Natural Predators Of Cockroaches

Cockroaches – A List Of Natural Predators

Like most things in life, cockroaches have several creatures that will happily feast on them!

While it may seem good news, some predators will be just as bad if they infest your home.

Let’s take a look at some cockroach predators:

Lizards

Lizards are the most common predators of cockroaches. While most lizards don’t have teeth, it doesn’t stop them from taking advantage of the cockroach’s dense exoskeleton.

They depend on their digestive process to tear down the shell before converting them into nutrients.

Here are a few types of lizards that feed on cockroaches:

House Gecko

House geckos are quick to prey on cockroaches using their tongues. You will find them in areas where these cockroaches choose to develop their colonies. You will usually find house geckos in a dark or quiet area.

Garden Skink

Skinks usually feed on larger invertebrates. Creatures such as ladybeetles, crickets, grubs, and insects without an exoskeleton.

They have unique hunting instincts that enable them to target roaches and bugs.

Chameleons

Another predator of cockroaches is Veiled Chameleons, which have sticky tongues.

The almost 360-degree vision of chameleons makes it easier for them to spot roaches.

While some chameleons don’t feast on roaches, the Veiled Chameleon is known for eating them.

In most situations, they lurk around, waiting for cockroaches to pass before striking.

Bearded Dragons

These are not the dragons you are thinking about. They are semi-arboreal reptiles with strong jaws. These dragons spend most of their time on tree branches. Most times, they hunt wood roaches and forest roaches.

If given any opportunity, bearded dragons can eat different kinds of cockroaches. They happily feed on oriental, German, and American cockroaches.

Iguanas

Green iguanas are recognized herbivores that are good at adapting to different environments. When kept as pets, they prey on cockroaches and other insects.

So, if you have a sudden appearance of cockroaches and don’t want to use any chemical method, buy a green iguana!

Insects

Insects are natural predators of cockroaches since they share similar habitats. You will often encounter insects gripping a cockroach as they struggle to run away.

Let’s look at a few types of insect predators that devour roaches.

Emerald Cockroach Wasp

This insect paralyzes a cockroach by stinging its brain. Furthermore, the wasp lays eggs in the cockroach’s belly after paralyzing it.

When the egg hatches, the wasp consumes the roach. There are other species of wasps that target the cockroach’s egg sacs.

Centipedes

Centipedes have many legs with robust bodies, allowing them to curl around the cockroach.

Once they use their legs to curl a cockroach, they feast on them since the cockroach cannot walk away.

Praying Mantises

Another well-known predator of cockroaches is the praying mantis.

They are sneaky predators that consume roaches, mosquitos, and rodents. While they prey on small cockroach breeds, they also can ambush and attack any pest.

Spiders

Here are some of the most common spiders that prey on cockroaches:

Huntsman spiders

These can ambush roaches and use their potent venom to paralyze or immobilize them.

Unlike other spider species, the huntsman spider doesn’t use a web to attack its prey.

Recluse Spiders

These nightly spiders swing to action when your lights are out. Recluse spiders use venom to paralyze cockroaches.

Birds

Birds have a rich diet that includes insects, fruits, seeds, and cockroaches. As roaches hide in dark and damp places, it is hard for birds to prey on them.

When they live in an open space, birds become natural predators of roaches. They provide calories and protein for them.

Some birds found in an untainted environment feed on cockroaches.

These birds include:

• Peafowl
• Orioles
• Jungle fowl
• Shrikes
• Mynas
• Collared kingfisher
• Jays
• Oriental magpie robin
• Starlings
• Babblers
• Tree pies

Amphibians

The two most deadly predators of roaches are frogs and toads. These eat insects and would happily accept cockroaches as part of their daily meals.

Toads and frogs have the biggest advantage among the very long list of predators because of the moist environment in which they live.

This makes it easy for them to encounter roaches since they also love a damp and dark environment.

Mammals

You might also see some mammals that eat roaches. For instance, opossums are predators of cockroaches because of their varied diets. They eat anything, starting from garbage and ending with insects.

Mice can eat anything, including shellfish, slugs, seeds, and insects like cockroaches.

Some domesticated mammals have the instincts to run after these roaches.

As they find their way inside your home, mammals can be your savior while you are not around. If you have a cat, you might observe it running around or hunting insects.

If you have a pet like a cat, it is harder for them to chase after roaches. Since they have adequate proteins served to them daily, a cat may not take on the chase.

Dogs can hunt cockroaches for fun but might not eat them.