Can Cockroaches eat Plastic Bags [Bread, Garbage] – FIND OUT

Can Cockroaches eat Plastic?

Cockroaches can chew thin plastic wrappers, paper, plastic grocery bags, sealed lock bags, and thin paper.

A roach is omnivorous, and will eat almost anything except metals (which is because it is impossible for them to chew).

This creature is hard to get rid of and lives amongst us. They will contaminate unprotected meals and give you insomnia.

One preventive measure that could work is by using hard plastic. They cannot chew through those.

Now, can cockroaches rat through plastic bread bag? Roaches can and will eat through light plastic to get to the food inside.

Their bite force is enough to get to the other side of a light plastic. They do have a strong digestive system that can break down multiple food consumed.

The bacteria located in their gizzard helps them in digesting. But, a cockroach cannot eat through hard plastic.

We recommend reading this article from start to finish to find out what other things they chew and how you can take proactive measures to avoid that.

ALSO SEE: Can Cockroach cause Baldness?

What Does Cockroach Eat?

Cockroach consume everything but metals. They can eat cardboard, paper, dead animals, rotten foods, feces, dead insects etc.

That is why they spread diseases so easily. Cockroaches will feed on your leftover meals, carry, and then spread diseases. So, it’s important to keep your dishes clean after you eat it.

Plastic is not the main food for a cockroach. If food remnants are attached to plastic, then a cockroach may eat plastic.

Can Plastic Kill A Cockroach?

Plastic cannot be digested, but if a cockroach consumes a small amount of plastic, then it will not lose its life. But, if the cockroach eats many plastic, then the cockroach can die.

The plastic will not become digested and can kill the roach since plastic is not a biodegradable product.

It creates various pollution, and you can see it in many places. Plastic can be found even in space and has reached Mariana trench.

Since plastic is found almost everywhere and is easily accessible to cockroaches, they can consume it accidentally but not intentionally – unless of course it acts as a barrier to getting to the food inside.

Can Cockroaches eat Through Plastic Containers?

A roach doesn’t particularly consume plastic. It will only eat plastic if food is attached to the plastic.

Is Plastic a Natural thing?

Plastic is a man-made product that is synthetic in nature and has proven dangerous to the environment.

It doesn’t degrade and so these plastics end up going finding their way into land and water animal’s stomach. No animal can digest a range of plastic, so they lose their life.

Animals do not know that plastic is not edible. They lack the sense to identify it if any food is attached to a plastic container; they consume it in ignorance and then kick the bucket.

The same applies to roaches too.

Can Cockroach Eat Through Plastic Bags?

Yes, cockroach will cut right through the plastic to get to the food if it is kept inside light plastic.

This can cause you and the bugs problems. So, keep your foods inside thick plastic. The roaches cannot and will not cut through that. Your food will be safe if you keep it inside thick plastic products. It can either be a plastic bag or a plastic container.

Ensure there are no hole in that plastic product, otherwise, a nymph or a cockroach can snuggle inside and wreck havoc to your stored meals.

Airtight plastic bags also work wonders. It will keep your food fresh for longer and will give you a clear indication if the air within the airtight bag is leaking. The bag will flatten if the air is not stored inside.

Can Roaches Get into Plastic Containers

Yes, cockroach can get into plastic containers (if it is not properly shut).

There had been cases where cockroaches found their way into Tupperware that appear to be sealed up tight. Roaches can basically find themselves anywhere.

The refrigerator is a common place to find them as well.

We recommend not putting your well-stored food in the cupboard. If you get a sealed container and keep it somewhere that it will be exposed to light in most cases, then this is better at keeping out roaches than a specific container.

A lightly sealed container that is exposed to light will usually not have roaches but a tightly sealed container in a dark cupboard will commonly house roaches. So NEVER put food in dark places.

Can Roaches eat through Garbage Bags?

A cockroach can and will cut through thin plastic to get food. However, they cannot cut through hard plastic. A hard plastic container (which is airtight) is a safe place to store food.

In most cases, these nasty bugs will cut through (and avoiding eating plastic) to reach the food. Good news is that hard plastic is not possible to reach.

Cockroaches lack the bite force to cut through plastic that is hard.

At times, after keeping food safe inside a container, people see traces of roaches inside that.

Here’s why:

A cockroach will not cut through hard plastic. Yet, if you accidentally keep the container open for a long time, then a determined cockroach or nymph may find a way into it.

You need to ensure you are not keeping the plastic container open, especially if you have a high cockroach infestation.

Additionally, roaches can make entry into plastic container directly from the food. If you are keeping grains in a plastic container, then make sure to check the grains well before putting it inside the container.

A nymph can find its way inside grains and hide. You can overlook them as they are small. They can also poo, and die in the grains, which is disgusting, and you should not consume it.

This is why it is better to check the grains or any other edible products before keeping that inside a container.

Can Cockroaches Eat Through Ziplock Bags?

Because ziplock bags are thick, a roach cannot eat through. However, if the Ziplock bag is thin, they will eat through and gain entry.

Ziplock bags are an effective way of keeping edible products safe. However, make sure there is no opening. The problem with the ziplock bag is that the zip doesn’t work all the time.

It should zip to the end, but because of certain issues it doesn’t zip to the end and roaches can get in from there.

Once a roach gains entry through a tiny gap, it begins a feeding frenzy. If a zip lock bag is not zipping correctly, make sure to change it and put the food in a ziplock bag that is correctly working.

Avoid putting too much in one zip lock bag rather than purchasing more than one ziplock bag and put only adequate amount per bag.

How to Prevent Roaches from eating My Platic Bags

In this section we show you several ways to prevent cockroaches from getting your food.

• Place your Plastic Container Inside a Kitchen Closet

To render this completely effective, we recommend you to close any gap in the kitchen cupboard door. Ensure it is not broken too. After checking these, simply put the food inside the closet, and you are set to go!

Ensure you keep the doors closed if you’re not using them. That way, you’ll prevent cockroaches from getting into the closet.

• Place your food inside a thick Ziplock bag and place it inside plastic container

This strategy works exceptionally well. Just keep the food inside the ziplock bag and place it in a plastic container. Ensure the lid of the plastic container is closed properly.

Aside from the fact that this adds an extra protection and cockroaches will not be able to enter it, you also quickly see any roaches that may end up there.

Throw away the food if you find any roaches in there.

• Use Powders like Baking Soda or Boric Powder

Boric powder works great in keeping your food safe from roaches mandibles.

Simply place the food inside your thick plastic container and then make a circle using boric powder and place the plastic container that contains the food inside the circle.

Roaches cannot tolerate boric powder and cannot cross the circle.

• Reduce The Overall Infestation

By minimizing roach infestation, you stand a better chance. You can rest easy not worried these pesty bugs will get your food.

You can purchase a roach spray and spray it on places in your home where cockroaches can hide, and that will get rid of most of them.

• Call A Pest Control Company

If your roach infestation is really high, then we recommend reaching out to a pest control company.

They will rid your home of roaches. A bug exterminator will employ the services of specialized equipment to get rid of cockroaches.

Cockroaches can find cracks, holes, spaces, and can live anywhere. An exterminator uses special equipment to spray the chemicals within the nooks, cranies, and cracks of your home.

Any roach hiding in these spots will die. These chemicals are super useful, and it gets rid of a large number of cockroaches at once.

Pest control companies are affordable and will charge based on the difficulty of the task and the amount of chemical used. The price range from company to company.

Will you do it yourself or will prefer a pest control company handle it?

Conclusion

So, can cockroach eat plastic? A cockroach can bite through light plastic, but if you keep food in hard plastic, then it is impossible for a cockroach to cut through that.

Can roaches eat through garbage bags? A roach bug will find a tiny gap to enter through. So, ensure your thrash is in a properly enclosed plastic bag.

Do cockroaches eat plastic bags? Nymphs are the most common culprits since they can enter from tiny holes. Change your plastic bags if it has gaps, or holes.