Cockroaches are one of the most notorious home pests. They’re equal-opportunity invaders and can be found just about anywhere. They’re resilient, and they can aggravate allergies and even trigger asthma attacks. Add to this the fact that they can move at speeds of more than three miles per hour, which is extremely fast for a creature of their size, and it’s no wonder why they can cause shrieks and panic when they scurry across the floor.

Can Cockroaches Crawl Backwards?

Cockroaches are commonly seen crawling across floors, countertops or other surfaces. A cockroach running at top speed is equivalent for its size to a human running at a speed of 200 miles per hour. However, they’re not very good at moving backwards.

Climbing and Flying

Cockroaches can easily climb on materials like wood, drywall, brick and stone, which are surfaces that are easy for them to grip. Smooth surfaces, like porcelain, granite, glass and marble, pose a challenge. These quick little insects also use a behavior called rapid inversion. Rapid inversion is when a cockroach reaches the edge of a surface and uses its rear legs to flip its body from the top of the surface to the underside. Checkout this video

A few species of cockroaches, including male Pennsylvania woods cockroaches, Asian cockroaches and smoky brown cockroaches, are strong fliers, but some only glide and others do not fly at all, even though they have wings.

How Do Cockcoaches Get in Your Home?

 

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