They are furry, six-legged home invaders that just won't die, no matter how hard you try.
Cockroaches are experts at surviving indoors, hiding in kitchen pipes or moldy drawers. But they didn't start that way.
A new study uses genetics to chart the distribution of cockroaches around the world, from their humble beginnings in Southeast Asia to Europe and beyond. The findings span thousands of years of cockroach history and suggest the pests may have snuck around the world traveling with another species: people.
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“It's not just an insect story,” said Stephen Richards, an assistant professor at Baylor College of Medicine who studies insect genes and was not involved in the study. “It's a story of insects and humanity.”
The researchers analyzed the genes of more than 280 cockroaches from 17 countries and six continents. They confirmed that the German cockroach, a species found throughout the world, actually originated in Southeast Asia, and likely evolved from the Asian cockroach about 2,100 years ago. Scientists have long suspected that the German cockroach has Asian origins, since similar species still live there.
Two specimens from the Harvard Museum of Comparative Zoology, an Asian cockroach (left) and a German cockroach (right), are seen on May 17, 2024 in Cambridge, Massachusetts. (Qian Tang via AP)
The research was published Monday in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
Cockroaches then traveled around the world following two main routes. They traveled west to the Middle East about 1,200 years ago, perhaps hitchhiking in soldiers' barns. And they may have hidden along the Dutch and British East Indies trade routes to reach Europe about 270 years ago, according to scientific reconstruction and historical records.
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Once they arrived, inventions like the steam engine and indoor plumbing likely helped insects travel farther and live comfortably indoors, where they are most commonly found today.
Researchers said exploring how cockroaches conquered past environments may lead to better pest control.
Modern cockroaches are difficult to keep at bay because they quickly evolve to resist pesticides, according to study author Qian Tang, a postdoctoral researcher who studies insects at Harvard University.
