Why are cockroaches so hard to kill? - Ameya Gondhalekar

Dig into the genetic adaptations of cockroaches, and find out what makes it so hard to get rid of these tenacious creatures.
--
In ancient Egypt, there was a spell that declared, “Be far from me, O vile cockroach.” Thousands of years later, we’re still trying to oust these insects. But from poison traps to brandished slippers, cockroaches seem to weather just about everything we throw at them. So, what makes cockroaches so hard to kill? Ameya Gondhalekar digs into the genetic wonders of this troublingly tenacious creature.
Lesson by Ameya Gondhalekar, directed by Irida Zhonga.
In order to visualize and dramatize the lives of these fascinating creatures, the artists have chosen to playfully anthropomorphize cockroaches. In real life cockroaches don’t dine like humans, go shopping for organic matter, and most unfortunately, don’t wear lederhosen (at least, to the best of our knowledge).
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View full lesson: ed.ted.com/lessons/why-are-co...
Dig deeper with additional resources: ed.ted.com/lessons/why-are-co...
Animator's website: www.iridazhonga.com
Music & sound: www.philbrookes.com & / philbrookesuk
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Thank you so much to our patrons for your support! Without you this video would not be possible! Maxwell Ramsby, Dmitry Yuryev, Denis Chon, Julian Oberhofer, Monte Carroll, Eddy, Jay M, Constantino Victor Delgado, Andrea Galvagni, Andrew Tweddle, Laurel-Ann Rice, Fernando A. Endo, Helen Lee, pam morgan, sarim haq, Juan Pablo Rodriguez Morales, ANNE FINE, Gerardo Castro, Siddharth Toshniwal, Michel-Ange Hortegat, Enes Kirimi, Amaury BISIAUX, Aravind C V, ND, Samyogita Hardikar, Vanessa Graulich, Vandana Gunwani, LvL042, Abdulmohsin Almadi, Andrew Brodski, AJ Lyon, Anandha Krishnan, Geoffrey Bultitude, Mi Mi, Thomas Rothert, Christopher McVay, Carlo Solaroli, Javier Aldavaz, Ivan Yeung, Brian Elieson, Grayson Garbarino, Oge O, Weronika Falkowska, Stefano Esposito, Nevin Spoljaric, Yvonne Feijoo, Sid Chanpuriya, Arjay Arcinue Dineros, Anoom Yasmin and Anoop Varghese.

[@umang3227]

One of the darkest moments of my childhood was when I realized cockroaches can actually fly.

[@FloralCrystal]

What

[@FloralCrystal]

I'm never going to Bangladesh again

[@deerinheadlights9784]

Huh. Did I miss this in the video?

[@whythatspreposterous]

@@nagashfrancis Depends on the roach

[@shyshushy]

Feeling butterfly~ paro paro g

[@yamoonallemoon1080]

I can't emphasize enough on how grateful I am that you used animated cockroaches instead of pictures of real ones for your demonstration video. Respect...

[@xracula]

well, i mean on this channel they never show any real pictures, just animated :)

[@perpetualbystander4516]

@@xracula He's probably new to this channel.

[@xracula]

@@perpetualbystander4516 true but it’s not hard to tell that this channel never uses real pictures even if they’re new

[@perpetualbystander4516]

@@xracula Well, I don't think you should be so hard on him, because I'm sure he hasn't seen the collection of all their videos. So him not knowing they're all animated is quite understandable.

[@xracula]

@@perpetualbystander4516 i wasn’t being hard on them, i was just letting them know

[@annelieseharrison9027]

Cocroaches can play dead, too. Once, I saw a cocroach on its back, thinking it was dead. It looked dead and everything, so I went to get something to clean it up when I returned the cochroach wasn't there anymore. I was like, what in the world. Anyway, those things freak me out. It's the legs that get to me.

[@Jack_Sparrow131]

As far as I seen.. they lay on their backs for a reason Am not sure if they sleeping or laying eggs, but they sure don't play dead 1 cockroach can lay hundreds of eggs, U can imagine 1 surviving cockroach in the house will spread rapidly

[@annelieseharrison9027]

@Jack_Sparrow131 Roaches die on their backs, but they can play dead, too. You should look into it.

[@simeon2851]

The horror of scrunching one underfoot and coming back in a few minutes to find the cockroach has disappeared.

[@cpasse15]

😂

[@salehhassan9524]

OMG It happened two days ago, slapped it with a shoe and slept, next day I woke up and it disappeared.

[@yamlanki825]

If it has been a full day, it's probably the ants eating the carcass ​@@salehhassan9524

[@kiknguyen579]

If they're not pulp, high chances they're not dead YET

[@angrygoose23]

“Cockroaches would probably not survive a nuclear explosion.” *PROBLEM SOLVED*

[@rushunnhfernandes]

😂maybe that's Russia's real motive

[@guillermoelnino]

@@rushunnhfernandes you mean NATOs ;)

[@rushunnhfernandes]

@@guillermoelnino possibly

[@brawmankerlexterminateurde860]

They didn't said "it was effective" They could survive if they adapted more and more

[@angrygoose23]

*sadly puts nukes away*

[@datcatcatcat]

TED Ed has a way of making things charming. If cockroaches wore tiny clothes, I'd be more inclined to let them just hang out

[@jeppyfish3280]

yo you sus

[@catherinecao4810]

They still don’t contribute to the household.

[@cheyennekurd]

Hit the nail on the head

[@jameskung9808]

Only noble cockroaches wear three piece suits

[@catherinecao4810]

They still don’t pay rent

[@terabaap1775]

I really really hate cockroaches. I once saw a brawl happening between a huge cockroach and a lizard, and I was literally cheering for the lizard to win. The lizard actually won in the end, sat down and devoured its meal. That's the only time I've seen a cockroach in my house, but I was scared out of my wits.

[@leekzonyt9591]

Wait why was the lizard in your house?

[@bluliite]

The one time? lol I spent the night with a friend. Her mother gave me a glass of milk. I drank the milk. But as I finished, I saw a tiny roach in the milk residue at the bottom of the glass. Just thought I'd share my nightmare with you since you haven't had many experiences with roaches loll Enjoy your dreams lol.

[@seven7383]

@@leekzonyt9591 possibly a house lizard. We have a lot of those in southeast asia. I usually keep house lizards and spiders around just to fight off cockroaches. Right now, I have a couple of house lizards running around the house, and they've gotten pretty big. They help a lot with controlling insect populations like ants, crickets, and flies

[@BirdmanVeganFuture]

Clean up, thou shalt not kill

[@HalfSkullStars]

@@leekzonyt9591house lizard

[@nitronix2787]

When I was younger, I thought of a neat trick where when getting ready for school in the mornings, whenever I'd brush my teeth, I'd keep the lights off in the bathroom and use my phone flashlight to dimly illuminate the room. It worked for so long until one day, a roach landed directly on the back of my neck. In the dark. So being the curious lil bugger I was I grabbed the roach with a pinching gesture, felt something move, and then turned on the light and was face to face with a roach in my hand. Always check the roof y'all. You won't be the same since.

[@JourneeRocchi]

Why would u do that?

[@nitronix2787]

@@JourneeRocchi Cause I would usually stay up late trying to do homework so trying to leave the turn on the lights suddenly would hurt my eyes a lot and I'd rather get used to the light gradually :( (I usually had to wake up when it was still dark outside for school)

[@runawaykiwibird7461]

I actually am more afraid of cockroaches than house spiders. Spiders seem very chill and would stay still in their place in the house, whereas the cockroach had a chance of flying inside the house. I also got rashes because of cockroaches so that adds to my level of disgust for them.

[@RaccoonGrrrl]

True... and spider even help eating mosquitoes and flies.

[@kendallstark4302]

Exactly. I have no fear of spiders since moving to an apartment building which (unbeknownst to me) had cockroaches. Spiders are the least of my problems now.

[@Primalxbeast]

I'm fine with the spiders that keep to themselves in their webs, but I hate wolf spiders. I've even had pet tarantulas, but I don't want spiders roaming around at night. Jumping spiders obviously get a pass because they're cute.

[@Apple-ei1ms]

i love spiders cuz I like to watch them hunt insects I feed them

[@eagletgriff]

I cant believe they can also fly. Like how much nightmare fuel can one insect have???

[@lolmemes8447]

When I was a kid, I had an obsession with butterflies and moths. One evening, I was sitting outside my house as it was getting dark and I heard something fly by me. Thinking it was a moth, I eagerly extended out my arm in hopes that the really big moth would land on my hand. I got my wish; something did land on my hand. But it was not a moth. It was a really big roach that could fly. I never screamed so loud.

[@nicolesong6199]

oof noooouuuuhhh

[@imakefightsandiloveit8202]

I would kms

[@MERIDIAN2251]

The opposite of Disney movies

[@Google_remote]

bro thats therapy worthy

[@chillycoldchomper9389]

I'm so sorry

[@snapclub8751]

Another fact about the cockroach is that it can survive without its head for about a week.

[@chaikagaz]

Worms can do that too

[@j.d.4697]

So? Humans go through their entire lives without their brains.

[@Faith_L3S5-ZERO]

i am SO GLAD that there are actually many people like me that had bad experiences or straight up phobia from these critters

[@edgaraguilar4903]

Fun Fact: you can just burn the place down instead

[@reiss2704]

Or you can get a cat cause my cat eats cockroaches

[@jidslyic1832]

@@reiss2704 Really?

[@reiss2704]

@@jidslyic1832 I give you my word

[@muhammaduwaismuhsinmuaz4385]

Or you can just clean the place

[@destroyerofworlds4663]

@@reiss2704 Or a dog, apparently

[@ina733]

honestly hats off to the scientists that took the time to study cockroaches 😭😭😭 truly braver than the marines

[@poopoopoopoooo]

dsHKJASDHsd yes

[@eddieberrios6203]

Marines with a capital M

[@syruptalk]

@@eddieberrios6203 marines

[@vincharlesyuri]

@@eddieberrios6203 marines

[@darylthomas7317]

@@eddieberrios6203 Warines

[@Mr_Jester980]

I once remember during my kindergarten year when my classroom has a roach problem. Apparently, they managed to find their way to our class despite constant checkup to ensure that there's no bug around. Story short, about half of our school went out to our assembly point before the exterminator came in.

[@havefuntazarasu5367]

Roaches are allah, they are unique unlike anything else, impossible to exterminate, beyond time and space

[@nicolemonrue]

When I was 7, I spent the night over my aunt's apt. She lived in the projects and they had a horrible roach problem. I fell asleep on her couch by accident, and when I woke up, I could hear something kinda scratching in my right ear. After a day or so, it got kinda sore. My mother took me to the hospital, and it turns out there was a roach in my ear.

[@Jk-sw9lj]

My godness why i saw this comment

[@CeliaJNBaptiste-vo1zd]

Ugh 😮😮😮😮

[@dannikkolisoria2499]

As someone who has a trauma related to this insect, resulted to phobia, I hugely thank TED Ed for using this animation. I hesitated to watch it but is also curious about any information. I’m glad this approach helps educating people who have extreme fear of roaches ( I swear, even a photo triggers me)

[@shainabuckner221]

SAME

[@letstalksciencewithshashwa9527]

Same for me but for spiders

[@leoj4life]

How are you going to have trauma from a cockroach? They beat up your mum or something.

[@dannikkolisoria2499]

@@leoj4life i was around 7 years old when it happened. A colony of them, apparently, was eating a bunch of spider eggs-on our window screen. Which they made a hole and that’s when the nightmare starts

[@letstalksciencewithshashwa9527]

@@dannikkolisoria2499 what happened after that??

[@MrUsidd]

Finally! Someone understands our pain.

[@ultimatebishoujo29]

I know!!!!

[@Andy-js5jy]

someone can bought cockroachs on Mars???

[@empronyxx1982]

Ive never seen a cockroach in my life , no joke

[@mikehoffman2322]

@@empronyxx1982 i bet they’ve seen you

[@empronyxx1982]

@@mikehoffman2322 well i live in rural portugal and their arent seen in here at all

[@clover-00]

I'm surprised after reading the comments.....such horrible experiences....I'm so thankful that none of them happened to me.... I'm so scared of these creatures but now I'm trying to overcome it...

[@katherinee.1213]

I love the voice of the narrator, it’s so calming and satisfying, love the intro music too with the quote every time

[@veryberry39]

Moving to Florida, it's not the snakes or alligators I needed to worry about. It was the giant roaches. We have a pest control company come and spray the house every few months, so at least the things are usually dead when I find them. But the first time I saw one fully alive, I nearly started crying from fear. Something about that skittery way bugs move... **shudder**

[@jd1374]

Houston terrible too… really the whole south

[@cherie..cherry]

Water bugs aren’t much better 😭😭 those aren’t roaches but they’re so scary

[@WordUnheard]

I lived in Florida for a couple of years. A week after being there, I ordered a pizza. Stupidly, I left it on the porch while I walked to the store across the street from me to buy a drink. When I got back five minutes later, I picked up my pizza and heard a rustling coming from inside. When I opened the box, a giant Palmetto bug, the freakishly large roach you mentioned, scurried across my pizza and out of the box. Those things are nightmare fuel and pizza destroyers.

[@SL-ur7ds]

@@WordUnheard I can imagine that 😢that's really scary!!! just curious, do you still eat pizza?

[@thecount1374]

Just squash em. I learned the hardway of cockroaches being immune to bugspray. So I squashed em with a branch on a wire door frame.

[@sophiadong4435]

I've never see a roach in my life until I moved to Japan 7 years ago. I grow up in the north of China, and I guess it's because of the cold weather there, not only the roach, I barely saw any scary bugs. I had no idea of how big of a threat a roach can be, until one day I was woken feeling something crawled really fast on my arm....It's my 7th year in Japan, and still suffering from the trauma. Never get use to it, and living in fear everyday. Though as a science student I'm very interested about the enzymes inside their bodies...but no thanks

[@amitshirazi5285]

Thanks for the tip. bye home I'm moving to north China

[@intermilan9731]

Hmmm. We had some roaches too. But they never the audacity to crawl on the bed. They always kept to the floor And drawers.

[@sophiadong4435]

@@intermilan9731 maybe you just didn’t feel them…🌚

[@intermilan9731]

@@sophiadong4435 No never seen them on the beds. It’s like they know that’s purely human zone. Then again, roaches never got really populous, as we had those rogue house lizards that would eat them.

[@sophiadong4435]

@@intermilan9731 lucky for you then

[@avt7457]

Boiling or really hot water kills them pretty quickly. Even with some hot water (but not boiling) adding some dish soap can do the trick.

[@Jeff-66]

One of the funniest educational videos I've yet seen.

[@Retroglamamour]

2:57 _“They’re equipped with genes that provide immunity against numerous pathogens. These genes are often duplicated many times over, so when infected, the cockroaches’ immune system efficiently unleashes many anti microbial molecules.”_ It’s pretty neat that scientists discovered this stuff.

[@intothevoid728]

They could've use those genes to cure cancer or aids in humans...just a thought 🥱

[@jestfullgremblim8002]

Yes indeed

[@galapagoensis]

Which shows you that we probably have cures for many diseases but alas we must make money out of fools whilst protecting “knowledge” from our “commoner” minds.

[@its_Zoe_mama_1234]

@Manutangirua Kaa eat them

[@mnbvcxzzxcvbnm]

I need this kind of immunity 😅

[@Powerhugful]

Ever since I can remember we used to have a MAJOR roach problem in our apartment. I'm talking, hundreds of roaches. And at night when you go in the kitchen and turn the lights on, you'd see them having a bloody convention out in the open. You literally could not take a step without squashing 20-30 pieces. The very same day we got our first dog was the last day I saw a cockroach in the apartment. Every single one vanished without a trace.

[@arandomgoose1660]

ya think your dog ate them

[@arbalestarethebest7071]

What the dog doin?

[@kenwickyy]

@@arbalestarethebest7071 about to slaughter any intruder

[@yandelitox]

Roach bUt worked for me

[@DrBrainTickler]

Everybody wants to play whack-a-mole with side effects and meanwhile, I know how to cure the situation but I have no value to society because I'm labeled a arrogant condescending narcissistic POS as well as a "nobody"... The prejudice towards intelligence is really the problem here and even though it isn't obvious, your cockroach infestation is a side effect of said prejudice. The prejudice towards intelligence has become fascist oppression.

[@SGorath]

The animation was very entertaining. Thank you.

[@pleasedont7787]

They're really easy to squish. They don't see you're about to do it and they don't run really fast. But as far as getting rid of all of them it's impossible. I've lived here 2 years and saw my first cockroach the day I moved in. I've used spray, natural spray, gel, tablet poison, poison bait caves, professional exterminator, sticky traps, and of course keeping my house spotless. All that helped to varying degrees. Some things I've used multiple times. But in the end I can't get rid of them completely.

[@arbalestarethebest7071]

The best and cheapest way to kill a roach is by spraying it with soap and water. The solution stops them from breathing through their spiracles by melting their outer coating, plus you could spray the areas where the roach has gone through if you want it to be clean.

[@kokoskiss1943]

True

[@Sparky579]

Even cheaper .... Use boiling water

[@rafiasyed2756]

Wow thnk u i will definitely try this.

[@Lynx-hr3xj]

@@Sparky579 That’s way more dangerous and damaging to your flooring.

[@ericshin6338]

Does it work on people?

[@ParveenKumar]

You can kill a few but you can't kill all of them. I am really frustrated because they are living inside my machines and no matter what I do they always come back with more in numbers. I almost broke my foot killing one of them.

[@CodenameZed]

Youre over dramatic

[@zettelkastendev3760]

interesting. What kind of machines?

[@spokeless6419]

I flabbersnackled💀💀

[@spiritmatter1553]

When you almost broke your foot, I hope it was a confirmed kill.

[@jh4277]

Have you tried talking to them nicely?

[@asilerio1003]

Wow i loved the animation you got my attention and it wasn't boring you are an amazing KZbinr keep it up

[@aramalqestoma1450]

I once was up at night and had opened my fridge to get some food and right under the fridge doorway was a little guy called a cockroach and when I opened it he ran around me uncontrollably in fear and then actually started to run away and meanwhile while he had been running around me I was jumping to avoid even being touched by the little dude while screaming. Sometimes I wonder if they even know some people are scared of them as much as they are scared of the people.

[@GRGN3]

*World domination*

[@KarenJohnson-ej3cj]

Would gladly swap the ones I've encountered to those that are scared of people

[@wakscientist7410]

I once set a roach trap of my own design that would not harm the things in any way. I then waited until the trap was half full of roaches...yes roaches crawling upon more roaches. I then sealed the trap and watched. I forced the roaches to live the remainder of their existence with only the other roaches as food. They consumed each other until the last one died. All that was left were chitinous shells and roach poop..like a cup full. Disturbing I admit. Here is the best part and I swear to you that it is true, there has not been one roach sighted for more than 15 years now. I don't know why, but I hope it is because the others watched in horror as their brood-mates devoured each other for my own sick twisted amusement.

[@a_a4066]

What trap?

[@wakscientist7410]

@@a_a4066 Quite simple actually. I used a 'to go' cup with the type of lid that is dome shaped instead of flat (this keeps the critters from being able to get out). I just mixed a little half & half (like a tablespoon) with some sugar. You could probably poison it, but I was attempting to be extra cruel, so I made them eat their brood mates. Happy hunting.

[@leadinglist1533]

Damn

[@subzero9024]

You’re a gangster

[@Chooong7]

I like you

[@NaumB]

These cockroaches are better adapted to living among humans than me

[@elasticoeditzz5366]

Understated comment 👍👍😂😂😂

[@fossilrea]

*DEEP*

[@anneh8137]

One of my most traumatising realisations was when I found that cockroaches could squeeze through the gap between my window and the wall…I’ll never forget the noise it made while slowly squeezing its way to my side of the wall.

[@Aether_Inc]

3:31 *that scene kinda triggers a remorse impulse for some reason* that or I'm too nice.

[@johnswanson217]

Keep your room as dry as possible. Like about 15%RH. Dryness is a repellent for a wide range of pests. I keep running a air dehumidifier in my bathroom and bedroom. Yet removing their food is more important. Run air purifier to filter out organic particles. Clean the waste pipes with diluted chlorophyll once in a month at least. Clean the floor with a hot mop to swipe out sticky dusts. I haven't seen a single pest for years (except some mosquitos) with these methods.

[@tubax926]

Diluted chlorophyll? Chlorophyll = plant cells that photosynthesize if I'm not mistaken. I think you meant chlorine/clorox.

[@isaactuberoso4443]

FAX me too

[@koharumi1]

Lol chlorophyll? You telling me to used diluted plants?! 😆😆

[@DavidManouchehri]

It’s next to impossible to keep humidity down if you live in an apartment near the ocean. The humidity at my place is always above 40%.

[@stefanostokatlidis4861]

Yes, with the consequence of drying your eyes and nose. No thanks, I am not a desert creature.

[@saviosebastian7832]

Cockroaches are not insects they are demons.

[@akdakd2023]

Thankyou ! Easy for kids to watch with parents and understand...

[@HuanRazboinic]

I read one time on Reddit that some guy was trying to breed roaches that were immune to the most powerful insecticides. Well, it was either roaches or bedbugs.

[@WallZPaper]

Hey I got a story to tell I live in India here we were facing problems of endless cockroaches. Then one day a company made a product which is in the form of a gel. The gel was so powerful that it attracts cockroaches and when consumed by cockroaches it turns them into real zombies,they started eating other cockroaches. Since it's been 10 years we haven't seen any cockroaches Edit - they eat and die at their nest and whichever cockroaches eats the dead cockroaches also dies It's called ' HIT ANTI ROACH GEL'

[@dispensergoinup]

ah the only thing that can kill cockroaches, itself

[@purplespark8]

Are you serious?

[@swaminim7058]

Yeah you mean that white tube we get in medicals?

[@user-oh7lu4ij7k]

And what happens with the last roach that remains...

[@MrNeboff]

@@user-oh7lu4ij7k that's the final boss .

[@BringBackCyParkVendingMachines]

German cockroaches are literally wild man. They are so small, really fast and hard to kill, and if you move cross country (without exterminating all of your belongings) they WILL hitch a ride to your next destination.

[@alfredo5721]

Exactly, they are so annoying to deal with due to their smaller size.

[@XSemperIdem5]

Sounds like house roaches, which are not the same as the sewer roaches. The house ones are incredibly tiny when born and fit through any space. They'll even crawl into electrical outlets. You can also accidentally step on their eggs and they'll stick to your shoe so you transfer them to your car and anywhere else you go.

[@BringBackCyParkVendingMachines]

@@XSemperIdem5 trust me, I know they’re German. We have Europeans in our household.

[@whatcanyoudo6158]

@Lawrence Rogers are you that lonely? damn

[@hdbsnhdh8209]

I live in Germany an I have never seen one

[@marymccluer1630]

In Florida, they used to say, "Where there's one roach, there's more" because there is usually a large nest out of sight, often hidden in the walls.

[@josuesanchez1500]

I wish Ted-Ed videos were around for my days back in school. Learning through Ted-Ed is actually fun. FOR ME.I am so in tune with learning through these videos.

[@samanthadunn7142]

The fear I have for these creatures is too real. As kids my older brother and I used to push our beds together. One night, in a shallow sleep, I told him there was a cockroach on his bed. I didn’t understand what I had said until he asked me to repeat and I woke up realized what I had said. It was underneath my hand which was on his pillow. He told me to keep my hand there while he got the bug spray. It was huge and flew around the room. I’ve never recovered from that night 🫣

[@misterhemtcha]

😨😭😭😭😭

[@ladypinkymoe7574]

I feel your terror. You brave person. I could never!!

[@Shlogger]

Wake up with one crawling on your face. The trauma is real.

[@chickenlover657]

Pretty silly dousing your pillow in poison which is more likely to kill YOU than the roach.

[@Alkalus]

I heard there are now cockroach robots that will be used to save people in times of disaster. This goes to show that we can learn a lot from animals with unique abilities and use them for our own benefit.

[@DrBrainTickler]

Very cool thing to mention. I didn't watch the video but I look for valuable commenters like yourself. Cheers.

[@captainelgato8313]

Yup saw one in the Vsauce

[@whiteboymike3999]

Yes exactly the whole time I'm thinking if it's so resilient and can detoxify etc they should make something with that genetic wise or find a way to help humans etc

[@jonathanwright5338]

Now I’m picturing me under debris, i see a cockroach, and smash it until nothing is left, only to my dismay i discover it’s a rescue robot

[@Amy_the_Lizard]

Those aren't robots, they're live roaches that can be remote controlled via electrical signals to their antenna, and steered via tiny camera on their back

[@marymccluer1630]

One predawn am in Tampa, I was sitting in a lounge waiting for a cab. There were so many roaches on the wall, they were moving in a giant, slow swirl. It was interesting that they moved patiently, politely, not crawling over each other. They swarmed the vending machine, and you could see them clustering on the candy bars inside, eating through the wrappers. Outside the sidewalks were so covered in roaches, you could not help but step on them. Such are the roaches in a hot, humid city.

[@fitforfreelance]

That was a brutal roach cartoon death! Informative video!

[@GraveUypo]

stepping on them never failed me.

[@reiss2704]

Or biting their head off

[@shayloves]

I heard this spreads eggs and it’s not good to step on them

[@muhammaduwaismuhsinmuaz4385]

*slapping 🤣

[@Blue_Mike]

@@shayloves Wait fr?

[@shayloves]

@@Blue_Mike if you step on it and don’t clean your shoe you risk spreading the eggs wherever you step (sometimes it can be stuck to a crevice in your shoe) 😬 be careful out here

[@psrs985]

Well the animator did a great job 👏

[@user-id9oi1py4t]

Like every time

[@ommsterlitz1805]

If you want a story about how hard to kill roaches are go watch Terra Formars

[@lucasdecarvalho654]

The random way this video come to me it´s amazing

[@mikmop]

If you wear pointed shoes, it makes easier to squash them as they retreat into the corners.

[@derekiwi]

I remember an article several years ago on a researcher looking for ways to kill cockroaches. He was trying different poisons of course, but also things like dipping in liquid nitrogen, lethal gruesome traps, burning, etc etc. I could not help thinking that if he did those things to anything other than cockroaches, like fluffy mice, he would be in prison.

[@CAMSLAYER13]

People do lethal testing on mice all the time. An ld50 Is calculated by poisoning rodents

[@eastafricandoll9308]

Cockroaches deserve to be tourtured to death, I don’t care what anyone says

[@ProcyonNite]

What's your point? Those cockroaches should be saved?

[@AlexDaDeer]

INSECTS AND SEA CREATURES DONT FEEL PAIN THEY JUST KNOW THAT THEY ARE HURT!!!

[@doginboat]

​@SunnyDaDeer most insects dont but sea creatures do feel normal pain shuddup

[@russelldevaney7001]

We opened a fuel tank on a ship once when it was partially full of diesel oil, and discovered many cockroaches happily swimming in the diesel fuel. They had accessed the tank via a vent, and seemed quite happy with nothing more to eat but diesel and each other 🤣

[@grandmasteralf9484]

i was once playing hide and seek with my cousins and when i ran to hide behind a door, a saw a dead roach that was flipped over. I am forever traumatized

[@robertsollory7475]

What amazing animals. Analyzing them can perhaps helps humanity and medicine

[@matthewjay660]

4:28 Dead roaches. ☠️ Best image ever.

[@brawmankerlexterminateurde860]

Roahes: same goes for humans

[@justaman9344]

“Cockroaches don't die when they are killed” - Shirou Emiya

[@ultimatebishoujo29]

LMAO

[@moniquefletcher2186]

🤣😂🤣😅

[@BEBEiiCR4Zii]

don’t say such scary words

[@phoenixgaming5308]

😭😂

[@joydixon3440]

Ya they just Hibernate

[@bags-px7kv]

The first part was the best with the rock music and animation

[@sandhyapriyamk166]

These cockroaches petrified me many times but today the way of presentation make me to watch this TED. In our place during zoology practicals exam one of the procedures was dissection of these cockroaches. Now iam glad to remember that it was stopped when i reached at that level. Even though it is useful in ways of learning anatomical structures it may encourage students to abuse and disrespect animals. So authorities banned the dissection in classroom for undergraduate students. But we studied the complete anatomy of cockroach and now i remeber it's American name... Periplaneta Americana.

[@kiarona.]

My dad was posted up in Queensland in the army at one point. He told me stories of the giant roaches they had there - his brother once emptied an entire can of bug spray onto one on the kitchen floor, and it swam out of the puddle of pesticide and scurried away!🤣 Must have been one of the poisons they had grown immune to. Another time dad said he was woken by a rustling in the lounge room in the middle of the night. He grabbed a cricket bat, ran into the room, and it was empty! He spotted a pile of newspaper moving in the corner, lifted the paper with the bat held ready - and an enormous cockroach stared back at him from the middle of the pile. Dad says he swears the roach looked up at him and went "What!" Dad just put the newspaper back, put the bat down, and went back to bed 🤣🤣🤣

[@AnansitheSpider8]

+Kiara I: I hope your father charged that roach for rent. LOL

[@t.walteranthonio8805]

Giant roaches, giant spiders, unidentified bugs like spider with wings… My respect for Australians grow everyday.

[@louislacey2383]

😄

[@speedracer1945]

Roaches here in Florida are 5 inches long and huge . They even climb though these like moist areas .

[@Edwardo160]

Roaches there look like they wear a yellow mask, it's so cool 😂

[@zhioba]

I'm not the first person to comment this, but I'd like to thank you for using animation. As someone who struggles with both cockroaches and an extreme fear of them at the moment, I'm curious to learn about them and prefer not have an anxiety attack for the whole next day (and I swear, even the articles advising people on how to deal with effing phobias are filled with close-up pictures). Huge thanks for making this possible.

[@paintitblack9712]

YES! I legit attempted to Google search palmetto bugs and felt nauseated immediately, articles had pictures and a close up of body and legs. I seriously have a phobia so bad my husband wants me to get hypnosis. Living in FL we get them, I can't get used to it. Traumatic everytime

[@richarddunne9802]

Living in Asia, I've become quite used to putting out scorpions, and huntsmen spiders, and seeing geckos all around every room, and sometimes very large Tokay geckos in the bathroom and, occasionally, snakes in the garden. Give me any of these over a cockroach, with their little wriggly legs, their fast and unpredictable movements, and their flying!

[@pleasedont7787]

That's so odd that he says they can run away fast. That hasn't been my experience at all. I've also had no trouble squishing them enough that they're dead.

[@beautifulday1665]

I once saw a roach that was so fast it LITERALLY made me question myself whether I saw a roach or something else that could be that fast!!!

[@amansinghbhadauria2818]

I love how everyone here is sharing their roaches' stories.

[@XSemperIdem5]

We're all bonding over our roach traumas and sharing some good roach killing tips 😅

[@riahdoesyoutube22]

@@XSemperIdem5 roaches are so irritating 💀

[@mayec2849]

😂😂

[@peteman8160]

Great video info and animation was super.funny and informative thank u well done

[@lizmaslin5258]

Well, the only thing that permanently kills roaches is diatomaceous earth dusting accross common/favorite/highly attractive. The reason this kills them is it is filtered between the layers of its exoskeleton and dries out the inner fleshy parts thus killing them quite efficiently. When roaches come into contact with it they instinctively know it's bad for them and will run away. Best, cheapest method ever!!!

[@Ethan-cz8xq]

Me when my friends come over and find diatomaceous earth coated on all of my walls

[@kuroroedamame]

Does it pet safe and or environment safe?? Or should we hire some expert/pest control to use it??

[@ZaDussault]

@@kuroroedamame It's pet safe, it's not a chemical, and it's only going to be dangerous on very small critters like insects. Maybe it could be harmful to other local fauna, but in your house, it's okay. I would not breathe it in, but even then I don't think it's considered dangerous if it's only a little amount. EDIT: I went to check and yeah, it's harmless unless you breathe it intensely, but so is sand and anything else.

[@JiannaSandoval]

@@kuroroedamame it actually deworms your pets and we can eat it too. It's really safe

[@Mobus_]

It that like boric acid? Sounds like it kills the same way.

[@davidrenton]

I remember as a child on holiday in Spain, there was a path down to the beach, during daytime, fine, at night, the floor just moved with cockroaches, they covered the whole path, the worst however was in Taiwan when my friend had a cockroach in his kitchen, that all i can say flew at you, it didn't run , it divebombed you, never have you seen 5 adults scream in terror so much.

[@ossian108]

There was a cockroach infestation in the block of flats i live in. They made their way into my flat too. Really hard to get rid of. The Germanica Blatella cockroach. I live in Sweden so the company that owns this block of flats called exterminators. Two guys came and just placed some poison. It looked like thick white glue. They put in the usual spots. After 24 hrs all cockroaches were gone. I didn't even see 1 dead cockroach. It was like magic.

[@nicm.z9868]

Asian grandfather with slippers: Am I a joke to you?

[@officialalpha7307]

Insects are annoyingly successful

[@brawmankerlexterminateurde860]

And awesome

[@rosariamuyaule7269]

You can say that again....

[@CancerGameplay]

@@rosariamuyaule7269 insects are annoyingly successful

[@deminigamage9438]

I wish cockroaches would be funny and comic in real life also. 😅

[@rahulkeni2306]

अमेय गोंधळेकर..... excellent accent...

[@roguefighter55]

Okay but what’s the name of that electric guitar Egyptian track? It must make my playlist immediately 😊

[@430nanaaananana]

I remember seeing a cockroach in my grandmas house, I grabbed bug spray and kept spraying it until it stopped moving and I went on w my day as if I didn’t just attempt cockroach murder😭 and when I went back it wasn’t there anymore, a few days later I found a cockroach in my room, it was out to get me

[@gemstone108]

If you’re dealing with roaches right now, I highly reccomend HoyHoy sticky traps. I live in a tiny apartment and have dealt with roaches in my kitchen sink and cabinets. I set two of these down and they flock to them. I haven’t seen a roach anywhere but in those traps in weeks! It helps to not leave dishes in the sink and clean regularly too.

[@nml5317]

i never understand using traps, the whole point is to not let them in the house, traps are attracting them into it, you are just calling for more

[@gemstone108]

@@nml5317 I always figured they were for if you were already infested, and if they kept getting trapped, eventually there’d be so few of them they couldn’t breed anymore. I don’t see them crawling all over my sink though and that’s the most I could ask for. I hate pesticides too, and even the ones I tried didn’t do anything. 🤷‍♀️

[@nml5317]

@@gemstone108 would smoke bomb the entire house and put repellent spray on all windows+door frames, especially in tiny apartments, instant result but gotta clean the house properly right after, which is a bonus point to me since infested house needs a cleanse anyways. It's a nightmare that I'd have to toss away traps with live roachES stuck to it for weeks.

[@rellie_90]

Thank God this was all animated because I can’t stomach the sight of them. They seem like giants to me! But I’m so inquisitive, I wanted to know the information lol. 😩

[@qwertykeyboard5901]

I remember the one time a cockroach "visited" my preschool (so, what, ~15 years ago by now?). I was AMAZED by how it "disappeared" after being stepped to death. Yeah, it probably got stuck under that woman's shoes.

[@grandmasterkevv]

I doubt anybody here has had more bad experiences with roaches than I have. My most recent experience was taking a drink of my can soda and a German roach was inside it. It went inside my mouth and I instantly spit everything out. That's just one bad story out of many....I'm cursed 😭

[@rickyticky3350]

what did it taste like ?

[@stefanostokatlidis4861]

I nearly drank one in a glass of water once. I am desensitized to them low, as I am using them for reptile and amphibian food for so long.

[@bruhtnt4258]

I had a similar experience with flies in my soup….😢

[@defend4ever]

That happened to me once at a park except it was a bee

[@bubblesawesome3284]

Noooo 💀

[@mausunk]

I believe there's a saying that goes a little something like: "everyone's brave until the cockroach starts flying" lmao

[@nancydrew1882]

This video makes my skin crawl! I hate roaches with a passion!

[@karimgamer7747]

Why only 3 mils viewers in 2 years? The animation is cute and the explanation really easy to understand

[@hotpinkmadness3528]

I have always loved ted-ed's animations. Every video has a different and unique animation which makes it fun and entertaining for the audience no matter the age.

[@Milkiestman]

I studied cockroaches for my post grad degree. For the study we cut their heads off. They would keep breathing for weeks afterwards.

[@palarcon08]

This literally made me shiver LOL

[@Milkiestman]

@@palarcon08 Think how I felt! They were the size of my hand. Insects have de-centralized nervous systems so can still do stuff like walk around and vibe without their brains :)

[@palarcon08]

@@Milkiestman LOL Ommmgggg serious props from me for doing that kind of research because I don't think I could even step into the lab just knowing they were in there!

[@beparis5343]

😱

[@user-ou4yn6qv8f]

@@Milkiestman AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA

[@elmothemilkman99]

I have the worst fear of this bug… cant even look at a photo of them without almost passing out

[@carabuncab8338]

One day when I was left alone at home, I came across a really big cockroach (cockroaches are not common in our house btw) I tried to kill it many times but failed. I lost sight of it eversince i tried slapping it with a slipper. I persisted in pursuing it because I absolutely REFUSE to let them reproduce in our house While I was looking for it tho, I noticed a strange sensation from my back, crawling to the top of my head and into my face Cockroach really did me hide and seek

[@cattsmither1879]

Ted-Ed :"Cockroaches are only mildly tolerant to radiation. They would die and probably not survive a nuclear apocalypse." Me: Well then I think we know what hast to be done! (Proceeds to call Russia)

[@RideNBite]

3:37 that dramatic music 🙂

[@TheNeodagon]

You thought you were brave until the cockroach FLEW

[@munazzakhan2820]

I swear man, these tiny insects are much more terrifying than alligators and snakes...i mean when was the last time an alligator was found in someones ears. 😳

[@naryanr]

I literally moved a thousand miles due north to escape hot weather, and for many reasons, but #1 among all of them was cockroaches.

[@Mobus_]

That was always my wish as well, however, I learned that mosquitos are crazy even close to the artic circle.

[@MaryNAdam]

They are.

[@TheMidnightCloak]

I wish I could do the same. Unfortunately I’m stuck in Hawaii.

[@stefanostokatlidis4861]

Yes but the variety of reptiles overcompensate for the roaches. Cold is the enemy of life.

[@phoenixgriffin2562]

We need to give this guy he's own TV channel....this is both beautifully animated & explained. Amazing stuff

[@SamaelPoisons]

I think a team works on these. Not just 1 guy.

[@himanshibirla4168]

😂😂😂 who watch tv now a days 😅😅

[@phoenixgriffin2562]

@@SamaelPoisons ok I know that but bruh I can't mention the entire team....it was just figuratively speaking, 🙄

[@phoenixgriffin2562]

@@himanshibirla4168 Maybe you don't....no matter how big KZbin gets there's always time for some TV bruuuhh.....

[@NOOBCRASTINATOR69]

@@phoenixgriffin2562 nope!!..I've not watched TV for 3 or maybe 4 yrs

[@alishak4061]

I'm itching listening to this. Great information though.

[@japust]

How are they able to have all these incredible adaptations?! Like do they have any real weaknesses?

[@dogsarelife3876]

00:08 Gen Z to the Egyptians after seeing this: You and I are not so different

[@ultimatebishoujo29]

Yup definitely

[@mokka_commentry]

Nah it was gruesome back then.

[@yecto1332]

Love how cockroach is going for shopping with cart

[@awer1014]

It will eat the wrapping of the shopping if it's made of paper.

[@rodrickscott5683]

Wow, I didn't think I couldn't like these creatures any less

[@Sky-Explores]

nobody: me when i see a cockroach: *uses moms slippers*

[@konohamaru8497]

Animation is so good, keep it up!

[@user-id9oi1py4t]

Like every time

[@konohamaru8497]

@@user-id9oi1py4t with that level of animation they must be payed well