Re: why do roaches die on their backs?

Dear Tiffany

Thank you for your question. You must be a good observer of animals. Roaches are usually quite active insects, walking and running around all day. If a roach gets ill, it might use its legs in an uncoordinated manner and push itself onto its back. A roach is comparatively flat, and it takes some coordinated effort for the roach to get back to its normal position. This simply is not possible for an ill and dying roach. Thus, it end on its back, usually struggling a long time to get back to normal, using up all its energy until it is dead.

You might observe the same with normal house flies. If they get ill and can no longer coordinate their movements, they sooner or later land on their back. buzzing around in circles, and can not get back onto their feet. So it is just that they cannot coordinate their movements any more, and as soon as they accidently land on their back, they get stuck.

However, this all is only true in artificial, open areas. If there are lots of things around, the legs will touch it and the roaches (or flies) probably will turn over onto their feet.

If you would like to know more about roaches - as you do a research project - visit one or more of following sites:

• All About Cockroaches An introduction to cockroaches with a lovely photograph showing the life stages of the American cockroach.
• Madagascar Hissing Cockroach Gromphadorhina portentosa, what it is, and how to keep them as pets! Article by Debbie Clark and Donna Shanklin, Entomologists at the University of Kentucky College of Agriculture.
• Yucky bug world A site for children that includes humorous information about cockroach lifestyle, anatomy and amazing cockroach facts.
• Key to cockroach identification Drawings, photographs and descriptions help you identify your cockroaches! Site brought to you by University of Nebraska-Lincoln.