American cockroaches are major pests in US homes, and by understanding their diet, you will be better able to prevent infestations by denying them food sources. Let’s find out what the diet of the American cockroach looks like.
What do American cockroaches eat?
The American cockroach is an omnivore, and it will eat everything from fermenting fruit to soap, plant shoots, milk, meat and even cosmetics. They will also eat anything that is starchy and sugary, including wallpaper paste, glue, and book bindings. This is why cockroaches can cause visible damage in the home, but that is only partly the reason why they are considered pests.
The bigger threat posed by American cockroaches stems from the fact that their diet includes everything from garbage and sewage, to the food that we store in our home. By traveling in very unsanitary environments, cockroaches pick up a ton of pathogens and parasites, and they spread these around everywhere they go. When these pathogens reach our food, we risk becoming sick.
American cockroaches as prey
There are plenty of animals and insects out there that see the American cockroach as prey. You have small mammals, reptiles, amphibians, spiders, birds, mantids, spiders and even ants. American cockroach remains have also been found in the stomachs of turtles, frogs, toads, fish, opossums, cats, rodents, monkeys and porcupines.
Using this information
While you cannot deny the American cockroach all of its food sources in the home, you can make sure that your food and pet’s food stay safe. By placing all your food in sealed plastic containers, or any sort of containers that cannot be easily accessed, you not only keep it safe, you also remove one of the incentives cockroaches have for getting in the home. You can also keep your garbage in a container that is hard to access, and this will deny the roaches another important source of nutrition in the home. Implementing these measures has the added benefit of lowering the odds of other pest infestations as well.
How American cockroach infestations are controlled
Because cockroaches are such prolific breeders and hardy insects, you will need the help of a pro to get rid of an infestation. We can help you out. If you have an American cockroach infestation, or if you would like to know more information about these insects, get in touch with us today.