Vacuum cleaners are some of the most popular and widely-used household appliances to clean up the rooms. We can use them to get rid of dust, particles, and even some pest types. Since cockroaches (or roaches) are pests, too, questions such as, “Should I vacuum roaches?” may arise.
Some people think vacuuming roaches is the quick way to get rid of roaches without any tools that produce unwanted odors. After all, many vacuum cleaners are environmentally friendly these days.
The rest of the people observe roaches can live and conquer almost any part of the household appliances. As a result, people belonging to this category may think that vacuuming roaches are dangerous because cockroaches “can” ruin your vacuum cleaners.
Let’s see if we can vacuum roaches or not in the next point of this article before we explore their application to cockroaches:
Can you vacuum roaches?
Vacuum cleaners will not only absorb the things that enter their inner parts. They will also destroy those things when you successfully make the things enter the vacuum cleaners. Such occurrences include pests.
So, you can “destroy” or kill the cockroaches with vacuum cleaners if you can catch them. Some roaches, though, run fast. Some vacuum cleaners are either have short spans or aren’t complete with the right tools to support cleaning up the houses.
If you don’t run faster than the cockroaches, or if your vacuum cleaners’ spans aren’t long enough, perhaps you won’t be able to vacuum roaches. A specific filter named HEPA and additional vacuum bags help in making your vacuum cleaners work to get rid of cockroaches.
What happens when you vacuum roaches?
Vacuuming roaches is one of the most practical, effective, and fastest means to control roaches’ populations and growth. When you vacuum cockroaches around your house’s areas, the cockroaches will die in a matter of minutes.
However, some things need your extra attention when you choose to do so. For example, dust levels may increase as you use vacuum cleaners too often. Your rooms will get even dustier if you forget to change your vacuum bags on a routine basis. If you don’t have a special filter for your vacuum cleaners, dust will also impact your vacuum cleaners.
Dust in your house doesn’t only degrade your vacuum cleaners’ capabilities in killing the roaches. They can pose negative impacts on your health. At some points, other than suffering from coughs and colds, you may need to wear masks or other aiding tools for health.
If you decided to use vacuum cleaners without any bags, you should put other hygiene-improving things, such as dish soaps and water, before using them to vacuum roaches. These two hygiene-improving tools can kill the cockroaches by targeting their exoskeletons.
Can roaches survive in a vacuum?
As with other things and pests that you vacuum, roaches will eventually die when you use vacuum cleaners to get rid of them. Such situations don’t matter if the cockroaches are male or female and adults or babies.
However, even vacuum cleaners have potential loopholes that roaches can take advantage of. After all, cockroaches are among the most persistent pests: They can come in anywhere and any time.
Many vacuum cleaners only have a one-way valve that can be the portal for the roaches to escape. Cockroaches’ eggs can hatch and eventually become adults before they run from the vacuum cleaner bags.
Then again, cockroaches, as with other bugs, such as flies and fleas, need foods and rooms for oxygen, even when they’re inside a vacuum cleaner. So, if starches, sugars, remaining soaps, hairs, and more, are present in the vacuum cleaner, and there are “rooms” for “breathing in” for roaches, they will stay alive inside, albeit in an insanely difficult situation.
How long can a cockroach live in a vacuum?
Cockroaches are some of the longest-living pests. They have been on Earth since more than 300 years ago. Cockroaches also undergo long maturity processes, from around two months to approximately 600 days. Their average lifespan of 1.5 years is yet another aspect that makes them one of the most “sustainable” pests ever.
Generally, a cockroach can sustain their lives inside a vacuum cleaner for only a few minutes. Some roaches can sustain themselves for as long as 45 minutes inside a vacuum cleaner.
Their lifespans will lengthen or shorten depending on the vacuum cleaners’ conditions. “Conditions” here are not only all about the completeness of the tools inside the vacuum cleaners. As with other living beings, food and water determine how long cockroaches can survive (even if they’re “trapped” inside a vacuum cleaner).
Roaches are pests that can sustain their lives a month without eating. However, they are sensitive to dehydration. No water for a week and they won’t survive any longer.
Does vacuuming roaches kill them?
Now that you’ve understood the effects of using vacuum cleaners to vacuum roaches, the question of, “Should I vacuum roaches?” should have more evident answers. After all, you have learned the roaches’ lifespans inside vacuum cleaners.
Nevertheless, you aim to make those annoying roaches go away forever from your houses. One of the ways is to kill them. So, how can the vacuuming activities ensure we kill the cockroaches? In other words, does vacuuming cockroaches kill them?
When we refer back to the roaches’ lifespans in the previous point, we’ll see there are huge differences in average lifespans of general rouches versus those that are inside a vacuum cleaner. Thus, we can confidently say that vacuuming roaches can kill them.
Meanwhile, killing roaches shouldn’t be our final destination. If we kill cockroaches without washing the parts inside and outside the vacuum cleaners, that would encourage more cockroaches to grow and come.
Furthermore, if we wash our vacuum cleaners, we need to ensure that we wash even the tiniest particles. Those so-called “particles” may be the roaches’ eggs. Remember that many cockroaches can multiply and grow in no time. So, consider this after vacuuming the cockroaches.
Do bug vacuums really work?
Bug vacuums are unlike the vacuum cleaners you see every day in your houses. Their sizes are small compared to vacuum cleaners in general. Their ways of working are almost like bug sprays, which means they work from the air instead of from the flooring parts.
Not many people use bug vacuums, especially those coming from underdeveloped countries. Some people, though, have proved bug vacuums can work to some extent. This contradiction leads some of us to question if they are effective against roaches. In other words, “Should I vacuum roaches with bug vacuums?”
Some bug vacuums are environmentally friendly, which means they are non-toxic and safe for children. Their smaller sizes mean we can bring them everywhere we want. Their shapes are like miniature guns, which make them fun to use.
Bug vacuums can be ultra-effective when you know the best bug vacuums for getting rid of roaches in your houses. The last point will be all about the best bug vacuums for cockroaches that you can buy.
Best bug vacuum for roaches
Speaking about bug vacuums for roaches, BugZooka WB100 Bug Catcher Vacuum is the champion in the industry. BugZooka, the company behind this magnificent vacuuming tool, claims it as a simple, fast, and clean tool to remove bugs inside your houses, including roaches.
Not only that its’ weight is light. BugZooka WB100 Bug Catcher Vacuum sucks roaches ten times faster than most other conventional vacuum cleaners. All you should do is press the button on the tool. Then, watch the tool in action as it sucks the roaches inside the removable catch tube.
Then, there is the Lentek Rechargeable Cordless Bug Vacuum with Charging Stand. This bug vacuum is excellent for catching American and German cockroaches that can fly. After all, it has a flexible rubber tip that permits it to do so. The ability to extend the nozzle for up to 24 inches helps catch hiding roaches: Usually, those that hide on ceilings or behind your furniture.
Lentek Rechargeable Cordless Bug Vacuum with Charging Stand doesn’t produce sprays or poisons, making it one of the most suitable choices for your house’s bug vacuums.
In addition, it is easy to use. All you need to do is to pay attention to the colors of the LED lights. The red lights mean the batteries are running low, hence, you need to recharge them. The green lights mean your bug vacuums are powered up and thus ready to use.
Interestingly, there is a bug vacuum specifically for kids. That is the Nature Bound’s Bug Catcher Toy for 5-12 years old children.
If children in your houses are using this device, they will learn all about the bugs that they capture using the Nature Bound’s Bug Catcher Toy. This learning process includes the different roach types. The built-in night vision and one-of-a-kind belt clips help the children to be enthusiastic while taking time in practicing to use vacuum cleaners.
In conclusion, “yes” may be the answer to whether you can vacuum roaches or not. Yet, for “Should I vacuum roaches?”, it all depends on your lifestyle.
Curious to know does vacuuming a centipede kill it, should you vacuum up ants or are pest control services worth it?
Dr Philip G Cox currently is a professor in Physiology in the Centre for Anatomical and Human Sciences which is part of the Hull York Medical School and the Department of Archaeology at the University of York. Dr Philip G Cox studied comparative mammalian functional morphology for the PhD in the University Museum of Zoology, Cambridge.
