Cockroaches can bite people but it is rare. German cockroaches are the most likely to bite, probably because they are often responsible for large infestations. Cockroaches bite sleeping humans because they are looking for food. Sometimes a cockroach will sense a small amount of food on the mouth or fingers of a person and they will accidentally bite while they are eating. This only happens when there is no other easier food source available. Cockroaches will also sometimes risk crawling over a sleeping person to get to moisture built up around the eyes or the nose. The cockroach needs water to survive and if it can't find water anywhere else it might have to get it from you.
Fight cockroach populations with good sanitation. A clean environment makes it difficult for cockroaches to survive. Kill off existing cockroach populations using
Maxforce FC Roach Bait Stations. You cannot use any other pesticide around a cockroach bait because a liquid or aerosol pesticides will ruin the bait. Follow the label instructions when placing the stations.
Children are the most susceptible to cockroach bites because they have softer skin that is easier for the cockroach's mouthparts to penetrate. Also, children
are more likely to leave crumbs on their fingers or around their mouths because they don't always have the best hygienic practices. Telling a youngster that they better wash their face and hands and brush their teeth after dinner might be communicated more effectively if you added that if they failed to do so they might have cockroaches nibbling on their fingers and toes.
Cockroaches only bite when there are very large populations and little food and water available. If the cockroach can find food or water somewhere else then they won't risk getting it from something that can smack them dead faster than you can say, “Gross, there is a cockroach on my arm!” Overall, the chances of getting bitten by a cockroach are extremely small and I have never heard of a person getting bitten by a cockroach while they were awake. This could probably only happen if you picked a cockroach up and it bit because it felt threatened. Most people don't have this type of contact with cockroaches.
Cockroach bites look similar to other insect bites. The bite can be itchy, as well. Bites are small red marks that often scab over. Cockroach bites can become infected and might be likely to do so because cockroaches are so often exposed to sewage and other materials that are full of bacteria. Apply disinfectant to any cockroach bite and if swelling from the bite does not recede after a few days then you might want to get it checked out by a doctor.
Comments
Sad but true..
11 Jan 2010, 09:36
Hey Guys,
I think I know what is going on here..
Thank you so much for the information, I think I need to get one of those
"Bug Nets" for my bed:
http://www.overstock.com/Home-Garden/Mombasa-Ivory-Adult-Mosquito-Net-Canop
y/2387004/product.html
I have bites EVERYWHERE that is exposed when I sleep. Those @$$! roaches
are EVERYWHERE in this cheap apartment building. Now when I move again,
all my stuff will be infested.
When I use the sink, if little bubbles of water are left on the counter,
then run out an gobble up the droplets. They are crazy thirsty. I am
guessing they are biting me to get blood-water.
If the net doesn't work, then maybe I'll leave out water in a dish as a
peace offering. I can't believe I have to bargain with these disgusting
creatures.
meaghan
11 Jan 2010, 21:36
Boric acid is incredibly effective. The best way to use it is to sprinkle
it around the fridge, stove, washer and dryer, sinks, and anywhere you see
exposed pipes or drains. They love warm, moist environments, so pipes and
appliance motors are prime real estate for the little buggers. I also
sprinkled it in front of the doors that lead outside and in a crack in the
cement of my driveway where I have seen some hanging out.
Boric acid alone will not do the job. You must also was your dishes after
eating (or leave them to soak in soapy water), vacuum up crumbs from
carpets and couches or anywhere you eat, take out your trash at night and
bleach the can, thorougly clean kitchen counters microwaves refrigerators
and ovens, fix leaks, seal food containers...DON'T give them food or water
sources.
Cockroach infestations easily get out of control, because they reproduce
quickly and in great number and are SO difficult to kill. If you see one,
there are probably 100s you don't see. The best thing to do is KILL the
cockroach...don't put it outside thinking you are doing the both of you a
favor...it'll come back. These creatures wouldn't be so horrible if they
didn't carry all sorts of bacteria. You can contract salmonella and other
infections from cockroaches.
If the infestation is out of control, contact an exterminator who will do
more than just spray or bomb. Hire someone who will get into every nook and
cranny with special vacuums, gels, and caulk.
Now GO and get rid of the little buttholes.
tim
04 Feb 2010, 02:51
i read the story when the exterminator says roaches bit while asleep which
is very true they bite me often,but he says they he dont know of them
biting someone awake,well i know for a fact they do bite while awake,i sit
in the floor on my computer relaxed and all of a sudden a dam roach bites
me and i feel the little sting,so no matter if your awake or asleep they do
bite when your sitting still relaxed.
no one
14 Feb 2010, 12:35
i just came to see did roaches bite because i didnt believe my mom when she
told me they did bite people.
tim
17 Feb 2010, 19:13
FOR SURE THEY DO BITE IF YOUR ASLEEP AND IF YOUR AWAKE SITTING STILL IN
THE DARK OR WITH LIGHT ON THEYS TILL BITE,ROACHES ARE BECOMING MORE AND
MORE FEARLESS.
briana
29 Mar 2010, 22:49
can someone tell me how to feed cockroaches and how to give the water
please i have two cockroaches and don't know how to take care of them
!!!!!!
Ben E
30 Mar 2010, 23:06
I am disabled and live in public housing, which to TOTALLY infested w/
roached.
I can affirm that cockroaches DO, in Fact, bite-HARD! I was sitting at my
desk on the phone about a month ago, when I felt a sharp pain on my
side-YEP-It WAS a cockroach. I had heard of roach bites, but now I KNOW
FIRST-HAND about them!
Workers were in the process of tearing out my next-door neighbor's kitchen
cabinets, and they ran over to my apt in DROVES! What a NIGHTMARE!
JACKIE
31 Mar 2010, 14:59
I live in an apartment that has roaches im used to them to say the least
but i have a 3 month old and 2 or 3 times when I get up for her feeding she
has had a dime size bite mark, i guess, I've checked her bed and can not
find anything else that may have bit her so i guess roaches is my answer
thanks for the site
Caring for roaches
26 Apr 2010, 18:21
Briana what you need to do is give them a cotton ball soaked with water and
keep it moist, that way they won't drown in the water dish. You can feed
your roaches human food or dog or cat food.
Dora
28 Apr 2010, 14:41
I was bitten when i was a child. My moms car was infested and i spilled
some coke on my leg. It hurt like a bull ant bite. The worst part was the
next day. The bite became infected and i couldnt walk on my leg it hurt so
bad. I had a red line going up my leg and started throwing up. It was bad.
I had to go to the hospital and get an iv and they had to scrub my leg with
a hard block that looked like something you soften your feet with. OUCH!!
Im scared to death of those nasty little buggers now.
someone
14 May 2010, 05:05
Freakin reach just bit me 10 ago I heard a crunching noise when I slapped
my arm and realized what it was. I was Sooo sleepy I could barley kill
it.bastard got away. Now I can't sleep knowing that sucker is alive! punk
might bring his crew to finish me off
Tereasa
05 Jun 2010, 23:33
I was just bit at work in bed; I work 48 hr shifts and was on my laptop
when I felt a bite to the back of my neck; thought maybe a piece of my hair
was getting caught and pulling, then a few moments later another bite and
the disgusting thing ran to the side of my neck where I caught it! and sure
enough it was a roach! UGH!!! THEY BITE!!
Randy
07 Jun 2010, 20:52
I have had amazing success by mixing boric acid with bacon grease. It works
wonders to get rid of those freaky little buggers!
fresh
19 Jun 2010, 22:20
my girl was sleeping really deep and got bitten by a roach.; not once" not
twice' but 17 times no joke. im so scared that i think she might be a
mutant and turned into one of those damn roaches. dont know what to
do....HELP!!!!!!!!
Gaby..z
01 Jul 2010, 12:25
Well cockroaches do bite while u r awake cuz I juz qot bit by 1 last nite n
I had my litez off n I waz layinq in my bed n I felt sumthinq crawl on me n
den I felt it bite me n it waz lyk a lil stinq n I turned on da litez n
there waz da roach... ewwww I waz so disqusted cuz I've never liked dem at
all!!!!!
Aries
20 Jul 2010, 19:06
I had never been infested by these pests before, but my son brought home a
chair from his friends house. We figured out it was harboring these
critters. I am a diabetic with a lot of neuropathy in my feet and legs.
Well, let me tell you, I have a LOT of red bites and scabbed over bites
from these critters. I am very afraid of infections due to being a
diabetic!!! We have sprayed, put out the boric acid stuff, sucked them up
then took what sucked up wih the vacuum cleaner and let the chickens have a
picnic catching/eating them. HELP!!!
Ask the Exterminator
21 Jul 2010, 11:23
Help is at your fingertips. Just click on the "cockroach" category on this
page and you will find lots of articles that tell you how to control
roaches.
Emily
24 Jul 2010, 17:13
Yeah, we have a roach problem AND a Black and Brown widow problem right
now(I think the spiders like the disgusting abundance of "food" in our
apartment. Anyways, I was sitting at my desk at 4 in the morning wearing a
dress and something bit me behind the knee. At first, I thought it was a
widow, but I wasn't showing any symptoms and I've seen roaches on this desk
at night, so I think a roach crawled on my leg and bit me.
Regina
05 Aug 2010, 06:42
Cockroaches do bite you when you are awake. I was just bitten by one about
an hour ago, which is how I came across this website. I ran a search after
the little bugger bit me. Anyways, I was sitting very still, reading the
news on my computer when I felt a slight sting, almost like when you pull
one hair out, or like a small itch. I looked down at my ankle and the roach
was just sitting there. So he is the one that bit me!
I think this may be because I have recently cut off most of their food
supply by sticking all of my food in snaplock plastic containers. They have
never bitten me before that I know of, so it must be because they are
hungry. Hopefully, their desperation in biting me means that I am winning
the roach war in my home.
Kate
07 Aug 2010, 00:48
They do bite! Thye leave small red whelps.. I have recently just had an
infestation at my house, due to my neighbors coming and washing clothes and
getting water when their pump was messed up, and can't seem to get rid of
them. I have several indoor cats and a puppy outside. I guess they have
decided to feed on the bag's of animnal food, the food/water dishes (for
the cats) and have now multiplied by the thousands. ITS DISGUSTING!! The
sprays seem to only make them worse and I cant use the boric acid becasue
of my pets. Is there anything other than that, that will be safe to use
around pets?
Ask the Exterminator
07 Aug 2010, 15:30
Maxforce FC Cockroach Bait Stations are safe to use around pets and
children, but you cannot use any other pesticide when you use baits. Liquid
pesticides will ruin the baits. You can buy this product by clicking on
"Pest Control Products" at the top of this page.
mzlee
09 Aug 2010, 19:45
is is so true that cockroach do bite i woke up in the morning last week and
i saw some 4 straight marks on my leg and what makes me more scarier was in
the 4 straight mark there was some rashes on them so i wounder what was
that i didn't found out till today i felt something was crawling on me
while i was sleep, i woke up immediate and i found a cockroach then i
realize that bite was a cockroach so i tried to do a research to c if they
really bite. omg i dnt even know if i can sleep on my bed today. the flash
back of the crawling cockroach on me this morning is making me more scarier
cos what if they get into my nose or ears(this is so scary)God help us
GROSS!!!
12 Aug 2010, 09:33
One of my parents rentals has roaches now bbecause of some tenants that
recently lived there and go figure they have to be GERMAN ROACHES!!! Well
we've been trying to get rid of them and have had 3 exterminators come in
and they're still alive!! The basement flooded when a pipe broke so we had
to go over and tear up the hard wood and after reading this I am NOT going
over there to do anything until they are GONE!!
lostgirl
14 Aug 2010, 07:42
I am lost n scared. I am pregnant. I have a number of scars from Roach
bites,a lot of scars. I have infected ones to that I try to fix them at
home. How do I get raid of the roaches n stop them from nonstop biting me.
I am worried cause I am high risk pregnancy to start with.
The person bugged bombed the place I stay did not work n boricc acid did
not work either. What to do? Can mold n moisture make things worst?
Ask the Exterminator
14 Aug 2010, 09:46
I've got lots of articles on how to get rid of roaches on this website.
Please read them.
sotired
18 Aug 2010, 11:21
i been living with roaches for a long time.we have tried everything to get
rid of them and nothing is working.yes my house is a mess but i do my best
to keep it clean but with 3 kids it almost impossible.its got so bad lately
that i cant let no one come in my house because were ever you look you will
see won no matter what time a day it is.please someone tell me what i can
do for the sake of my kids.
Ask the Exterminator
18 Aug 2010, 12:15
So tired:
You want someone to clean your house for you? Please! There is no excuse
for living in bad sanitation. I've got lots of articles on cockroach
control. Please read them. For your kids' sake.
lostgirl
18 Aug 2010, 13:25
Their this gas stuff I recently found out about that u. Have apart pump n
leave the house for awhile n it kills roaches n bugs for days
Ask the Exterminator
18 Aug 2010, 14:26
Sounds dangerous! You had best read the label carefully so you don't end up
exterminating yourself.
Jessica
08 Sep 2010, 13:11
Lastnight I was sitting on my boyfriend's bed doing homework and I felt
something biting or stinging my arm...I looked and saw a blackish brownish
round bug on my arm out of the corner of my eye then freaked out and
smacked it off. I wasn't sure what it was then a few minutes later we
found some type of roach on the bed where I was sitting. My bite is in the
shape of a horse shoe and was red and raised last night but now is
purplish-reddish. I'm like kind of freaking out cause I don't know if this
will get worse or what I should do..never heard of roaches biting before!!!
newbie
14 Sep 2010, 02:32
I just moved from Pennsylvania to Georgia, and having never really lived
anywhere besides home (where my mom was VERY clean) I'd never seen a roach
before. Well buddy, I can tell you today has made up for that! There are
roaches everywhere! Big ones, little ones, medium sized ones, live, dead,
fast, and slow ones. So disgusting. I went into the bathroom and right on
the drain was a HUGE dead one and looking at it's ugly, hairy legs I just
wondered if they bit. I'm glad I know that because now the first thing I
will buy for my new place is not interior decoration, but bait traps! Not
only am I terrified of being bit, (the idea of having one of those things
on me while I'm asleep makes me gag) but I have a small dog and can't stand
the thought of her being nibbled! I know they are here and if any of them
reads this, I just want you to know this is WAR. You may have been here
before me or snuck in the door behind me, but don't get comfortable cause
if you stay here you're DEAD!
Rachael
16 Sep 2010, 13:54
Okay, so it's nice to know I'm not nuts. I couldn't sleep last night
because my neck hurt and was itching so bad. I went to take a bath, and
there was at least 10 babies that fell off my skin. *shudder* I think my
roaches, however, are biting me 'cause they're pissed that Orkin keeps
killing their family off. lol I don't think I've ever had a bite hurt and
itch so much as these suckers do.
Ask the Exterminator
16 Sep 2010, 15:45
You may not be nuts, but you certainly are not doing all you can to deter
the roach population. Simple sanitation and the removal of clutter can
reduce cockroach activty. Remove all evidence of food spills and splatters
and you will take away the roach food. Remove clutter, boxes and stacks of
paper and you will remove roach shelter. They need a survival triangle;
food, shelter, water. Remove one leg of the triangle and the roaches cannot
survive.
christy
18 Sep 2010, 01:25
ok so i just moved into this new condo and i been here like maybe 6 months
and i opened up on of my cupboards to unpack some things and put things
away and found alot of roaches scatter away when i opened the door someone
please tell me how to get rid of them i have bug bombed with almost every
different kind of stuff and had exterminators come and bomb the house and i
have put out little roahc feeders and still cant get rid of them it seems
like they just keep multiplying grrrr......please help
Ask the Exterminator
19 Sep 2010, 09:00
I have lots of articles on roach control. They are listed under the
category "Cockroaches" on the left side of any page. Read them.
hello
12 Oct 2010, 14:07
plz help me i have roaches in my bathroom every day i have to kill them i
checked every where to see if there coming from outside but i see nothing
plz help
hello
12 Oct 2010, 14:11
i can never use my bathroom i have to use my bathroom downstairs lol i
sprayed the bathroom but they keep coming and i got an ear infection i
think a roach got in my ear cause i couldent sleep all night
Ask the Exterminator
12 Oct 2010, 14:14
I have many articles on cockroach control. Click on the category
"cockroaches" on the left side of any page.
alex
12 Oct 2010, 15:35
thx hey do roaches like gum cause i have gum in the trashcan in my bathroom
Ask the Exterminator
12 Oct 2010, 16:23
Roaches are attracted to things that smell.
freakedout
16 Oct 2010, 12:28
okay, I'm a clean person, but this house know matter how much we clean put
out poisen they won't go away. Also, I'm getting bit every nite. I bath
before bed and keep my bedroom very clean but I still have this problem.
These bites are painful. I have them on my feet and legs, my arms and I've
been awake when bitten a few times. The bugs only bit me, no one else in
the house.
Ask the Exterminator
21 Oct 2010, 10:00
If the roaches are thriving that means there's a food source. That also
means you need to revisit your cleaning methods. If your home is cluttered
and you eat in your bedroom, you will not be able to resolve your problem.
Read my other cockroach control articles.
Marcia
31 Oct 2010, 01:42
I've been in my apartment for about 5 months & have had no problems. No
surprise since I'm a neat nut & have 2 cats. But tonight I found one in the
kitchen floor on it's back kicking wildly. I figured one of the cats got it
so I stepped on it, then got a paper towel to pick it up, and it bit the
tip of my finger. OUCH!! I guess if you kill one you have to make sure it's
dead before handling it. Live and learn.
cecily
16 Nov 2010, 11:02
Roaches are natural enemies of BEDBUGS. I live in Chicago.
Roaches crawl around and eat leftover food.
Bedbugs suck ur blood at night.
Roaches eat and/or chase off bedbugs.
Any roach is a friend of mine.
Ask the Exterminator
16 Nov 2010, 11:34
There are numerous insects that will eat bed bugs including centipedes and
fire ants, but I wouldn't want those insects in my home, either. I
certainly would not want roaches.
jana white
18 Nov 2010, 20:57
me and my son have roach bites all over our arms and legs. they are killing
me. we do not eat in the room. at nite i stay up all nite watching my new
born son so no roaches crawl in his crib. i am so ready to moved out this
house. other people in the house is not making it no better. they leave
food out. have leaking roof and trash all over the house. i am only
temporary staying in the house. but i never experience nothing like this my
parents always make me clean up to keep bug out. i grew up with little here
and there that waz because of the neighbor but not with house is infested
with roaches. they are the most gross creatures in the world i hate them.
mandy
21 Nov 2010, 10:54
we have tried everything to get rid of the roaches. we have had an
exterminator come out several times. tried spraying ourselves and but out
the roach baits with the eggs stoppers. i keep the house cleaned from top
to bottom. dont eat in the bedrooms and me and my daughter are getting bit
like crazy. please help what else can i do.
Ask the Exterminator
23 Nov 2010, 11:31
Read the other articles on cockroaches listed at the left side of any page.
The solutions are there.
leisha taylor
11 Dec 2010, 20:16
can you catch anything from getting alot of roach bites?
Doug
20 Dec 2010, 07:29
if u live in an apartment, condo, or anyplace that has other residences
attached to it. u can be clean and never have food in your home (eat out
all the time) and bug bomb every day.
if the people next door are not trying to controle the infestation then u
can't. every one u kill more moves in from next door.
cibi
30 Dec 2010, 13:31
i got a small red wound naer yo my eye brow....fear its a roach bite...it
is gets swelling day by day.wat should i have to do?
Ask the Exterminator
30 Dec 2010, 21:28
See a doctor.
Shel
23 Jan 2011, 05:44
Hey, So.. I'm staying over at a friend's house for the second time tonight.
Her niece and her showed me some rashes this evening explaining that they
itched like crazy and hurt. I just woke up to 2 in th kitchen,t twoin the
bathroom, and one runnijg across the livingroom floor. - Rude awakening!!
I have been awake for two hours now and I am scared to sleep. Isnt it the
landlords responsibiloty.to spray everyweek sincce he knows?
Ask the Exterminator
23 Jan 2011, 08:38
It's the tenant's responsibilty to notify the landlord that the problem has
not been resolved. It also helps if you capture one of the insects in a jar
to show the evidence.
Bobby
22 Feb 2011, 21:05
Yes, Roaches do bite, They love to bite me on my upper lip im f&*King fed
up of it, They are nasty evil stink insects, They leave a atleast 3 small
bumps and a bigger one, I think thats how my body reacts to it, You just
have to wash it with water and soap but man it looks horrible,definitely
will ruin your plains unless you want everyone to ask wtf happened to your
lip. Just ignore it and pull of the scab when it drys up.
HELP*
21 Mar 2011, 17:19
my grandma is a horder and she has 7 dogs and alot of roaches and I KNOW 4
A FACT THIS IS A HEALTH PROBLEM will someone tell me what i should to to
help her it would mean alot.
Ask the Exterminator
21 Mar 2011, 21:19
Just click on the word "cockroaches" on the left side of this web page and
you will find many articles on controlling roaches.
IHATEIDIOTBUGS
09 Apr 2011, 23:05
How big can Roach bites get? Mine are about the length of a thumb and
swollen and about half in width. Btw, are Roach bites bigger than bedbug
bites?
Ask the Exterminator
10 Apr 2011, 08:51
Everyone reacts differently to insect bites.
Ed
06 Jun 2011, 17:24
Last night my daughter in law notified her husband (my son) that there was
a large cockroach walking on the ceiling. My son was watching the Miami
Heat playoff game and didn`t exactly do anything about the roach.All of a
sudden the roach takes flight and flys right into my daughter in laws
forehead , bites her and actually drawing blood. My son thought that was
pretty funny and couldn`t stop laughing. I think he`s sleeping in the spare
bedroom tonight.
Shanley
02 Aug 2011, 07:37
alright. so i've lived in my apartment for over 10 years and have never had
a roach problem and a week ago my neighbor upstairs said that she saw 3 big
ones in her apartment and then i started seeing some in my apartment. i
have two kids and a dog so i can't use any toxic ones i wouldnt want
anything to happen to my dog nor kids. so what can i use? and i only see
medium ones and baby ones. there german cockroaches. PLEASE HELP.
FOR THE SAKE OF MY KIDS AND PET.
Ask the Exterminator
02 Aug 2011, 11:34
The article clearly talks about Maxforce FC Roach Stations. Click on the
link. That's the product you want. Remember, you cannot use any other
pesticide when using these bait stations.
Melanie
27 Aug 2011, 09:44
Ok, so I've been sick for a little while, and last night i was under my
blanket and I was sweating, but I didn't feel hot at all, so i slept that
way all night, bu when I woke up I had what looked like a hundred mosquito
bites on my arms and legs, and then i found a roach at the foot of my bed.
CREEPY, buut now there's like twice as mmany so it's got to be some kind of
rash or something. I feel a lot less freaked out now.
Xtine
30 Sep 2011, 11:12
TRY EMPTY BEER CANS?! They are so disgusting!!! One day I found an empty
opened beer can in our yard in a bush, so I picked it up to throw out and I
noticed inside it three large cockroaches dead from the beer! I guess they
like alcohol and it could be used as bait?! Ha Ha drunk cockroaches!