Cockroaches: Blattodea - Diet

Cockroaches eat almost any plant or animal. Some pest species can survive days or weeks without food or water and can live up to three months on just water. Cave-dwelling species will eat bat droppings, while those living in sewers will feed on human waste. Many species that live underground or in dead trees burrow into soil or wood and form a chamber from which they emerge to forage (FOR-ihj), or search, for food. They collect dead leaves and carry them back to the chamber, where they can feed in safety. Species that feed on dead wood depend on microscopic animals or bacteria in their stomachs to help them digest their food.