Natural Solutions to Things That Bug You (16 page)

American Cockroach

General Information:

    The American cockroach is the largest of the common cockroaches measuring on average about 2 inches in length. It is commonly found in buildings throughout Florida especially in commercial buildings. In the northern United States it is mainly found in warm areas or large institutional buildings. The American cockroach is second only to the German cockroach in abundance. Has also been called a water bug or Palmetto bug.

Distribution:

The American cockroach was brought to the United States from Africa as early as 1625. It has spread throughout the world by commerce and is often found indoors as well as outdoors.

It is normally found in basements, sewers, steam tunnels and drainage systems and is readily found in commercial and large buildings such as restaurants, grocery stores, bakeries and anywhere food is prepared and stored.

The American cockroach is rarely found in residential homes, however after heavy rain the cockroach can occur in homes. They can develop to large numbers, usually greater than 5,000 in sewer systems. Outdoors they prefer moist shady areas in yards, hollow trees, wood piles, and mulch.

Description:

Egg:
The female American cockroach laid their eggs in a hardened, purse-shaped egg case about one week after mating. The females on average produce an egg case about once every month for ten months lying about 16 eggs per egg case. The female deposits the egg case close to a source of food by either simply dropping it or gluing it to a surface with a secretion from her mouth.

Larva or Nymph:
The nymph stage starts when the egg hatches and concludes with the emergence of the adult. The nymphs are white then become a uniformly reddish-brown with the rear margins of the thoracic and abdominal segments being a darker color.

Wings are never present in the nymph stage. Complete development from egg to adult is about 600 days.

Adult:

The adult American cockroach is reddish brown in appearance with a pale-brown or yellow band around the edge. The males are longer than the females because their wings extend 4 to 8 mm beyond the tip of the abdomen.

Smoky Brown Cockroach

General Information:

    The smoky brown cockroach is a large species of cockroach, winged, and growing to a length of 1¼–1½ in. It is brown in color and is closely related to the American cockroach, however, is easily distinguishable from it. It has a uniformly dark brown color and its body is dark and shiny, unlike the light rimmed pattern of the American cockroach.

It likes warm climates and is not cold tolerant, however, it may be able to survive indoors in colder climates if it finds a warm location. It does well in moist conditions and it seems to be found in moist concealed areas. It often lives around the outside of buildings, and it is common species outdoors in the southern United States.

Oriental Cockroach

Description:

    Oriental cockroaches are often called water bugs, black beetle or palmetto bugs because of their preference for dark, damp, and cool areas such as those under sinks and washing machines and damp basements. It is about 1¼-inches long and has wings but is unable to fly. Usually found around garbage cans and does not need a water source. It is a glossy dark brown to black in color. Prefers decaying organic matter and is the filthiest of all cockroaches. They will invade a building when the weather turns cold, and is more commonly found in the eastern states.

Both male and female adults are very dark brown or almost black; their bodies usually have a somewhat shiny sheen. The females have small, functionless, wing pads and broader, heavier bodies, while the males have wings that cover about three-quarters of their abdomen.

Both nymphs and adults are very sluggish and usually located at or below ground level indoors. They are rarely found on walls, in high cupboards, or in the upper floors of buildings; however, at times large numbers occur in one great mass around leaks in the basement or crawl space areas of homes. Oriental cockroaches are generally found outdoors during warm weather.

German Cockroach

    German cockroaches are 1/2 to 5/8 inch long and tan to light brown. They have fully developed wings, but do not fly. The nymphs are similar in appearance to adults except that they are smaller and lack wings. The German cockroach is best identified by its small size and two dark parallel lines running from the back of the head to the wings.

It is usually found in kitchens, close to dishwashers, stoves and sinks as well as bathrooms. They prefer a moist environment with a relatively high degree of warmth, they love water heaters.

The insects are mostly scavengers and will feed on a wide variety of foods and especially starches, sweets, grease and meat products. Garbage is one of their principal food sources.

German cockroaches are mostly active at night, which is when they forage for food, water and mates. During the day they hide out in cracks and crevices and any other dark site that provides a warm and humid environment. Their relatively wide, flat bodies enable them to move in and out of cracks and narrow openings with ease and they may be seen during the day, especially if a heavy population is present or if there is some other stress, such as a lack of food or water or an application of pesticides.

The German cockroach is the most successful cockroach producing a larger number of eggs per capsule and undergoes the shortest time from hatching until maturity, resulting in a very rapid population growth. A greater number of nymphs hatch successfully since the female carries the egg capsule during the entire time.

BrownBanded Cockroaches

    These are a light brown and are usually found in warmer climates especially in the Southern States. They are only about ½ inches long and have two light, irregular bands along their wings. They are often confused with the German roach, which has two dark bands behind their head. They prefer starches, but will eat anything.

The males have full wings, which reach beyond the tip of their rather abdomens, but females have underdeveloped wings, which are much shorter than their broad, rounded abdomens.

Male brownbanded cockroaches have been observed to fly indoors and among cockroach species, they have the most distinctions between sexes with females having larger abdomen and shorter wings than males. Brownbanded cockroaches often hide their egg cases in or under furniture.

Wood Roach

Very similar to the American roach and is light brown in color. They are attracted to light, which is their major difference and can usually be found under a log or in a woodpile.

NATURAL METHODS OF ELIMINATION

    
THE ROACH EXTERMINATOR