The Temperature and Humidity Relations of the Cockroach

Abstract

The thermal death-points of three species of cockroaches in dry and in moist air have been determined for 1-day and 1-hour exposures. Moist air is more favourable than dry in the longer exposures, because in dry air death occurs from desiccation when the temperature itself is not fatal. Dry air is more favourable than moist in the shorter exposures, owing to the fact that the evaporation of water lowers the body temperature. Bearing in mind the thermotactic behaviour of these animals, these observations would seem to have little ecological importance