Earlier tonight I was wiping my hands off on a towel when a roach fell out of it (one of those little dirty ones too, I hate those!). I live in an older building, so it’s not terribly uncommon to see them.
So anyway, I picked it up and threw it in the toilet. I had to wait though for the tank to refill (also an old toilet), and as I did I noticed the roach swam under water level for a bit to sniff out the piece of kleenex I used to throw it in there. It was down there for a good bit before I flushed and down it went.
But it got me to wandering, can roaches breathe underwater? Hell, do roaches even breathe?
No, roaches cannot breathe underwater. While the air in their respiratory system may allow them to function underwater for awhile, ultimately the oxygen will become depleted and they will drown.
Adult aquatic insects must come to the surface occasionally to obtain more air. Some of them hold a bubble of air underneath the wings which allows the air to entire the openings (spiracles) of their respiratory system. Some aquatic nymphs (juveniles forms) are able to breathe underwater by means of gills.