If cockroaches we see living in our kitchens, bathrooms, and the sewers are such hardy creatures, why don’t we see large populations of them in gardens and woods where there’s plenty of moisture and food?
In: Biology
A major misconception I’m seeing in this thread are people conflating the pest species of Cockroaches (especially German cockroaches) with cockroaches in general.
German cockroaches mostly like to live in human habitations. Despite the name, they’re likely originally from southeast Asia, and don’t do well in cold environments outside of our homes.
However, there are over 4,600 species of cockroach, not counting termites (which are actually just social cockroaches). Only thirty of those like living in human habitations, and only four are considered major pests. Most cockroaches are nocturnal and really don’t like bright light, so you won’t see them during the day. At night, they’ll also shy away from large animals like humans, since lots of animals like to eat them.
Cockroaches are fairly vital detritivores. They eat decaying animal and plant matter, helping return those nutrients to the ecosystem and keeping dead stuff from piling up. Think of them as tiny garbagemen.
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