The cockroach has changed very little in general
structure since they first appeared on earth
more than 250 million years ago.
Cockroaches are usually flat, with a smooth, waxy
tough skin. They vary in color from
a
chestnut-brown to black, in the house-invading
species, but the tropical species frequently
are green, orange, or other colors.
The head has mouthparts protruding forward designed
for chewing. Most species have two
pairs of wings. While many cockroaches can
fly, they
are typically runners--moving swiftly by means
of their six long legs. They prefer
to be in
groups and are most active at night.
The name cockroach is probably derived
from the Spanish name for the insect (cucaracha).
Names for local cockroach species include palmetto bug, waterbug or
simply roach.
Young cockroaches--called nymphs--begin feeding
soon after they hatch. They feed on the
same materials as adults, and they look like
adults except for size and the absence of wings.
After shedding their skins several times to grow
larger, they become winged adults. Adult
cockroaches live from a few months to more than
a year, depending on species, and will mate
several times.
Cockroaches have the habit of dropping their feces
wherever they go. They discharge a
liquid both from
the mouth and anal openings on their body, which gives
off a "cockroach"
odor to food and dishes they walk over.
Roaches
find this odor attractive and stimulating
and is an odor that is being artificially created
by scientists to use in baits to "lure" roaches
to the bait and make them feed more readily.
Cockroaches occur throughout the world but are largely
tropical. Some species are found
everywhere in the world because they infest trading ships as well as
the goods these ships
carry.
Although there are about 3,500 kinds of cockroaches,
only a few are troublesome to humans.
It is possible for a house to be infested with
more than one kind of cockroach. If there is
plenty of food, water, and hiding places available, several different
species of cockroaches
may exist simultaneously.
Five species of cockroaches are known to infest
homes. The three major species are
the
American, the Oriental, and the German cockroach.
The fourth is the woods roach, an
outside species that may show up inside on occasion. The fifth species,
the brown banded
cockroach, although a pest problem, is
not as prevalent as the other species.
Fully grown, adult cockroaches range in length
from an inch to 2 inches and vary in color
from yellowish or reddish brown to black.
Their habits and the damage they cause vary
according to species.
German Cockroach.
Also
known
as the "croton bug," this cockroach is
the best known and probably the most widely distrib-
uted species in the United States. It
is a small insect, about 3/4 inches long,
and is yellowish-
brown with two dark-brown stripes behind the
head.
Both male and female have well-developed wings.
The female carries the egg capsule
partly protruding from the tip of the abdomen
until hatching time. Females may lay three
to four egg capsules during her brief but productive
life resulting in over 140 young. These
eggs contain 35
to 40 young and the average incubation time
( at room temperature) is 30
days. Heat
and humidity are important factors in the
successful hatching of the young
roaches. As a general rule, the higher
the temperature and humidity, the shorter the incubation
period becomes. As an example, conditions
of 70-72 degrees with 40 % humidity,
can cause
roaches to be born in as little as 28
days.
Although this species has fully developed wings,
they are incapable of flight.
The most they can
do is to use these wings to flutter to the ground
from objects like tables, cabinets, etc.
The capsules are hidden in the kitchen
and bath areas.....anywhere near a food and water
supply. Because these cockroaches are so abundant, they are frequently
brought
into homes
in boxes, bags, soft drink cartons, and crates
from grocery stores, and in old clothes. Any-
thing bought at estate sales and/or garage sales should be gone over
thoroughly to ensure that
you are not going to bring any unwanted guests home with you.
Oriental Cockroach.
This
pest is about
an inch longer than the German cockroach and
much darker. It is dark brown to black in
color
and has short wings or practically no wings at
all in the female. Neither the male
or the female is
capable of flight. They are found in all
parts of the United States and are less wary
and much more
slugish than other roach species. It is
probably the most disliked species because
it often travels
through sewer pipes and lives and feeds on filth.
They prefer starchy food items.
Females carry the egg capsules for
up to 30 hours, after which it will most often
be dropped near
water, food and a warm environment.
Each female can produce an average of 8 egg capsules,
containing 12 to 16 eggs which will hatch
in around 60 days, under room conditions.
After hatching,
nymphs take from 8 to 12 months to complete
their development to adult roaches.
These cockroaches are perhaps more common in large
kitchens, damp basements, dumps and
sewage treatment plants. Because
of their large size, they prefer areas that offer them good,
safe harborage. Male Orientals live longer than females.....500-800
days(males) to 36-180 days
(female.)
American Cockroach.
In
spite of its
name, this common house pest is probably native
to Africa. It is now widely distributed around
the world. This is one of the largest house-infesting
cockroaches in America, with adults reaching
a length of about 2 inches. Adults
are brown and the young are a slightly paler brown. Not only
are these cockroaches the largest, but they produce
the most number of young per female.
Adult females may lay as many as 33 egg pods,
which
would mean about 430 young in the year
and a half duration of their life cycle.
This species of roach has a strong desire for
fermented liquid and, as such, are quite prevalent
in bars, liquor warehouses and in and
around trashcans located at the rear of restaurants and
bars and other establishments which throw their empty liquor and beer
bottles away.
The ability of American roaches to survive outdoors
during harsh winters has been documented.
Numerous trash dumps have reported that as they moved trash to make
room for more trash....
numerous American roaches were found to be thriving
under several inches of snow. These
roaches have well developed wings and although they are capable
of flight, they seldom do so.
Like the Oriental, the American cockroach requires big cracks and holes
to hide in. Therefore,
these pests are usually more common in store
basements, warehouses, garbage dumps, and in
commercial establishments such as restaurants,
warehouses, and apartment complexes.
Brown-banded Cockroach
Brown-banded roaches originated in Africa and
was introduced to this country from Cuba
to Miami in 1903. It may be found
in numerous states but is most prevalent in the warmer
southern states.
They are mostly found on ceilings,
high up on walls, behind
picture frames,
clustered around
motors of appliances and in light switches.
Brown-Banded roaches
prefer starchy foods but will feed on most
anything. They've been
known to chew on nylon stockings, shoe strings,
hat bands and around the collars of dirty
shirts left in hampers. They presumably
are consuming bits of skin
and body oils left on
these garments.
This roach species is also capable of
flight and will do so when disturbed. The complete
transformation from nymph to full adulthood
is around 95 to 275 days. depending on con-
ditions with the average number of young
to emerge from the egg being, on the average, 13
nymphs. The
incubation period is around 70 days. These roaches aren't
as much a nuisance
as german roaches, but
they are capable of spreading throughout a building rather
rapidly.
The female has a broader body than the male and are both quite active
after dark.
They have long been abundant in the warmer southern
states, but are now found as far north
as Canada. In the cooler northern states,
they are found in the heated parts of buildings.
The Smoky-Brown Cockroach
The smoky brown is a tropical roach, thus more common in the southern United States.
This roach species is most closely
related to the American roach but is readily
distinguished
by it's smaller
size and uniform mahogany brown
color.
The smoky brown roach is common
throughout central Texas, eastward along the
Gulf Coast,
throughout Florida and along the eastern seaboard.
They feed on plant materials,
but will feed
on anything any other roach will feed on when
indoors. They are commonly found in
gutters
and underneath wood shingles. In attics,
they are generally found along the roof areas.
Other Species:
Asian Roach
A new cockroach to the United States is the Asian
cockroach. They now inhabit central Florida,
but it's predicted they will spread north, eventually,
up the east coast. These roaches look like
the German cockroach. They live both indoors
and out. What makes them distinctive is that they
are strong fliers and are attracted to brightly
lit homes and businesses at night.
These roaches are similar
to a german roach in size with the wing structure
being slightly more
narrow in the Asian species. Although
their wings are a little smaller than the German roaches,
Asian roaches are capable of sustained flight..........German
roaches, as indicated above, are not.
During the life of a female Asian roach, she may
produce from 3 to 5 egg capsules,
containing 35
to 45 nymphs.
Adulthood in reached rather rapidly......in around
65 days. Females have a life
span of slightly over 100
days with the male living about
half that long.
They crawl over lit TV screens and the walls of rooms where the lights
are on, and are the
most active when people are most likely to see them--in the early evening
hours. They have
become a particular pest where well-lit urban
shopping malls are adjacent to agricultural areas,
such as citrus groves. They turn up in shops, restaurants, planters,
vending machines, and in
people's homes.
Some other roach species which are of lesser importance but which should
be, at least, mentioned
during this discussion of roaches are the 1.Woods
roach, 2. Australian roach,
and 3. Field
roach.
COCKROACH FACTS:
Cockroaches seek warmth, moisture and food.They
hide during the day in sheltered, dark areas
in
the home, and come out at night to forage.
They feed on garbage and human food. Because
of this,
they may transmit human diseases, particularly those caused by food-poisoning
organisms.
The female cockroach carries her eggs around with her in a leathery
capsule that she forms at the
end of her body. Some females carry the capsule
with them until the eggs hatch, while some deposit
their egg capsules (ootheca) in dark, warm, moist
places...near food, until the time and conditions
are right for birth.
Cockroaches contaminate and spoil human food.
They eat starch and
glue, and they may damage
fabrics, garments, curtains, books, papers and
many other materials in their quest for food.
Baits work well to keep a population under control
after
using an insecticide. Put out a good
number of baits. For best results, place them where the roaches
live, and don't put them out
in large amounts. A lot of smaller bait
placements work better than a few large placements.
Bigger isn't always better.
Tips for successful roach elimination:
When treating cupboards and pantries, take
everything from shelves and remove drawers so
that food and utensils won't be contaminated by the insecticide. Replace
when the material has
dried. If
you turn your glasses and cups over (lip down) in the cabinets...then
that
area of the
cabinets should be cleaned with water and
soap, but residual insecticide should
be left on the
sides and top of the cabinet shelves.
It is not necessary
to treat the inside of drawers if you have thoroughly cleaned them.It
is
important to treat the sides, backs and bottoms
of drawers, and the inside of cabinets.