinegar is a natural household ingredient that can repel and kill cockroaches. Fill a spray bottle with equal parts vinegar and water, and then spray it directly onto the roaches when spotted. The strong odour and acidity of vinegar can be effective in eliminating them instantly.
When a roach is dying, its high center of gravity pulls its back towards the floor. Its rounded back and weakened muscles prevent it from righting itself, especially on smooth surfaces, which results in it flipping. This is the simple reach why cockroaches die on their backs.
Because they carry such serious diseases, if you see a cockroach, it's best not to touch it or try to exterminate the colony on your own.
Cockroaches are omnivores that eat plants and meat. They have been recorded to eat human flesh of both the living and the dead, although they are more likely to take a bite of fingernails, eyelashes, feet and hands. The bites may cause irritation, lesions and swelling.
Each species of cockroach has their own estimated lifespan but on average, cockroaches live for about one year. Factors such as food supply, habitat and climate affect lifespan. American cockroaches can live for about one year while German cockroaches are estimated to live for about 100 days.
Inside their bodies, cockroaches contain a white substance known as fat bodies. Similar to fat stores in humans, fat bodies allow cockroaches to store energy after nutrients have been broken down.
Does that seem like something you want to ignore? But even if asthma isn't a concern, cockroaches have also been implicated in the passage of several different pathogens, diseases and bacteria. You don't want these critters around you.
“The magnitude of effects of a nuclear explosion is far greater than what you might see in carefully controlled experiments and laboratory conditions.” So, everything points to the conclusion that no, cockroaches ultimately wouldn't survive a nuclear apocalypse.
Sugar is by far the most attractive substance to a cockroach. They love sugar and can smell it from anywhere. This means you'll want to keep your sugar containers, fruits, and other sweeteners sealed in air-tight containers that are up off the floor.
Cockroaches are blessed with an amazing sense of smell. This is what they use when seeking food and mate but at the same time, this is also their weakness. A cockroach's sense of smell can be used to get rid of them. There are smells they can not stand so we can use this to shoo them away from our homes.
So what smell do roaches hate? Oregano, rosemary, mint, eucalyptus, lemongrass and catnip are great herby options. Citrus oils work brilliantly too.