Cockroaches eat everything edible and poop in homes and workplaces all across the globe. They’re drawn to food sources they can find too.
Although roaches can go long without eating food, they can spend most of their time either searching for food or eating food, fruits, clothes, and more.
So, what do cockroaches eat?
American cockroaches will eat things like:
- Dead or wounded cockroach.
- Small insects.
- Wood particles.
- Decaying leaves.
What Do CockRoaches Eat in the House?
Roaches are omnivorous insects, happily eating both animal and plant matter.
They’re also dedicated scavengers and aren’t picky eaters. They’d happily feed on just about anything you can consume – and a whole lot more. If it comes from humans, plants, or animals, chances are that roaches will consume it, including food we don’t eat and plant products we consume.
- Cockroaches Eat Human Food anywhere they find it
Cockroaches not only like human food but also prefer certain foods we eat over others.
Naturally, they love greasy foods (such as French fried and things covered in bacon grease and butter), meat products, sweets, and starches (like rice, cereal and breads). They have a strong desire for beer so much that it makes a very nice bait in a homemade roach trap.
However, the secret to stopping cockroach invasion is knowing and denying them easy foods.
- Food on Your Kitchen Surfaces
The kitchen is one place where water and food is everywhere and roaches know this! They love feeding off kitchen surfaces.
Countertop crumbs make a great midnight snack and roaches will go after any processed or fresh food items you leave out.
Some stray vegetables or pieces of pasta in the sink will attract these bugs, and provide loads of meals for them to feed on.
Unsealed leftovers serves as a treasure box for roaches, as are dirty dishes,
- Food in Your Pantry
Sugar, cereal, chops, and other pantry items are like a steak dinner to a bunch of roaches. They’ll chew through cardboard, paper, or even thin plastic containers to get to edible contents inside.
As soon as you spot roaches poops, or any other sign of evidence of bugs inside your food, know that it is contaminated. These bugs come from all kinds of nasty places and carry loads of harmful bacteria to your home.
They can and will live in places the thoughts of will make you cringe.
- Food Crumbs on Your Floor
You cannot handle and control these pests if you cannot get down to their level – that would mean focusing on the floor.
Roaches spend a big amount of time actively crawling around your floor and searching for their next meal. Even flying cockroaches often stick to their feet when they’re out in search of their daily meal.
Your carpet stores food morsels and a roach know how to find them out.
Note: Your house carpet doesn’t have to be dirty to trap loads of crumbs for a cockroach. With its keen sense of smell, a roach can and will locate every crumb that lays there.
- Your Pet’s Food
To be honest, most quality pet food come close to human food (at least that is the way roaches see it).
Since most pet parents will leave a bowl of cat or dog food out overnight, roaches will take advantage of this and will feed themselves till they can take no more.
Each time you leave your pet’s food out in the open, you’re creating a buffet for pests and are calling for more than you can bargain for.
Even if your pet licks off everything, residue and crumbs are still enough to fill a roach’s belly.
- Your Restaurants or Store building
Where there is food – you will find these bugs. Grocery stores and restaurants are places that have food, all the time.
A roach infestation in a market or restaurant can be harmful to the employers, customers and business reputation overall.
Sadly, commercial spaces make and deliver so much food on a frequent basis that it may become hard to keep everything spotless.
That’s why grocery stores and restaurants are at higher risk of facing cockroach problems. If you’re a business owner, it’s best to call in a professional pest control company to inspect and treat your property on particular dates to keep roaches out and bring customers in.
What do German Cockroaches Eat?
The German roach is a type of cockroach that is typically found inside the home area, rather than in the wild.
It prefers the warm, humid, and private areas near to where its food sources is and is mostly found in areas in your homes including bathrooms, dining rooms, and kitchens.
Here is a list of what German Cockroaches eat:
- Bread or cereals
- Meat products
- Pet’s food
- Sweets like soda, sugar, or soda
What do American cockroaches eat?
The American cockroach is mainly found outdoors where it is warm, damp and dark places. But, during their search for meals, it is not uncommon to see them also in your home when it is dry or hot outside and live in a place like a bathtub, floor drains, or sewer.
American cockroaches in the wild will eat things like:
- Dead or wounded cockroach
- Fungi
- Wood particles
- Small insects
- Decaying leaves
When they get inside your home, the American cockroach is attracted to eat:
- Food crumbs on the floor
- Fermented foods like cheese
- Bakery foods
- Spill food in the sinks
- Tea and milk
How to Stop Cockroaches From Coming Into Your Home?
Cockroaches are attracted to meals you eat freely. The best method to keep roaches away from your home is by keeping things tidy, clean and inhospitable to cockroaches.
There are a few steps you can take t to secure your home. Follow these easy steps to make roaches stop coming, eating and contaminating our food at home:
- Wash your dirty dishes on a frequent basis and never leave dirty plates overnight.
- NEVER allow family members or yourself from drinking or eating in many places, such as the living room or bedroom.
- Empty your trash can on a frequent basis.
- Never leave food sitting out on counters
- Store foods in tightly sealed containers.
- Wipe kitchen counters with the disinfectant cleaner to wipe down all spills, crumbs and grease on them.
- Deep clean your cooking appliances every night (oven, stove and/or refrigerators) by cleaning any narrowed gaps from spilt food or grease.
- Rinse plastics, bottles and cans before putting them in recycling bins or using them at all.
- Empty your pet’s water and food bowl.
- Sweep, mop and vacuum the floor daily to rid your home of spilt drinks and food on the floor.
What Do roaches Eat Outside?
Cockroaches’ ability to digest cellulose allows them to eat all kinds of things including paper materials, plastic bags and even some clothing.
They’ll even nibble on book bindings, cardboard boxes, documents, and newspapers. Some roaches have been reported to feed on glue on stamps and wallpaper, too.
The American cockroach and other outdoor roach species can and will feed on piles of twigs, leaves, and dead trees.
They will feed on decaying organic matter, including hair, fingernails, and skin flakes.
A lot of other roaches can feed on animal droppings or roach. Between dead insects and feces, garbage, there’s just nothing organic that cockroaches won’t eat.
How is it Possible that Roaches Eat so Many Disgusting Things?
Cockroaches have a symbiotic relationship with some types of bacteria that throve in their digestive systems. The bacteria use the roach as a host and in return, provide the roach with nutrients and help it to digest a lot of unpleasant substances.
Cockroach Pest Control – Time to Act Fast
Roaches are carriers of diseases and contaminate food in shops, offices and homes. It is crucial to have a solid pest control plan in place to protect yourself from these bugs.
Knowing where to find roaches is the first step to eradicating roach infestations. Check your bathroom and kitchen for signs of roach activity.
In the end, the best way to keep cockroaches away from your home is to clean diligently and make it as hard as possible for them to find food. If they cannot find their next meal in your home, they’d look elsewhere.
It’s crucial to get rid of cockroaches as fast as you can. You can do it with natural pesticides, baits and perseverance. Food-grade diatomaceous earth and boric acid are two products that you can use to kill cockroaches at home.
Or, you can call in the experts. Roaches are borne survivors that replicate quite fast. They’re formidable opponents!
Do Roaches Eat Roaches?
Yes, cockroaches consume other roaches. The German cockroach and Oriental roaches will not only eat their dead (anytime), but when food is scarce – eat their young and eggs like black widow spiders, American cockroach females will sometimes kill and eat their mates.
Will Cockroaches Eat Clothes?
Yes, roaches will eat clothes on occasion. These bugs feed on food crumbs and skin flakes, both of which become caught in the clothing we put on.
Roaches will consume dirty clothing if food is scarce. A sizable amount of these roaches will wreak havoc on fabric.
Do Cockroaches Eat Dog Food?
Yes, cockroaches can and will feed on dog food. Your roach can feed on dog food pellets.
Do Cockroaches Eat Cat Food?
Cockroach enjoy cat food just as much as dog food, and do not mind having it dry or moist. To keep them out of it, you either need to cover the cat bowl or get rid of the roaches any time it’s not fully clean.
Do Cockroaches Eat Grass?
Typically, roaches will rat and live in grass clippings, especially as the grass decays and becomes simpler to digest.
Do Roaches Like Spicy Food?
We do know that roaches consume bits or crumbs of spicy foods they can get.
Do Roaches Like Sugar?
Cockroaches love sugar and any food item that contains it. Some roaches developed an aversion to glucose, a unique type of sugar, but are currently the exception, not the rule.
Can Cockroaches Get Into Sealed Food?
Because roaches can chew through paper and light plastic wrappers, sealed zip lock bags, plastic grocery bags, paper, plastic food containers and thin paper make easy meals.
They can’t get into thick plastic containers or sealed plastic food containers.
Do Cockroaches Eat Fruit?
Yes, roaches will consume fruit, especially decaying ones. Ensure you check the bottom of trash cans and fruit bowls where discarded fruit peels and fruits may have been collected.
Do Roaches Eat Coffee Grounds?
If available, roaches will happily snack on coffee beans, pods and grounds. If you’ve got a cockroach infestation on your hands, then you should clean up any you’ve spilt.
Do roaches eat Onions?
A cockroach will have no trouble feeding on onions. If you’re looking to use onion as a cockroach deterrent, then you’re better off looking elsewhere.
Do Roaches Eat Bed Bugs?
With all gladness, roaches will eat creatures or insects that are slow and simple to catch like bed bugs.
Do Cockroaches Eat Hair?
Yes, roaches will eat hair on your head, in your drain, on your hairbrush, or that’s fallen to the floor. They’ll only feed on shaving stubble, eyelashes, or any form of body hair.
Do Cockroaches Eat Paper?
Roaches are one of the worst paper-eating insects and will gladly feed on copy paper, newspaper, cardboard boxes, receipts, and photographs or any other kind they find.
Do Cockroaches Eat Feces?
Feces is a rich source of nutrients for cockroaches and they’ll feed on it when they find. This include rodent droppings, cat feces, and dog feces.
Can Cockroaches Eat Wood?
Roaches do not feed on healthy trees. They prefer dead trees, rotten wood, and similar decaying matter.
Do Roaches Eat Ants?
Roaches aren’t known to eat living ants. They will gladly feed on dead ants, however.
Do Cockroaches Eat Fleas?
Cockroaches will not actively seek out living fleas, but will gladly feed on dead fleas.
Do Cockroaches Eat Salt?
Cockroaches will avoid salt because there is no nutritional value in it. However, they’d devour salty foods as much as they’d do to non-salty foods.
Do Roaches like salty foods more?
No, they don’t.
Do Roaches Eat Toothpaste?
Yes, cockroaches will eat toothpaste itself, particles of food they find in it, toothpaste at the bottom of your sink and every inch of paste stuck in your brush.
Do Roaches Eat Baking Soda?
Roaches aren’t attracted to baking soda but will gladly consume it when mixed with sugar. Baking soda is a natural, safe, and fairly effective roach killer.
Do Roaches Eat Soap?
Soap is made up of some organic materials that cockroaches will happily eat and digest.
Do Roaches Eat Plants?
For many roaches, plants are yummy treats. However, roaches prefer feeding on dead and decaying plants to living ones, and help the eco-system make it’s work easier.
Can Cockroaches Eat Through Walls?
No! Cockroaches cannot eat through walls, but can squeeze through the cracks, tiny holes, and crevices that walls sometimes have. If your walls are sealed shut, cockroaches can’t get in.
Do Roaches Eat Spray Foam Insulation?
Cockroaches avoid spray foam insulation as they cannot digest it, but can burrow through it.
They can also go after the remains of food sources (like dead insects) that are present in compromised foam. If they in any way consume the insulation itself, they’d likely die from the borate that’s typically mixed in.
Do Roaches Eat Wires?
Roaches avoid electrical wiring but can feed on wiring insulation. Electrical insulation is produced from cellulose or paper, both of which a cockroach can digest with ease. When that happens, the wiring can become exposed, spark and start up a fire in your home or shorten the lifespan of appliances.
