Facts & Information
Adult American cockroaches are reddish brown or mahogany colored. The area behind their heads is outlined with a yellow band.
Adults can be slightly more than 50 mm (3 inches) long.
The American cockroach is the largest house-infesting cockroach across the country. The males of this species have a high sensitivity to the female cockroach pheromone, also known as periplanone-B. This makes the males dedicated to increasing their ranks. Female American cockroaches can be very productive, producing a sack of 16 eggs after mating. Without mating again, the female roach, which has a lifespan of about a year, can continue to produce egg sacks, or oothecae, using saved sperm.
In ideal circumstances, a female can produce an egg sack every six days, although she has the capacity to produce up to two in one week. Presumably to protect her young, a female American roach will glue her egg sack in closed-off hiding spots and attempt to camouflage it by scraping up paint and cardboard and covering the sack. On average, a female American cockroach will produce six to 14 egg capsules in her lifetime. Under perfect conditions, such as those in a laboratory, she could produce up to 22 egg sacks – that’s over 336 nymphs. Once ready to break free, nymphs in the ootheca put up a synchronized effort to break through the sack.
The average lifespan of an American cockroach from egg to adult is anywhere from 168 to 786 days. After reaching adulthood, a female can live anywhere from 90 to 706 days and a male anywhere from 90 to 362 days.
The American cockroach, like most others, will consider anything for its next meal. Foods, feces and everything in between are fair game for a hungry roach. Anything a roach nibbles on or walks across may become tainted with the bacteria carried by the roach. Unfortunately, you may not know that a roach has been there, which is why surfaces should be cleaned thoroughly and foods never left uncovered.
The American cockroach prefers habitats where food and water supply are plentiful and they are generally found outdoors. Roaches communicate with one another through the use of pheromones to decide what location is best to settle in.
They are known to settle among family, and it is not uncommon for multiple generations of roaches to live within the same area. They particularly enjoy environments above 70 degrees Fahrenheit and despite its name, the American cockroach is found all over the world. When they do go insdie, you can find them in crawl spaces. But they're generally found in places like wood piles, dead logs, hollowed-out trees and other outdoor locations (especially in Southern states).
Cockroaches are filthy pests. They can spread disease, contaminate our food and cause allergies and even asthma. Cockroaches can pick up germs on their legs and bodies as they crawl through decaying matter or sewage and then transfer these germs to food or onto food surfaces. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), they are proven or suspected carriers of the organisms causing diarrhea, dysentery, cholera, leprosy, plague, typhoid fever and viral diseases such as poliomyelitis.
Long-term roach control typically requires a pest management professional. To limit the number of roaches in and around your home:
→ Practice better sanitation and garbage disposal.
→ Eliminate points of entry and debris around your property.
→ Don’t leave food lying around your home.
→ Place glue traps.
→ Call a pest management professional for American cockroach infestations.
→ It’s imperative that dampness be reduced when American cockroaches are infesting a structure.
→ This usually involves fixing leaks, properly ventilating areas or locating other issues that result in trapped moisture inside the structure.
→ Eliminate potential harborages outside of the home.
→ Seal cracks in the outer walls and install screens on vents that lead indoors.
An adult male brown banded cockroach measures about a half-inch long and has fully developed wings. Adult females are shorter and stouter, with smaller wings.
Drywood termites are different sizes depending on their caste. Soldiers are typically three-eighths of an inch long. Reproductives (both male and female) measure one-half of an inch in length.
These cockroaches, like all other roaches, are scavengers that will eat almost anything organic, including bodily fluids and decaying matter. The brown banded cockroach sometimes eats glue or paste as well as starch or color dyes, so you may find them nibbling on stamps, envelopes, books and wallpaper. They also search for body oils and skin cells and can be found eating non-food items that contain traces of these cells, like nylon stockings.
These roaches will eat food and other items in your pantry and indoor storage areas. They may carry bacteria and protozoa that cause disease, diarrhea or gastroenteritis, and they may deposit the germs on food and utensils. Brown banded roaches have been reported to spread at least 33 kinds of bacteria. They can cause allergic reactions in some and make asthma attacks worse, especially in children.
Infestations can get out of hand as these roaches reproduce and spread. The female brown banded cockroach attaches a tiny (5 millimeter), yellowish-brown egg capsule to walls, ceilings or an object inside your house such as a table, bedding or other furniture. When you move the infested furniture, the brown banded roaches spread to other areas of your home.
Brown banded cockroaches live inside buildings, feeding on food and household items and spreading disease-causing bacteria. The brown banded cockroach is common in the Northeastern, Southern and Midwestern regions of the United States. They can be found in apartments, houses, hotels, restaurants, stores and hospitals.
They don’t require as much moisture as other roaches, so they tend to live in drier places, such as bedrooms and living areas. They avoid water and prefer high locations like the upper cabinets in your kitchen or bathrooms. They avoid light and are usually seen only at night. Brown banded cockroaches thrive in warm temperatures, ranging from 77 degrees to 91 degrees Fahrenheit. They may often spread to an entire structure as they travel throughout furniture.
Brown-banded cockroaches will feed on almost anything from trash and pantry goods to nylon stockings, drapes, and wallpaper. Brown-banded cockroach infestations can pose a number of health risks. These roaches have been found to carry and spread harmful bacteria and protozoa which cause gastroenteritis and diarrhea. More commonly, roaches indoors have been found to trigger asthma and allergies. Also, these roaches are able to transfer disease organisms that cause food poisoning and dysentery by contaminating food, cooking utensils and food preparation surfaces.
The best way to rid your home of a roach infestation is to call a pest management professional to treat the area. Here are some additional ways you can help decrease their population:
→ Vacuum often. This not only keeps your carpet and floor free of debris so you can more easily detect the presence of bugs, it could also suck up cockroaches and their eggs.
→ Keep a spotless kitchen. Pick up spilled food and crumbs immediately. Don’t leave dirty dishes out overnight. Store dry foods such as cereal in airtight containers.
→ Put garbage in a sealed container.
→ Seal cracks and crevices with caulk to help keep roaches out.
→ Use roach baits in areas where brown banded cockroaches live. Our Service Technician can install bait materials and find the best placement throughout your home to maximize their effectiveness.
Adults are easily recognized by their light brown or tan coloration with two black horizontal stripes located on the pronotum immediately behind the head, The young, or nymphs, are darker, almost black in color, also with the black stripes behind the head.
The German cockroach ranges in size from about one-eighth of an inch in length when it hatches, to a little over one-half of an inch as an adult.
Adult German cockroaches have wings, but they cannot fly. If they fall, they can flutter their wings enough to break the fall, but cannot use their wings to get around. They are fast runners and move very quickly in their environment. Their antennae are relatively long, a little longer than the length of their body, and serve as powerful sensory devices for evaluating their environment, finding food and receiving messages from other roaches.
Male adult German cockroaches are slender and a little smaller than the females, who are a little larger and wider in the abdomen. When female adult German roaches are ‟gravid,” or pregnant, they have an egg capsule, or ootheca, that can be seen protruding about one quarter-inch from the end of the abdomen. The egg capsule contains about 40 German cockroach eggs, more or less, that will be carried with her until about 24 hours before the new roaches are ready to hatch. She then drops the egg capsule in a concealed location. When the new roaches open it and crawl out, they are on their own.
If a German roach infestation is found, treatment will be applied in areas where roaches have been or may be hiding. Knowledge about the German cockroach is vital for effective treatment. For example, young roaches often feed on the fecal droppings of the adult cockroaches in “aggregation” areas, while the adults are out looking for food. As grotesque as this may sound, it is a key to pest control that helps achieve timely and effective cockroach elimination. Professional baits are slow-acting by design. When the adults start feeding on baits, they are preparing a final meal for the young roaches. They live just long enough to digest the bait, get back to their aggregation hangout, and leave their final legacy for the up and coming young roaches.
German cockroaches are usually found living and breeding indoors. They prefer a warm, humid space with food and water nearby. They typically first appear in the bathroom and kitchen, but since they spend about 80 percent of their time in the wall cracks and voids, infestations are almost always larger than they appear.
Despite their name, German cockroaches are found all over the world, including in homes throughout the United States. In fact, they’re not even originally from Germany. In Germany they’re often referred to as “French” cockroaches. This common species of indoor roach was previously thought to have originated in Europe, but later research showed they came from Africa. Currently, many researchers believe they probably originated in Southeast Asia.
German cockroaches spread filth in homes, contaminating food and utensils. Pathogens range from bacteria that causes food poisoning and dysentery to allergens that result in rashes and asthma attacks. Recent studies have also indicated that in larger metropolitan areas, the development of asthma in children can be directly linked to the presence of the pest.
Due to the size and aggressive nature of a German cockroach infestation, learning how to get rid of German roaches is generally best left to pest management professionals. Service technicians use a variety of treatment methods and combinations, usually including baits, dusts and aerosol treatment of cracks and crevices. There should be no visible residue of the materials used after treatment. Several non-chemical techniques may also be utilized including vacuum removal and monitoring of populations with glue traps or other devices. Homeowners attempting control with over-the-counter products are often met with frustration at the growing infestation and soon call pest management professionals.
The Oriental cockroach is typically dark-brown to reddish-brown in color, though it can also seem to appear as a black cockroach in the dark places where this type of roach is generally found.
As adults, the male and female cockroaches, though both large in size, are quite different in appearance. Growing to only 25 mm in length, the smaller males have shortened, three-quarter-length wings. As a result, the last few abdominal segments of their bodies are exposed. In comparison, female oriental roaches reach a length of 32 mm and have no wings. Instead, they have large wing pads that shelter the first few segments of their bodies. While differing in appearance, neither males nor females can fly.
In many cases, these large cockroaches find the inside area of buildings to be exactly what they are looking for in a shelter. This is especially true during extreme weather conditions. When very hot, cold, dry, wet or even windy conditions occur outside, these roaches become distressed, and our homes and buildings, unfortunately, often provide the comfort they are looking for.
They have no distinctive markings other than the disproportionately small size of their wings, which is the easiest way to identify them. The male’s wings only cover a little over half of the abdomen, failing to reach the tip. Males generally don’t fly, but may be able to fly just enough to avoid danger, if the need arises. On the other hand, the female adult Oriental cockroach cannot fly at all. In fact, her wings are so small that they are barely visible, almost appearing as if they were attached to the wrong insect.
Many people call Oriental cockroaches “water bugs” because they like very damp areas. (They might also be referred to as a ‟black cockroach.”) One of the most likely indoor areas you’ll find Oriental cockroaches is in the basement, especially around sump pumps and water collection systems.
Condensation in walls or around air ducts may also create the damp environment they prefer. Plumbing leaks that are not promptly repaired, damp crawl spaces and any other areas in and around your home with a constant supply of moisture are also all very attractive to Oriental cockroaches.
Likewise, Oriental cockroaches also require very wet areas when living outdoors. They are commonly found in storm and sanitary sewers, heavy vegetation, tree holes that collect water, under mulch beds and other similar areas.
Oriental cockroaches will eat almost anything, including decaying organic matter and trash. They often live in rarely used sink drains, garbage disposals, under cabinets that contain plumbing or in bathroom voids. As they forage for food in homes, the pests may transfer disease-causing bacteria to pantry goods and countertops.
Diseases
Oriental cockroaches can be a source for many food-borne pathogens, including E.coli, Salmonella spp., and other pathogens. Due to their dietary preference for garbage and decaying organic matter, oriental cockroaches can carry these pathogens on their legs and bodies from contaminated areas and then transmit them onto clean surfaces.
In addition, oriental cockroaches secrete odors from their bodies. These odors are very noticeable if the population is large and can taint food by changing its smell or flavor.
When the Oriental cockroach infestation is located, there are a variety of control measures which are routinely used by professionals. Insecticide baits, dusts, aerosols as well as liquid treatments are all valuable tools that are very effective when used properly. More than one of these formulations is usually required for effective control of Oriental cockroaches.
→ It’s imperative that dampness be reduced when Oriental cockroaches are infesting a structure.
→ This usually involves fixing leaks, properly ventilating areas or locating other issues that result in trapped moisture inside the structure.
→ Eliminate potential harborages outside of the home.
→ Seal cracks in the outer walls and install screens on vents that lead indoors.
