How Long Does a Cockroach Live?
WouterA cockroach can live without food for a week or longer, but if water is unavailable, they will die after a week or so. Since they are scavengers, they feed on almost anything. Because their circulatory system is open, cockroaches will not die until they run out of water, and even then, they will be weak and unable to run around as much. Cockroaches often feed on small mammals, amphibians, and larger insects.
Lifespans of cockroaches vary between species, but the average is about two years. German cockroaches may live up to 210 days, and American cockroaches can live for over one year. Their egg cases are large enough to see, and they are about eight millimeters long. The eggs turn black after a few days.
The German cockroach’s lifespan depends on temperature and access to food. At room temperature, a German cockroach will live 60 days as a nymph. Its life span can be as long as one hundred days if they can find food. However, the cockroach is very prone to reproducing, which means that their population can grow exponentially in a short period of time.
Cockroaches lay their eggs in protective egg cases called oothecae. Each egg contains up to 15 embryos. A single adult female may produce up to four or five oothecae in her lifetime. The egg cases are then stored in a discreet location until the eggs hatch.
