Do Cockroaches Bite & What Do Roach Bites Look Like?

Cockroaches have been around, in one form or another, for millions of years. They are believed to be one of the few creatures that could survive a nuclear blast. They are also a creature that most humans dislike and the last thing you want to see scuttling across your floor

After all, they are known to carry diseases on their feet and will leave the bacteria on surfaces across your home, allowing you to contract the disease.

That’s a good enough reason to call your local pest control as soon as you see one. They are not easy to eliminate and seeing one means there are several more. In short, you need to get expert help to ensure all the roaches are eliminated. This is also a good opportunity to roach-proof your home.

What Cockroaches Eat

The good news is that cockroaches don’t like humans either. That means they will do their best to stay out of your way.

Their preferred choice of food is anything that is decaying. For example, rotting meat, hair falling from your head, books and papers, and even sweets. If it’s decaying they will be interested.

What That Means For Them Biting You

You are not rotting meat and cockroaches try to avoid you. In short, it is incredibly unlikely that you will get bitten by a cockroach. There are plenty of other insects and pests that are more likely to bite you.

Of course, if you corner the roach and it has no way out it may bite to protect itself. This is unlikely to happen, the reality is a cockroach will only bite a human if the food supply has become very short. This is something that historically happened on boats when they had been at sea for a long time. In this instance, the roaches would have exhausted their usual food sources and be looking for something else.

Although not their preferred choice, this is when they may be attracted to dried skin flakes. It’s also possible they will target places on your body where there is food debris. For example, your fingernails, or even around your mouth. It can also happen if they are drawn to crumbs in your bed because you’ve been eating in bed again.

What The Bite Looks Like

In the unlikely event that you get bitten by a roach, you’ll want to know how to tell if it is a roach bite.

A roach bite will go bright red. They are larger than a bed bug bite and there is usually only one of them.  You are also likely to find a cluster of red bumps around the bite.

It does make it hard to distinguish if the bite is from a roach or something else. But, if you suspect it was caused by a roach, you need to take prompt and invasive action to eliminate all roaches in your home and yard. That’s a job for the professionals.