Do cockroaches poop? What do roach droppings looking like? Is cockroach poop poisonous? Cockroaches are the most common pests in our homes. They eat almost everything including garbage, trash, rotting debris and even dead insects. They live in the most deplorable conditions and carry diseases causing pathogens such as bacteria and viruses.
Cockroaches like most living organisms leave a semi-solid, small, round, dark droppings whenever they move around. Cockroach poop in your house is a sign of infestation. In this post, we will cover in details what cockroach poop look like, how to identify the poop and how to clean the cockroach poop. Read more.
Why Do Cockroaches Poop?
One of the sign of cockroach infestation in your home, is having cockroaches dropping. It might be difficult to notice cockroach droppings since they are most active during the night. Roaches poop tend to poop wherever they go and live. They have a unique eating habit, they eat anything and in the end release droppings on their way.
The poop naturally has pheromones that helps to send signals, interacts and communicate with others especially towards food sources and shelters. The dropping produces unpleasant smell that contains diseases causing pathogens that could be a serious health concern to you and your family.
Do Cockroach Poop When They Die?
It is not common for cockroach to poop when it dies. But in some instances, the cockroaches do poop when they die especially if they are exposed to harsh chemicals such as insecticides. If they do, clean the dead roaches and their poops before other cockroaches get attracted to them. Remember cockroaches can feed on other dead insects.
Where Do Cockroaches Poop?
Cockroaches do not have a specific place where they poop. Their poop could be found in random places but in most cases near their nesting spots. It is obvious to find cockroach droppings where they spend their time. This could be near their food sources or somewhere where closer to damp places.
It is common to notice cockroach poop inside the kitchen cabinets, counters, inside drawers or insides the kitchen sink. Like we’ve said, the droppings could be anywhere. If you look keenly, you can spot cockroach droppings in storage rooms or pantries.
Do Cockroach Poop In Your Fridge And On Walls?
Normally, cockroaches prefer living inside narrow and warm places like your fridges. They would hide and make a nesting spot under the fridge or close to the motor for the warmth that emanates from there. It is common to find cockroach poop inside or around the fridge.
Same cases to the walls, roaches like to make their nests inside dark and narrow places such inside the wall cracks and crevices. It is so rare to miss their droppings on walls, inside of wall cracks and around the walls. Anywhere they hide, roaches will leave their droppings.
What Do Roach Dropping Look Like?
Cockroaches poop is a clear sign of infestation in your home. Cockroach droppings area usually round in shape. The poop can be dark or brown in color depending on their diet and in some cases their age. In terms of texture, they have a coarse to fine ground coffee kind of texture.
The poop can be at time hard or solid usually with a waxy texture and very little liquid or water content. It is easy to compare cockroach poop to that of rats or mice.
In terms of size and shape, it depends with the type of cockroach species and how big the cockroaches are.
How To Identify Cockroach Droppings?
To identify cockroach poop, look at the size, texture and color. Cockroaches dropping has a texture ranging between coarse to fine ground coffee. If you look keenly at the color, you will notice it appears dark or brown, this is dependent on the diet and age. The poop happens to be hard or solid with a waxy texture with very liquid water in it.
The shape usually depends on the types of the cockroach species and size of the cockroach.
What Does American Cockroach Poop Look Like?
In terms of size, American cockroaches appear larger than the German cockroaches. They are about 1 to 2 inches long. You will find them in places near drains, in the kitchen, storage rooms or the bathrooms. A fully gown American cockroach release a long, black to dark brown droppings usually cylindrical in shape and with ridges and furrows on them.
What Does German Cockroach Poop Look Like?
German cockroaches appear smaller in size about half an inch long. A German cockroach poop is black or brown in color. It is small and round like fine ground coffee or pepper.
German cockroaches are thought to contain the highest amount of allergens although the bacterial load tend to vary depending on their surroundings.
Does a Cockroach Dropping Smell?
Cockroach droppings release a foul smell especially when they are in large quantities. Cockroach poop from a few cockroaches can go unnoticed. Since cockroaches feed on almost anything, their dropping is smelly.
The smell of roaches can be described as a moldy, musty, mothball or at times urine like smell.
Read also: How to Get Rid of Cockroach Smell, Odor, on Clothes & in Microwave
Is Cockroach Poop Poisonous?
Roaches poop is not poisonous but the fact that it carries a number of harmful pathogens, it can cause serious health issues. Some cases of allergic reactions have been reported especially in children.
Cockroaches are known to carry disease causing pathogens such as bacteria and viruses. In fact, according to a study done and published in the Journal of Medical Entomology, the bacteria present in roaches can result to food poisoning and other related stomach issues such diarrhea. In short, bacteria in roaches are vectors of food poisoning and food infections.
What will Happen if You Accidentally Eat Cockroach Poop
You may not direct eat cockroach poop. But the fact that roaches keeping on moving around the kitchen in search of food, they contaminate surfaces, clean utensils, and food leftover not properly stored.
But if you eat cockroach accidentally, it can cause some health risks. Remember, roaches are vectors of bacteria, fungi, germs, worms and viruses.
Some of the common health issues include stomach pain, diarrhea, or abdominal cramps. Always seek health care if the symptoms last for more than 2 days and or when you begin to feel dehydration.
Can Cockroach Poop Make You Sick?
Cockroaches are known to carry bacteria that can contaminate poorly stored food. The roaches poop can and their saliva can also contaminate food. The roaches waste has bacteria that can cause food poisoning, diarrhea and staphylococcus infections. This can make you to feel sick.
Dust containing cockroach dropping can cause allergic reaction and asthma especially in children. It is important to clean get rid of an infestation of cockroaches in your house. As soon as the roaches are eliminated, clean the surfaces to get rid of the roach feces.
Can you get a Rash from Cockroach Poop?
Just like pets or pollen, roaches are known to cause allergies. The enzymes proteins found in roaches in their saliva and droppings are thought to cause allergic reaction in humans. It has been shown that cockroach allergies are one of the most common world over indoor allergies. Although adults can be affected too but kids are re known to be the most prone.
The allergies can cause skin rash, itchy skin, or watery eyes. You can also have cough, asthma, difficulty in breathing, chest, throat and nasal infection.
Cockroach eggs vs poop
How can you tell the difference between a cockroach poop vs cockroach egg? A larger roach tend to leave behind a solid droppings shaped like cylinders. The droppings is also brown or black, depending on the species.
A female egg produces eggs cases referred to as oothecae. Oothecae contain many eggs usually enveloped by a protein substance that in times gets hard into a strong, protective casing. Usually, the oothecae is dark brown in color.
How To Get Rid & Clean Cockroach Poop
Before getting rid and clean cockroach poop, make sure you war personal protective equipment including gloves and masks. When you inhale come in direct contact with cockroach poop, you get infection from inhaling the allergens.
Here is how to clean cockroach poop:
- Locate the places where the roach droppings are
- Use water and soap solution to wipe the contaminated area
- Disinfect the contaminated area
- Dispose the wiped waste material in a disposable bag
You can also use a vacuum cleaner with HEPA filters to get rid of the droppings as well. Why the HEPA filters? They help to the air clean and get rid of the allergens from the roach poop.
You can remove the foul smell, stain or contaminants by disinfectants.
Do Cockroaches Eat Pets (Cat, Dogs) Poop?
Roaches can feed on almost anything including leftovers, garbage, dead skin, rotting matter, feces, cardboard. If you have pets in your house, clean regularly the spilled pet food as well as their poop.
Pes poop has nutrients that can be food sources for the roaches. Cockroaches will eat cat and dog poops if there is no other food source around.
