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There are about 3500 identified cockroach species around the world. That number is not exhaustive as the likely hood of other species that have not been identified yet is high. Roaches are filthy and disgusting creatures at best and the fact that they are disease carriers does not help their case. It is hard to conjure up anything that is as loathsome as a cockroach. This a consensus shared by everyone who does not want to see vermin crawling in the home. The only thing worse than a crawling roach is a flying one.

Can roaches fly?

The thought of having flying roaches in the home is absolutely terrifying. Fortunately, most species of these pests prefer a slow crawl to flight. The slow crawl of most roaches allows you a chance to grab the aerosol pesticide and give the roach a nice death spray or scramble for a slipper and give it a good whack.

Although roaches generally crawl and take their time when moving about, they can move pretty fast when they put their mind to it or when faced with danger. Surprisingly a fit and adequately scared roach can move at an astonishing speed of 59 inches per second. If it has a head start on you, chances are it will beat you to the nearest crevice and make a clean get away.

Roach species that have a decent flying ability include the Cuban, Asian, Smoky brown and Australian roaches.

The American Roach is often mistaken for a flying Roach. But in fact it is just a good glider that mastered the art of using its wings to glide from an elevated position to a lower one.

The truth is, it’s quite hard to define roaches as true fliers. Not so much because the some species are not capable but roaches prefer to use their capable legs and crawl from one point to another.

Roaches make a delicious snack and are prey to other animals higher in the food chain such as birds and bats. When cockroaches take flight, they become vulnerable game for birds. The roach body size is also hefty for an insect and has very little maneuverability when in flight to avoid prey. So it seems that even roaches with flying ability would rather hug the earth in a crawl than take to the air and risk becoming a midday snack for the closest bird.

Conclusion

Although the sight of a roach in flight in your home can be a lot to take in, the good news is that they can he exterminated just as non-flying roaches can. Where roaches are concerned, extermination is often not as straight forward as one would like to think. In case of an infestation, it’s best to call a professional pest controller to assess the situation and formulate an effective plan to bring down the whole colony of both flying and non-flying roaches in your home.