# Is there ANYTHING that eats roaches? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [September 19, 2011, 8:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-anything-that-eats-roaches/596858 "2011-09-19T20:05:26Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![JBDivmstr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/b4bc9f/32.png) [@JBDivmstr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JBDivmstr)\ **Post date:** [September 19, 2011, 8:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-anything-that-eats-roaches/596858/1 "2011-09-19T20:05:26Z")
Seriously, do roaches have _ **any** _ natural predators? 😕 I mean, other than the occasional curious cat, I can’t think of anything that preys upon cockroaches as a source of food. For that matter, all of the times that I’ve witnessed a cat catching a roach, it seemed to be more of the, “Look, I found something to play with, then torture and maybe kill.”😉 kind of predation. As opposed to actually catching and killing, then eating it kind of action. ---
**Author:** ![Patty\_O\_Furniture](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/96bed5/32.png) [@Patty\_O\_Furniture](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Patty_O_Furniture)\ **Post date:** [September 19, 2011, 8:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-anything-that-eats-roaches/596858/2 "2011-09-19T20:10:25Z")
Centipedes. I’ve lived in my place 20 years and never seen a roach. But I do see the occasional centipede that has inadvertently found its way into my living space. As much as I hate centipedes, I allow them to roam because I know they take care of everything else that lives behind the walls. But you need to have the right environment for them to be happy living behind your walls. I think they require a somewhat moist earthy place to bed-down. If you live in the top floor of a tall apartment building, you might not be able to count on centipedes. ---
**Author:** ![Rhythmdvl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/85f322/32.png) [@Rhythmdvl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rhythmdvl)\ **Post date:** [September 19, 2011, 8:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-anything-that-eats-roaches/596858/3 "2011-09-19T20:21:38Z")
> [@Patty\_O\_Furniture](#): > > But you need to have the right environment for them to be happy living behind your walls. I think they require a somewhat moist earthy place to bed-down. And a health plan that includes podiatry. ---
**Author:** ![TheChileanBlob](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thechileanblob/32/435_2.png) [@TheChileanBlob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TheChileanBlob)\ **Post date:** [September 19, 2011, 8:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-anything-that-eats-roaches/596858/4 "2011-09-19T20:22:41Z")
Centipedes! Why did it have to be…centipedes! ---
**Author:** ![sitchensis](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sitchensis/32/4892_2.png) [@sitchensis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sitchensis)\ **Post date:** [September 19, 2011, 8:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-anything-that-eats-roaches/596858/5 "2011-09-19T20:24:41Z")
Chickens, at least according to Bryce Courtenay and Grandpa Chook ---
**Author:** ![Oakminster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/77aa72/32.png) [@Oakminster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Oakminster)\ **Post date:** [September 19, 2011, 8:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-anything-that-eats-roaches/596858/6 "2011-09-19T20:25:59Z")
OK, so not so much a natural predator, but fish will eat roaches. I’ve caught lots of bream, and a few bass with roaches for bait. ---
**Author:** ![scr4](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/59ef9b/32.png) [@scr4](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scr4)\ **Post date:** [September 19, 2011, 9:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-anything-that-eats-roaches/596858/7 "2011-09-19T21:01:58Z")
> [@Oakminster](#): > > OK, so not so much a natural predator, but fish will eat roaches. I’ve caught lots of bream, and a few bass with roaches for bait. People also catch fish using pieces of plastic & metal as bait, but that doesn’t mean fish would actually eat them. ---
**Author:** ![Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/earl_snake-hips_tucker/32/3269_2.png) [@Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Earl_Snake-Hips_Tucker)\ **Post date:** [September 19, 2011, 9:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-anything-that-eats-roaches/596858/8 "2011-09-19T21:05:57Z")
[Tropical jewel wasp](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emerald_cockroach_wasp), sorta. ---
**Author:** ![Oakminster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/77aa72/32.png) [@Oakminster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Oakminster)\ **Post date:** [September 19, 2011, 9:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-anything-that-eats-roaches/596858/9 "2011-09-19T21:39:42Z")
> [@scr4](#): > > People also catch fish using pieces of plastic & metal as bait, but that doesn’t mean fish would actually eat them. Um…when you catch a fish using traditional hook and line, the fish bites whatever you are using to conceal the hook, ie, the bait. I suppose on some planet a fish may bite something as an expression of solidarity with the universe, but here on Earth, fish bite things they are trying to eat. Ergo, I reason that fish will, in fact, eat roaches when such are available to be eaten. ---
**Author:** ![Frylock](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/ce7236/32.png) [@Frylock](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frylock)\ **Post date:** [September 19, 2011, 9:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-anything-that-eats-roaches/596858/10 "2011-09-19T21:48:18Z")
How does a centipede catch anything? ---
**Author:** ![Silver\_Tyger](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/fbc32d/32.png) [@Silver\_Tyger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Silver_Tyger)\ **Post date:** [September 19, 2011, 9:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-anything-that-eats-roaches/596858/11 "2011-09-19T21:52:48Z")
Badgers, and other insectivores. ---
**Author:** ![beowulff](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beowulff/32/542_2.png) [@beowulff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/beowulff)\ **Post date:** [September 19, 2011, 9:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-anything-that-eats-roaches/596858/12 "2011-09-19T21:53:47Z")
Geckos. ---
**Author:** ![Yeticus\_Rex](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/a698b9/32.png) [@Yeticus\_Rex](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yeticus_Rex)\ **Post date:** [September 19, 2011, 9:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-anything-that-eats-roaches/596858/13 "2011-09-19T21:56:14Z")
Leapin’ Lizards! ---
**Author:** ![MEBuckner](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mebuckner/32/2896_2.png) [@MEBuckner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MEBuckner)\ **Post date:** [September 19, 2011, 10:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-anything-that-eats-roaches/596858/14 "2011-09-19T22:02:04Z")
> [@Frylock](#): > > How does a centipede catch anything? They scuttle like the wind and have venomous pincers. ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [September 19, 2011, 10:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-anything-that-eats-roaches/596858/15 "2011-09-19T22:14:00Z")
Roaches. They’re cannibalistic. I knw this because a floormate of mine once put a bunch of roaches in a jar with nothing else (our dorm was overrun with roaches). After a few days, there were fewer roaches in the jar. ---
**Author:** ![industrialfish](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/fbc32d/32.png) [@industrialfish](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/industrialfish)\ **Post date:** [September 19, 2011, 11:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-anything-that-eats-roaches/596858/16 "2011-09-19T23:21:18Z")
> [@CalMeacham](#): > > Roaches. They’re cannibalistic. > I knw this because a floormate of mine once put a bunch of roaches in a jar with nothing else (our dorm was overrun with roaches). After a few days, there were fewer roaches in the jar. This is true. A co-worker of mine raises geckos, and their main food is roaches. He has an extreme amount of roaches in one of those laundry basket sized tupper-ware containers, and they are pretty self regulating. When they get noticeably less dense, he’ll throw in half a watermelon or similar for them to eat instead of each other. ---
**Author:** ![Biffy\_the\_Elephant\_Shrew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e47c2d/32.png) [@Biffy\_the\_Elephant\_Shrew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biffy_the_Elephant_Shrew)\ **Post date:** [September 19, 2011, 11:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-anything-that-eats-roaches/596858/17 "2011-09-19T23:38:56Z")
When I was a kid I had a pet rat that we kept in a cage in the garage. Occasionally so-called “water bugs”–i.e., the large American cockroaches–would squeeze their way into Ralph’s cage. Ralph considered them extra protein. ---
**Author:** ![Hari\_Seldon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hari_seldon/32/5173_2.png) [@Hari\_Seldon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hari_Seldon)\ **Post date:** [September 19, 2011, 11:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-anything-that-eats-roaches/596858/18 "2011-09-19T23:43:56Z")
What about birds? I think most birds will eat any insect they can find. For that matter, they are probably edible by humans (and other primates). ---
**Author:** ![Canadjun](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/76d3ee/32.png) [@Canadjun](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Canadjun)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2011, 12:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-anything-that-eats-roaches/596858/19 "2011-09-20T00:30:26Z")
> [@Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](#): > > [Tropical jewel wasp](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emerald_cockroach_wasp), sorta. Holy sh-t! That wasp has quite the talent for neurosurgery! ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2011, 12:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-anything-that-eats-roaches/596858/20 "2011-09-20T00:36:47Z")
> [@Oakminster](#): > > Um…when you catch a fish using traditional hook and line, the fish bites whatever you are using to conceal the hook, ie, the bait. I suppose on some planet a fish may bite something as an expression of solidarity with the universe, but here on Earth, fish bite things they are trying to eat. Ergo, I reason that fish will, in fact, eat roaches when such are available to be eaten. Well said, Sir! [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-anything-that-eats-roaches/596858.md?page=2)