How Can Cockroaches Get Off Their Backs?

If you’ve ever wondered how cockroaches get off their back, you’re not alone. These creatures are very tolerant of water and they will try to right themselves. Occasionally, though, they give up and play dead. Others will get up instantly, and scurry off into dark corners.

Cockroaches are very hard to spot in the light. If you spot one, they won’t be hiding in your home for long. Once you see them, you can trap them, but if they move, they’ll find a new hiding place and will be more difficult to get rid of.

Roaches are extremely resilient. They can survive up to a week without their head, a month without food, and 45 minutes without oxygen. They’ve also survived three mass extinctions. One of them, the Permian mass extinction, killed 96 percent of life on Earth. Roaches were still growing up during that time! This makes them one of the world’s toughest animals.

One way to get rid of a roach is to use a boric acid mixture. This is usually mixed with flour and applied to locations where cockroaches are active. Another option is to hire a professional exterminator. Cockroaches can stay on their backs for a long time when they’re in danger, so they roll on their backs and look dead.