Why should you never squish a cockroach?

You should never squish a cockroach as your primary control method because squishing can create hygiene problems, spread bacteria and allergens, and fails to eliminate the colony, though the popular myth that squishing spreads eggs is only partly true for certain species. When you squish a cockroach, especially German cockroaches which are small light brown roaches common in kitchens, you smear bacteria like salmonella and E. coli from their bodies onto surfaces, plus their droppings, shed skins, and body parts contain allergenic proteins that can trigger allergies and asthma when crushed and become airborne. For most roach species, squishing does not spread eggs because females carry egg cases until just before hatching, but for German cockroaches that carry ootheca containing 30 to 40 eggs, squishing a female carrying an egg case can potentially release eggs if the case is mature, though this is rare. More importantly, squishing only kills visible individuals and does not address hidden colonies with hundreds in wall voids, under appliances, and behind cabinets, so new roaches quickly replace those killed. Squishing also does not remove pheromone trails that attract more roaches. Additionally, roaches have tough exoskeletons and can survive being stomped if not hit fully. The recommended approach instead of squishing is integrated pest management including thorough sanitation by storing food sealed and cleaning crumbs, sealing cracks with caulk, vacuuming roaches and droppings with HEPA vacuum, and using gel baits containing fipronil or hydramethylnon that roaches eat and carry back to kill entire colony within days to weeks.