Do Cockroaches Make Noise? | Hissing, Clicking and Chirping

Have you ever wondered whether do cockroaches make noise or not? The fact that your house might have roaches is a great big problem on its own, but if these creatures can also make noises, then the infestation can turn into something unbearable, right?

Unfortunately, cockroaches do make noises (hissing, clicking or chirping sounds). The Madagascar hissing cockroach, for example, is known for its distinctive hissing sound. Most common types of cockroaches don’t usually make a lot of noise.

What types of cockroaches do make noises and what don’t? Can you scare them away by producing different loud sounds? In the following sections, we have given you everything know about cockroaches and noises. Let’s begin!

What Noise Do Cockroaches Make? | Information

Now that we know that some cockroaches can make noises, let’s find out exactly what these noises sound like.

Do Cockroaches Make a Clicking Noise?

The truth is that roaches can’t make clicking sounds. If you ever hear something like that, in most of cases, it’s not a cockroach you are dealing with. In fact, some people might mistake clicking beetles for cockroaches. So, if you hear an insect making such a noise, the chances are high that it’s a beetle.

However, roaches do make a noise that sounds a bit like “clicking” when they rub the hard shell that covers their thorax (pronotum) against their intercostal veins. Only males can produce this sound. They usually make it either when they are mating, or when they feel threatened. The threat might come from a male roach rival.

Do Cockroaches Make Noise Like Crickets?

Crickets are able to produce a chirping noise and cockroaches can’t do that. However, a lot of us might think that the strange clicking sound that the roaches sometimes make is similar to chirping. All-in-all, it’s a matter of perspective, but scientifically speaking, cockroaches can’t make sounds like crickets.

Do Cockroaches Make a Squeaking Noise?

Roaches are not known to produce squeaking noises, though some people might describe the sounds that cockroaches create as “squeaking”.

Do Cockroaches Make a Buzzing Noise?

You might know that there are certain types of cockroaches that are great flyers. Do cockroaches make a buzzing noise when they are flying? No, they don’t. When roaches fly, they generate a very soft sound that usually we, humans, can’t hear. However, your dog or cat might detect this sound.

Why Do Cockroaches Make Noises?

Roaches prefer to stay relatively silent. But if they do make a noise, there should be a reason for it, right? This is exactly what we are going to talk about in the following section.

Do Cockroaches Make a Noise When They Die?

No, cockroaches don’t make noise after or before they die. However, they do behave in a strange way. For example, they might crawl to the center of the room right before taking their last breath.

Moreover, in a lot of cases, you will find the cockroach’s dead body flipped on its back. This happens because cockroaches lose muscle control, so the leg muscles contract, and the legs “fold” underneath the body.

Do Cockroaches Make a Noise When They Fly?

The absolute majority of roaches have fully developed wings, but only some species are good flyers. Thankfully, a flying cockroach won’t disturb you as you won’t really hear it. They certainly don’t buzz as the sound of their wings is soft and can usually be heard only by animals.

Do Cockroaches Make Noise When They Mate?

Yes, sometimes roaches can produce sounds during mating. This is usually some type of clicking sound. The act of producing this noise has a special name “stridulation”. This sound is generated by the male cockroach rubbing its pronotum against the intercostal veins.

Do Cockroaches Make a Noise at Night?

Roaches are nocturnal creatures, which means you might hear them more often during the night rather than during the day. Of course, the larger the infestation, the more noises you will hear. At one point, you may even notice cockroaches scurrying around inside your walls or cabinets. The mating sounds can also intensify if there are a lot of cockroaches in your house.

Do Cockroaches Make Noise In Walls?

If you listen closely, you might hear the cockroaches running around (in case there is a severe infestation). You can also hear their mating sounds in walls, as that’s where these insects choose to live in a lot of cases.

It is debated whether you can actually hear the skittering sound of the cockroaches’ little legs running around. Some say that they are just too light-weight to produce any noise with their limbs. But if a larger mass of insects is moving at once, you will probably hear that. A scratching noise in walls is definitely not being produced by cockroaches. You might be dealing with a rat or a mouse.

Do All Cockroaches Make Noise?

Do American Cockroaches Make Noise?

The American cockroach is not known for producing sounds. But you should always remember that if there are a lot of roaches, then you might hear some noises (fluttering wings, for example).

Do Flying Cockroaches Make Noise?

The roaches that fly make a very soft, gentle noise that you might not even hear. But you should bear in mind that if the population is large enough the sound of their fluttering wings can become audible.

Do German Cockroaches Make Noise?

The absolute majority of roach species do not produce sounds, and this includes the German cockroach. These are good news, considering that this type is the most common one found worldwide.

Do Hissing Cockroaches Make Noise?

Just as the name suggests, a hissing cockroach makes a relatively loud, distinct sound. The Madagascar hissing cockroach can produce sound by forcing air through its spiracles (a pair of modified breathing holes) that are located on its abdomen. Hissing cockroaches produce this sound when they feel threatened or if a person is trying to handle it.

The sound also tells other cockroaches how big the approaching hissing cockroach is. When two male Madagascar hissing cockroaches are approaching each other, the larger one will produce a hiss that lets the smaller cockroach know who is more dominant. By the way, the Madagascar hissing cockroach is the only cockroach species that hiss (and there are nearly five thousand species out there).

Do Oriental Cockroaches Make Noise?

Just like German and American cockroaches, oriental roaches do not make any sounds (normally). However, there can be certain circumstances, when they will produce some type of sound. For example, when these insects are mating.

Bear in mind that if you hear any kind of noise coming from the walls or any other place in your house, the best thing that you can do is call an exterminator. These sounds can be a sign of a severe infestation.

Do Cockroaches Hate Noise?

We certainly do hate the noises that cockroaches make as it means that there is an annoying insect running around our house. But what about the roaches? What sounds do they hate?

Does Noise Scare Cockroaches?

Even though roaches are scary creatures that no one likes, they are still more afraid of us than we are afraid of them. These insects will try to hide as soon as they hear you coming. It is advised to make a loud noise when you enter a room where cockroaches are located. For example, you can clap or stomp and that will scare them away.

Do Cockroaches Stay Away from Loud Noises?

It’s not exactly the sounds that terrify the cockroaches, it’s the person that’s making it. They will surely stay away from you if you are making loud noises.

There are also some other sounds that cockroaches hate. Electronic repellants emit ultrasonic or extremely high-frequency sound waves. It is said that these noises can confuse or even kill pests. The repellants can be bought at a number of different frequencies.

The idea is that various devices can be used for different pests. Unfortunately, a lot of these electronic repellants were proven to be ineffective in lab tests, but there are companies that might soon come up with better products.

List of Sources

D. M. Guthrie, Sound Production and Reception in a Cockroach, Department of Natural History, University of Aberdee

Madagascar Hissing Cockroach, Institute of Agriculture and Natural Resources
Department of Entomology, University of Nebraska–Lincoln