Why Do Roaches Die on their Back?
A very interesting question about the most hated pests inside our homes. Some people say that it depends on how a cockroach died. If they are killed by natural causes they tend to die with their belly facing upwards. And when they are killed by ‘un-natural, causes something else happens. When you hit the cockroach with a slipper or a broom and you ‘squash, it to death, it usually doesn’t die on its back. On which proves that its death is caused by ‘un-natural, causes.
But considering that pesticides and insect killers are also ‘un-natural,, they still die on their backs most of the time when these chemicals are used. That eliminates the idea that if they die a natural death, they die on their backs. We need a more scientific explanation about this matter. Luckily, there are a few scientific explanations why a cockroach dies on their backs.
In the wild, cockroaches do not die with their backs because they die due to natural causes. They become food for birds and other animals, even small insects like ants and the likes. When we see a cockroach wriggling on its back, it usually finds it hard to ‘upright, itself. If they can’t upright itself, it would eventually die due to lack of nutrition or fatigue (very farfetched, but still a possibility).
There are chemical substances in pesticides that are nerve poisons. This nerve poisons breaks down acetyl choline (Ach), an important neurotransmitter present in most insects. It can cause muscular spasms that may invoke constant twitching and may result for the cockroach on flipping at its back. Without the nerves to help it right itself up, the cockroach tend to die on its back. This is probably the best explanation why a cockroach dies in an upside down position.
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