DIFFERENT TYPES OF ROACHES

Does the very idea of a cockroach make you shudder in horror and revulsion? Almost certainly because, along with spiders, the roach is the most hated and repulsive bug on the planet. Worse still, there are over 4,000 types of roaches. Hence it is important to get to know more about the roaches around your home.

Some of the more common species include German cockroaches, American cockroaches, brown-banded cockroaches and Oriental cockroaches. German cockroaches (Blattella germanica) are one of the most common species. These insects typically live up to 12 months and produce more eggs than other species.

GERMAN ROACHES

The German cockroach (scientific name: Blatella germanica) is a small roach that rarely grows bigger than about half an inch. This type of roach is dark in color, almost black, and has two darker stripes running down its back. It may be small, but it is found all over the world. The German cockroach is the head honcho when it comes to these kinds of pests. It used to be thought that this little critter originated and was named in Germany.
The German roach really excels when it comes to reproduction, and if you get them in your house, they can quickly become a problem. This little creature can grow from egg to mature adult in just 60 days. As they have few predators in a human home, they can reach alarming numbers in just a few months.
This roach can fly, which makes it even scarier when it thrashes around. It looks huge when flying, especially with its leathery wings open and beating hard. Flying is risky for the roach though, as it then becomes vulnerable to predators. Birds feeding on this type of cockroach help to control its numbers. It might surprise you to learn that this roach, like all its cousins, is unlikely to do you any serious harm, A dose of food poisoning is about the worst it can do to you. It’s strange how it scares us and yet it is pretty harmless.


 AMERICAN ROACHES

The American cockroach (scientific name Periplaneta americana) is the largest of the common roaches. Not only is it big, but it’s also a frequent pest in our houses. This is a reddish brown roach that moves very fast when it needs to get out of the way. In fact, this little creature is one of the fastest crawling bugs alive.American cockroaches can actually run at speeds of over 200 miles per hour. They can grow up to two inches in length, but are pretty flat, at just a quarter of an inch tall. This makes it easy for them to slide under small gaps very easily.

American cockroaches live primarily outdoors, but it’s not uncommon to find them inside a structure. They are typically found in sewers and drains, and are most common cockroach species found in city sewer systems. It’s been reported that more than 5,000 individual American cockroaches were once found in a single sewer manhole. In the Southern United States, American cockroaches are often spotted in shady, humid areas like flowerbeds and underneath mulch piles. During summer months, they can also be found outdoors in yards and alleys.

American cockroaches will move indoors when they experience a food shortage or a significant change in the climate. In general, American cockroaches prefer warm, moist and dark environments with temperatures between 70 and 80 degrees Fahrenheit. They often enter structures by being brought in on human belongings, coming up from the sewer system via drains or occasional mass migration from other structures, dumps, etc., during warm weather.

American cockroaches are especially common in larger commercial buildings such as restaurants, bakeries, grocery stores, food processing plants, hospitals, etc., where they usually infest food storage and food preparation areas, boiler rooms, steam tunnels and basements. These pests can also infest homes by easily passing underneath doors lacking weather stripping or entering through basement windows and garages. Once inside a residence, American cockroaches usually make their way into the kitchen, bathroom, basement or laundry room in search of food and water.

American cockroaches feed on many kinds of food, but they show a particular fondness for fermenting material. Outdoors, they tend to eat decaying leaves, fungi, algae and small insects. Indoors, they eat crumbs found under appliances, in drains, behind kitchen cabinets and on the floor. They will also eat pet food that is left uncovered.

American cockroaches are filthy pests, and their presence in the home can pose a severe health threat. Cockroaches have been reported to spread at least 33 kinds of bacteria, including E. coli and Salmonella, as well as six kinds of parasitic worms and at least seven other kinds of human pathogens. They pick up germs on the spines of their legs and body as they crawl through decaying matter or sewage, and then transfer the germs onto food or cooking surfaces.

The saliva, urine and fecal droppings from American cockroaches contain allergen proteins known to elicit allergic reactions and asthma attacks. As such, cockroaches are a common trigger of year-round allergy and asthma symptoms, especially in children.

 to be continued