Cockroaches in a home often raise concerns about hygiene and the safety of stored goods. Many homeowners worry about these resilient pests accessing food and contaminating household items, particularly those stored in plastic containers. Understanding how cockroaches interact with different materials is important for protecting your food and maintaining a clean living environment.
The Reality of Roaches and Plastic
Cockroaches do not “eat” plastic for nutritional value, as it offers no sustenance. Instead, they chew through plastic to access food or water. Their powerful mandibles allow them to create openings in packaging to reach contents.
While robust, hard plastic containers resist chewing, thinner plastics like bags are vulnerable. They can easily gnaw through these materials to reach food. This chewing activity compromises the packaging’s integrity and exposes the food to potential contamination from the cockroaches themselves.
Why Roaches Chew Through Materials
Cockroaches possess strong mandibles, their primary chewing mouthparts. These mandibles are capable of generating significant force. Research on the American cockroach, Periplaneta americana, shows they can exert a bite force approximately 50 times stronger than their own body weight, which is relatively five times stronger than a human’s jaw force.
This strength allows them to chew through materials, not for consumption, but to access food, water, or harborage. Their chewing capabilities extend beyond thin plastics to other household materials. They can chew through cardboard, paper, and certain fabrics. They may even gnaw on thin wood, leather, or electrical insulation if other food sources are scarce. This destructive behavior is driven by their opportunistic feeding habits and their constant search for resources.
Effective Roach-Proof Storage and Prevention
To prevent cockroaches from accessing food and nesting sites, strategic storage and cleanliness are essential. Store food in sturdy, airtight containers made of thick plastic, glass, or metal. Glass and metal containers are particularly resistant, as cockroaches cannot chew through these materials. Even with plastic, choosing robust options with tight-fitting lids is important to deny entry.
Maintaining a clean environment helps deter these pests. Regularly clean up food crumbs and spills, and dispose of garbage in sealed containers, to eliminate food sources. Addressing moisture issues, such as fixing leaky pipes or ensuring proper ventilation, makes a home less attractive to cockroaches, as they thrive in damp conditions. Sealing cracks and crevices in walls and around pipes can block common entry points, further safeguarding your home from infestations.