- in 1965 in Indiana over 6,000 cockroaches were found in a single beer carton
- in 1947 a 4-room apartment in Texas was treated, and over 100,000 roaches killed
- in 1967 a treatment killed 133 pounds of American Cockroaches that were living in the cage around a Chicago zoo's prize gorilla
- an estimated 1 million or more cockroaches were living in a house in New York, along with a family, 24 dogs, 20 cats, 2 mice, and a parrot. The house was so saturated with roaches that they had flowed out over the lawns, tree trunks, and walls of nearby homes, and into the sewers. This happened in 1979.
Importance
Many people are repulsed and/or disgusted by the simple presence of cockroaches.
However, they are also an important public health problem by contaminating
food and eating utensils. Cockroaches are known to carry human pathogens, such
as Salmonella and E. coli, which can result in human
diseases, such as food poisoning or diarrhea. Occasionally, they will destroy
fabric and paper products. In large numbers, cockroaches secrete a substance
which can result in stains on surfaces they contact and produce disagreeable
odors. Finally, products of cockroach infestations, including saliva, feces
and cast skins, are a source of allergens and can irritate allergies and asthma
in people, especially children.
Identification
Correct identification of suspected cockroaches is important as there are
many insects that look similar (e.g. long-horned beetles, crickets, leaf-footed
bugs and ground beetles). A cockroach has a flattened, oval shaped body and
long antennae (about the length of their body). When looking at a cockroach
from above, its head is hidden from view. It has six strong legs covered with
spines.
Many adult cockroaches have fully developed wings, although few fly. Other
cockroaches have short wings or lack wings altogether. Young, immature cockroaches
resemble adults but are smaller and wingless. If there is any doubt about whether
an insect is a cockroach, submit a sample to an insect specialist or a pest
management expert.
Biology
A cockroach has three stages during its life cycle: egg, nymph, and adult.
Adults lay eggs contained within egg cases that are dark-colored and roughly
the same size and shape as a dry kidney bean. Depending on the species,
an egg case contains between 16 - 50 eggs. Eggs hatch into young cockroaches
called nymphs. In a normal cockroach population, nymphs are more numerous than
adults.
Cockroaches are nocturnal, hiding during the day and becoming active at night.
The number of cockroaches people see is usually a small percentage of a much
larger population. Cockroaches prefer different habitats depending on the species.
German cockroaches prefer dark, warm, humid areas near sources of food and
water. American and Oriental cockroaches prefer coolers areas, such as basements
and crawl spaces. Brownbanded cockroaches prefer drier areas, such as pantries
and closets. All cockroaches are scavengers and will survive on almost any
food as well as backing glue, leather, bookbindings, bar soap. They may even
sample electronics and wiring in television and microwave (though infestation
have to be large when this type of damage occurs). They spend most of their
time in narrow, tight cracks and spaces where surfaces touch them on both sides.
Cockroaches tend to congregate in corners and generally travel along the edges
of walls or other surfaces.
Types of Cockroaches
The German cockroach
is the most common indoor cockroach
species in Minnesota. It favors warm, humid atmospheres, especially areas where
temperatures are around 70° to 75° F. It generally inhabits kitchens and
bathrooms where they are found near plumbing fixtures, in cracks or crevices
in cupboards, under drawers and kitchen sinks, and similar locations. These
cockroaches often cluster together in favorable hiding areas. When severe infestations
occur, they may be found in other sections of buildings. German cockroaches
can disperse in large numbers from areas of high population densities to infest
other locations.
The adult is about ½ inch long, light brown or tan, and has
two dark longitudinal bands or streaks on the prothorax behind the head. This
species has the highest reproductive potential of all the common pest cockroaches.
Females produce about 30 to 50 eggs at a time. The female carries the egg case
until the eggs are ready to hatch.
The immature nymph is smaller, dark-colored with a light-colored
streak running down its back. An immature nymph reaches maturity in about 40
to 125 days. Adult females live about 200 days, producing six to eight egg
cases throughout their life.
The brownbanded cockroach
may also be common in
homes. Individuals can be widely distributed throughout a building, particularly
in high areas, hiding behind pictures and clocks, beneath furniture, among
books and in other drier areas not normally infested by German cockroaches.
They seek areas that are warm most of the time including appliances such as
radios, televisions and refrigerators. The brownbanded cockroach prefers warmer
temperatures (greater than 80° F) than the German cockroach. The two species
are rarely found together.
The adult brownbanded cockroach is about ½ inch long. An adult male
is golden brown and has a narrow body with its wings extending beyond the tip
of its abdomen. A female adult is dark chestnut brown, has a teardrop-shaped
body, and its wings do not completely cover the abdomen. Both sexes
have distinctive horizontal yellow bands. The female often glues its egg case
on furniture or in appliances. Eggs take about 70 days to hatch and about 160
days for the young to reach maturity. A nymph is recognized from the two pale
bands which run horizontally across its body.
The Oriental cockroach
prefers dark, damp places. Often
called a water bug, it is commonly found in damp basements, cellars, crawl
spaces, and sewers. It may also be found near drains, leaky water pipes and
under refrigerators, sinks, washing machines, and floors. It prefers temperatures
under 84° F. The Oriental cockroach can tolerate cool environments and people
have even found it surviving freezing outdoor weather. An Oriental cockroach
forages mostly on the first floors of buildings. Occasionally, this pest will
thrive in the landscape immediately adjacent to structures and may enter if
a disturbance occurs, such as a change in the seasons, excess rainfall, or
lawn mowing. It can be found occasionally outdoors under sewer covers. It feeds
on all types of garbage and other organic material. An Oriental cockroach produces
a strong smell and is considered one of the dirtiest of all the cockroaches.
An adult Oriental cockroach is about 1 to 1-1/4 inches long and dark brown,
almost black. A male has fully developed wings which are shorter than the body.
A female has very short, rudimentary wings. A nymph is similar in
appearance to a female only it is smaller and wingless. A female deposits an
average of eight egg cases during its lifetime; each capsule produces about
16 young. It takes 300 to 800 days, depending on conditions, for Oriental cockroaches
to hatch from eggs and develop into adults.
The American cockroach
is occasionally found in homes, although
it is more common in restaurants, grocery stores, and bakeries and other sites
where food is prepared. It favors very warm, moist places (temperatures in
excess of 82° F). An American cockroach has a fondness for fermenting foods,
e.g. bread soaked with beer. Their foraging is confined mostly to the basement
and ground floor of a building unless suitable conditions exist in higher locations.
Sewers and drain lines may help this pest invade new areas.
This is the largest cockroach species to infest buildings in Inner Cities. Both
the adult male and female is about 1-1/2 to 2 inches long, reddish brown and
possesses long wings that cover its abdomen. A female typically produces
9 to 10 egg cases which are deposited carefully in a crack or crevice. Eggs
hatch in about 45 days with each case producing about 14 young. An immature
nymph is reddish brown and wingless. A young nymph matures in as little as
215 days to as long as 400 days. The average life span for adult females is
about 440 days.
The Pennsylvania wood cockroach
lives in wooded areas in
rotting logs and under loose bark. It can accidentally invade homes, cabins,
cottages, and other buildings in or near wooded areas. This cockroach is not
a persistent household pest and it doesn’t reproduce indoors. Because
of its association with wood, a Pennsylvania wood cockroach can be brought
indoors on firewood. It may enter buildings if suitable harborage (trees and
logs) is close to open doors and windows. The males are strong fliers.
The adult male is one inch long, dark brown, with light-colored bands
on the edge of the body near the head. Males also have long, well-developed
wings. The adult female is similar, but with very short wings, measuring
about 1/2 inch long. Adult females and immature nymphs can be confused with
the Oriental cockroach. However, the Oriental cockroach lacks the light bands
on the edge of its body near the head. If there is any doubt, submit a sample
to an insect specialist or a pest management expert for identification.
Manage Pennsylvania wood cockroaches by reducing their breeding places. Remove
decayed and fallen logs within a few hundred feet of a building. Physically
remove an occasional Pennsylvania wood cockroach that you find indoors. If
larger numbers are entering the home, you may wish to treat the exterior of
the building, particularly around doors and windows, with a residual insecticide.
Common products include permethrin, bifenthrin, or cyfluthrin.
Australian cockroaches, Surinam cockroaches,
and Madeira cockroaches are examples of subtropical cockroaches.
However, these cockroaches can survive if they are accidentally
introduced into a greenhouse or other location where there is sufficient warmth
and humidity. Australian cockroaches will infest similar areas that the American
cockroach will inhabit. The Surinam and Madeira cockroaches can sometimes be
found in potted plants associated with contracted indoor landscaping and indoor
arboretums. If there is any question whether you have encountered such a cockroach,
submit a sample for identification to an insect specialist or a pest management
expert.
Management
Preventive measures
Cockroaches can be carried into homes in bags, boxes, and luggage. Corrugated
cardboard boxes are a particularly good source of infestations. Examine containers
that are brought into your home carefully for the presence of cockroaches or
their egg capsules, especially if they are brought in from locations known
to be infested with cockroaches.
If you suspect cockroaches may have been brought into your home, set out
sticky traps to monitor their presence. Place sticky traps so they are tight
against edges, e.g. where walls meet floors. Place them in areas where
cockroaches are likely to occur, e.g. in cupboards and around refrigerators,
stoves, and sinks.
Sanitation
Sanitation is very important to reduce cockroach infestations. Cockroaches
need water and food to live. By limiting their access to these resources, you
reduce their ability to survive and reproduce. It is difficult to make your
home and other buildings completely unacceptable for cockroaches, but you can
minimize an existing infestation when improving sanitation.
- Do not leave food out over night; keep all food stored in a refrigerator
or in insect-proof containers made of plastic, metal, or glass with tight-fitting
covers.
- Do not leave pet food and water out overnight.
- Wash your dishes, pans,
and utensils as soon as you are done using them.
- Remove all food or
spilled drinks from counter tops and clean counters, sinks, and tables
with soapy water.
- Vacuum all cracks and crevices to remove debris and
food. Also sweep or vacuum any food and debris on floors.
- Take garbage
out daily in closed plastic containers; keep waste containers washed and
clean.
- Repair any leaky water pipes or faucets.
- Recycle cans and bottles on
a regular basis; wash and clean containers that hold recycling items.
- Increase ventilation where condensation is a problem.
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