Why Cockroaches will die from an atomic bomb? - by bigbear
Why do cockroaches have the ability to survive nearly anything? Last month there was a study published in the Journal Nature communication. Here they say that American and German cockroaches have built up immunity against pesticides. The reason being, that they are omnivorous scavengers that can thrive on rotting food in seriously unsanitary environments.
Then they have found that in the genes of the cockroaches carry the key to this answer.
Both roaches, though, are hardy survivors, and their genes hold the keys as to why. In the new study, researcher Sheng Li of South China Normal University and colleagues found that American cockroaches have the second-largest genome of any insect ever sequenced, right behind the migratory locust (Locusta migratoria)
They found that sixty percent of the genome is made up of repetitive segments. The American ones have 522 taste receptors while the German ones have 545. They can metabolise nasty substances and they do not easily die from the different pesticides we use to kill them. They also have immunity genes against these pesticides. The reason for this study is that they are trying to find out how to get rid of them as they are really a worldwide problem. They also come in more than 5000 species, so it is not easy to find out how to get rid of them.
Original article on Live Science.
Cockroaches can hold their breath for up to 40 minutes and do not drown easily. They can run up to three miles an hour that means that they can spread germs very quickly. It is actually true that cockroaches can survive a nuclear attack. That is how difficult it is to get rid of them. There are studies now on the way to find a way to kill them. Some like living in the dark, others just like the light. So if you see any cockroaches kill it with something by hitting it until dead. You cannot overkill them as they are hard of body a can survive nearly anything. Yet we have them everywhere and they seem to mate and multiply very fast. Killing them the natural way, I am going to show you a recipe which I copied and will put in here. Here where we live they are driving us crazy and they are very big and fast.
Recipe:
Make your own, natural cockroach bait. Mix three parts boric acid with one part powdered sugar. The sugar lures the roaches, while the boric acid kills them. Although the boric acid isn't toxic to people or pets, it can be irritating so keep it away from counters and places where little fingers and noses can reach. Sprinkle it under and behind the refrigerator, stove and dishwasher, under the sink, and into cracks along the edges of cabinets and pantries.
I cannot stand them and hope other people who feel the same way understand why I wrote this when I found it.
Talk about Cockroaches remain me when they fly away in my room .. scary !
Nice post @brightideas,
They are really a problem here in Nigeria especially with the rate at which they multiply. Even when you think they are dead from your hitting them, you wake up to see them to see them no more, they've sprout up back to life. I guess studying them hold a key to almost immortality of man.
Cockroaches are weird creatures! I have been researching about them and discovered that they can live up to a week without it's head. Also learnt that the females can mate once and stay pregnant for life.
To listen to the audio version of this article click on the play image.
Brought to you by @tts. If you find it useful please consider upvote this reply.
The post is awesome. I particularly was interested in learning about the tremendous genetic variability of cockroaches helping their resistence. Thanks for sharing.
Grandmother's recipe for cockroaches, better than using insecticides in the house. Tough little buggers fly in where we live, an ongoing warfare to keep them out.