Cockroaches Not Bugged At All By Heat Wave
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- The heat might be bugging you -- but bugs love it -- especially cockroaches.
The reason: cockroaches thrive in heat in humidity.
"They absorb that heat energy and it makes them faster," said Karen Verderame, an invertebrate specialist at the Academy of Natural Sciences. "The heat will speed their metabolisms up and everything. It just kind of makes them go crazy. It's kind of like kids on sugar."
Verderame says since they're moving around more, you'll see them more. And you may have noticed flying cockroaches during the heat wave. That's because the heat gives them the strength to fly.
"Not all cockroaches have wings and are flighted," Verderame explained, "but those that are, when you have really high temperatures like the one's we've been experiencing, it's not unusual to see them take off."
Verderame has a tip help keep roaches away. Store paper bags in bins -- not under sinks.
"That is just a party for roaches," she said, "whenever you have that kind of stuff near moisture, because it just absorbs it."
