If you enjoy reading this article, why not check out our articles on How Fast Do Roaches Spread? Short Answer FAST! and Do All Cockroaches Fly? Let’s Find Out!
So Where Do Cockroaches Live?
Cockroaches are one of the most adaptable species on the entire planet, and they didn’t earn that title by living in one place.
Cockroaches can live in all types of places from harsh landscapes, storm drains, and even in your home. These insects are no joke, and you’re definitely in for a surprise.
Do cockroaches live in groups?
When it comes to cockroaches, this is most likely the first piece of information you’ll want to know. Sure, seeing one cockroach might be unsettling, but what happens when you see a dozen? So let’s take a look at whether or not cockroaches live in groups.
A harborage area
The main thing that you need to know, in regard to cockroaches, is that they can make a harborage out of virtually anything. While it may seem like a fancy word, you can think of a harborage as a type of cockroach based nest of sorts. Plus, don’t worry, because we’ll have more on where you can find these harborages as you keep reading on.
What is a harborage made up of?
Cockroaches, at the end of the day, are pretty social insects. They’re not social in the way that ants are, but that doesn’t mean they don’t love sticking together in groups. These harborages are generally made up of both males and females, and the pheromones released by cockroaches in the harborage send signals for other roaches in the area to find them.
Cockroaches live in groups, and when the group releases pheromones from their sexual aspirations or feces, it attracts other cockroaches that live in the area.
Do cockroaches live outside?
While you might find cockroaches indoors, that doesn’t mean that they can’t make a decent harborage in outdoor conditions. Therefore, the purpose of this section will be to show you exactly where these insects like to live outside.
Do cockroaches live in trees?
Cockroaches love to use trees as harborages, because of the vast amount of moisture and the mini-ecosystem they provide. They prefer trees that are close to civilization because there tends to be a better food source in those areas.
When it comes to living trees, these are the known species that make a tree into a harborage:
- The American Cockroach
- The Australian Cockroach
- The Smokybrown Cockroach
So while not all cockroaches make harborages out of trees, the species we just showed you definitely do.
Do they live in drains?
Cockroaches can live, and crawl through, most types of drains. This includes storm drains, drains that lead into your basement, and even some of your plumbing.
Therefore, if you ever find cockroaches lurking around your bathtub or kitchen sink, chances are they might have a harborage nearby. This is due to the fact that cockroaches have pretty basic needs, and a drain provides quite a bit of those needs.
Some drains that are known to be great for cockroaches are:
- Kitchen sink drains
- Bathtub drains
- Shower drains
- Bathroom sink drains
- Storm drains
- Sewer drains
Do they live in piles of wood?
Not all cockroaches live within piles of wood, which means that if you see roaches hanging around a woodpile in your yard, it’s likely a wood cockroach. These cockroaches love to make harborages out of anything wood related, which means that the old pile of wood hanging around your yard is a great location for cockroaches to gather.
If you have cockroaches in your home and you’re still wondering why, you may want to read our article Why Do I Have Cockroaches in My Home? to find out.
Can they survive the winter outdoors?
The cold winter months can be brutal on any insect, and this is why you’ll see most insects disappear once it gets relatively cold outside. Cockroaches prefer warm weather, and any type of prolonged exposure to conditions under 15 degrees Fahrenheit will definitely kill them.
This means that most cockroaches choose to create harborages in warmer locations during the winter, and they actually enter a state of hibernation called diapause. If they’re in your home this winter, unfortunately, they’ll remain fairly active.
Do cockroaches live on the beach?
If you’re worried about your next trip to the beach, then you can rest easy knowing that you won’t find them roaming around through the sand. This is due to the fact that cockroaches typically enjoy moist dwellings, and while the area around a beach might be a great place for harborage, cockroaches tend to avoid the dry sand.
Do cockroaches live in water?
Cockroaches need water to survive, like most other species on the planet, which means that they like to create a harborage close to a water source. This makes sewers, storm drains and drains, in general, a good place for cockroaches to call home. While cockroaches love to live near water sources, they don’t directly live in the water. This is due to the fact that they can only survive for roughly 30 minutes when submerged.
Do cockroaches live inside our homes?
The final thing you’ll want to know about cockroaches is whether or not you’ll find them living in your home. Therefore, this section will show you every possible location they can live inside your home.
Can they live in a refrigerator?
If you’re concerned about cockroaches creating a harborage in your refrigerator, then you can rest easy knowing that this is not possible. While there might be plenty of food for them to enjoy inside, they can’t survive prolonged exposure to cold conditions. This is due to the fact that cockroaches are cold-blooded insects, so anywhere in your home that’s cold, is off-limits.
Now, while they don’t live directly inside a refrigerator, one of the most common harborage locations for a cockroach inside your home is behind the refrigerator. This is due to the fact that people are barely moving the refrigerator, and its proximity to your kitchen makes it a prime location for food retrieval.
Do cockroaches live in the walls of a home?
While your home is your home, it can also become a cockroach harborage as well. One area that these insects love is inside the walls of your home. The tight compact design is perfect for a nest, and they can squeeze through almost any crack or hole. If you’re ever looking for a cockroach nest, your walls are a great place to start.
Cockroaches can fit in cracks as small as 1/16 of an inch, which means that any small opening could turn into a harborage.
Ants are also experts at hiding out in our walls, just read Where Do Ants Hide? if you don’t believe us!
Can cockroaches live in insulation?
Not all walls are comprised of only sheetrock and studs. Some walls, mostly outer walls, contain quite a bit of insulation. Unfortunately, cockroaches are adaptable creatures, and the warmth that insulation provides is also great for a cockroach harborage. While new insulation is likely resistant to a cockroach infestation, old or worn-out insulation might do quite the opposite.
Plus, believe it or not, insulation can even be a great food source for cockroaches. Cockroaches are omnivorous, so if your insulation is organically based, that means that they can definitely make a meal or home out of it.
Do cockroaches live in basements?
Depending on your basement, cockroaches can definitely make a harborage in various basement locations. This is due to the fact that basements tend to be higher in moisture than the rest of the home, and most basements provide plenty of other pests that cockroaches can make a meal out of. While they’re typically found in unfinished basements, that doesn’t mean that they can’t make a harborage out of finished basements as well.
In basements, you can find cockroach harborages in places like:
- The walls
- Cracks in the cement (if unfinished)
- Behind large fixtures
- Behind or under furniture
Do cockroaches live in beds?
Many of you are probably familiar with bedbugs, and bedbug infestations are definitely a problem. Unfortunately, you might want to add cockroaches to the list of things you want to look out for in your bed. While they might not roam around your mattress, that doesn’t mean that they won’t make a harborage out of the furniture beneath your mattress. This is also true for any other bedroom furniture.
Do cockroaches live in baths?
Cockroaches can survive in all types of drains, like we mentioned earlier, which means that your bathtub drain could possibly be an optimal location for a cockroach harborage. The goods news is that they’ll typically avoid nesting within the bathtub itself, but that doesn’t mean they’re not lurking around the drain below.
This rule also applies to any other fixture with a drain. So while you might not directly find cockroaches in the kitchen or bathroom sink, that doesn’t necessarily mean there is no harborage in the drain below. Therefore, if you see many cockroaches in your kitchen or bathroom area, you’ll want to make sure that they’re not coming from drainage areas.
Do cockroaches live in clean homes?
A clean home does not mean that you’re safe from cockroaches, because they can still find a source of food with relative ease. Cockroaches are usually creatures that are associated with dirt and filth, but that’s not always the case. Therefore, even if you keep on top of the cleanliness of your home, that doesn’t mean that you’re automatically safe from cockroaches.
Final Findings
While cockroaches are typically creatures that are associated with filth, any location can quickly become a harborage. No place is safe, and any location that is close to food and water can be quickly turned into a cockroach harborage.
While cockroaches may be dormant during the winter months, if they’re indoors, they can still be fairly active.
When it comes to looking for cockroach harborage, you’ll want to check places such as:
- Drains in your home
- Behind or under furniture
- Wood piles or trees
- The walls of your home, even if they have insulation
Cockroaches are highly adaptable creatures, and their locations are definitely proof of that.
If you enjoyed reading this article, why not check out our articles on Can You See Cockroach Eggs? The Simple Answer and 15 Unusual Facts About Cockroaches That Will Keep You Up At Night
Recent Posts
Tiny Black Bugs in Bathroom NO WINGS: What They Are and What to Do!
Finding tiny black bugs in your bathroom can be uncomfortable, to say the least. Especially if they are persistent, or they appear in very large numbers, which they often like to do. When it...
Tiny Black Bugs in Plant Soil - What Are They & What To Do About It
A short horror story: You get a new houseplant. You do your best to take care of it. You’ve ensured that it has the right soil, the right amount of sun, it gets enough water. And then one day, you...