Black cockroach in the apartment: photo, habits, how to get rid of it

In the Central region of Russia, several species of red and one species of black cockroaches can be found in residential and non-residential premises. The large black cockroach, like other types of these pests, can act as a carrier of pathogenic bacteria and microorganisms. It spoils and makes any food unsuitable for food, and creates unsanitary conditions wherever it is located. Who is he? Where does it come from, why does it come and how to get rid of it?

Types of black cockroaches

In the Central region of Russia, only one type of cockroach is found in apartments, which is black in color - Blatta orientalis, also known as the oriental cockroach or popularly “Swabian”. This is the second most common pest species after the red cockroaches Blattella germanica - the Prussians. Other types of black cockroaches are not found in Moscow apartments.

Ash cockroaches Nauphoeta cinerea or American cockroaches Periplaneta americana can sometimes appear black in color. The latter actually have a dark brown color, more reddish, and an elongated oval body. Ash cockroaches are more similar to black oriental cockroaches, but so far they are very, very rare in homes.

What do insects eat?

Cockroaches belong to the class of insects. Their genus numbers about 4,500 representatives. But in the apartment only black and red cockroaches cause trouble. Black cockroaches are slightly larger than their red counterparts. Their body length reaches 5 cm. Their body is covered with a black chitinous shell with a black sheen. They see perfectly in the dark and have a good sense of smell and touch. Hairs and antennae located throughout the body help them navigate in space. These pests feed on solid food thanks to their chewing jaws. Their stomach can digest a lot. Whiskered pests are very fond of leftover vegetables and bread crumbs. They consider laundry soap and shoe polish to be a delicacy. But if the pest does not find this food, then wood, paper, or fabric will suit it.

We recommend that you read

What do black cockroaches look like?

Black cockroaches Blatta orientalis look like beetles; they even have wings, but they use them reluctantly, preferring to move mainly with their legs.

Adult black cockroaches have a massive, rectangular, rounded body up to 3 centimeters long.
Females are larger than males, especially when wearing an ootheca (a special chamber where the eggs are located), when their length together with it can reach 4.5 centimeters.
The body color of the black cockroach is dark brown, dark purple, black with a glossy sheen.
When cockroaches reproduce, they shed oothecae rather than lay individual eggs.
The larvae of black cockroaches are the same as adult insects, but much smaller in size - the older the individual, the larger it is.

What black cockroaches look like can be clearly seen in the photo. This type of pest is most often quite easy to distinguish from others due to the shape of the body - species of red cockroaches

it is much more elongated.

Traps

The method is expensive, but effective. There are three groups of traps:

The bait is located in the device itself. When a cockroach gets inside, the trap slams shut. The pests will not escape. They are designed in different ways: Velcro or simple scent baits.
Electronic. Not a bad, expensive toy. The pest gets inside the trap and dies from an electrical discharge using built-in electrodes. Manufacturers that have proven themselves in the market: Greathouse Electronics, GH-180, Shenzhen.
Chemical basis. It looks like gels, but inside a trap. Safer to use. Once inside, the cockroach feasts on the poison and then dies inside the closed trap.

Black cockroaches in the apartment

Black cockroaches appear in apartments quite often; more often only red cockroaches Blattella germanica do this. The presence of heating allows pests to exist in suitable environmental conditions all year round. Black cockroaches reproduce and grow slower than red ones. If two colonies of these species claim the same territory, black cockroaches will likely lose the battle. If you notice cockroach-like insects in your apartment or you are sure that these are exactly them, you need to start exterminating them as quickly as possible and protecting your home with the help of preventive measures:

Install mosquito nets on ventilation.
Seal gaps, cracks and holes.
Check if communications are leaking.
Regularly do thorough cleaning throughout the entire apartment using household cleaning products.

In addition, it is necessary to report the presence of cockroaches in the house to the housing and communal services control room. The management company will inspect common areas and, if necessary, organize pest control to prevent further spread of pests throughout the apartments. In any case, you will have to poison cockroaches in your apartment yourself; you can choose how to do it yourself.

Where do black cockroaches live?

An environment comfortable for black cockroaches is formed by a combination of high humidity, air temperature around +30° C, and available sources of food and water. Places where black cockroaches often live are sewers, heated basements, and garbage collection chambers in apartment buildings. Directly on the territory of the apartment, such conditions are often created in the bathroom, toilet, combined bathrooms, in the kitchen, and in places where water supply lines pass.

As for the distribution area of black cockroaches throughout the country, it extends across all regions with tropical, subtropical and temperate climates.

Reproduction process

After mating, the female places her eggs in a special cocoon, the length of which can reach about 10 mm. In this case, up to 16 eggs can develop in a cocoon at once. The capsule is distinguished by the fact that it has a fairly strong structure, so future offspring have reliable protection.

As the eggs grow and develop, the cocoon also increases in size. At a certain stage of development, the female discards this capsule in a secluded place. About a month or a month and a half later, small transparent larvae appear in the white light, similar in appearance to cockroaches. As the larvae grow and develop, they begin to acquire a dark, rich hue. Before the juveniles develop into adults, they go through 10 molting stages. During her life, the female manages to lay a maximum of 3 cocoons.

Where do black cockroaches come from?

Black cockroaches critically need high temperatures and humidity, so most often they come into houses and buildings from sewers and sewers, using the city's communications distribution system. Another source where black cockroaches sometimes come from is commercial premises on the first and ground floors, especially those that work with products in one way or another. Cockroaches crawl directly into the apartment through ventilation, through cracks and cracks in the structure of the house, and in the summer - through open windows and vents.

What do black cockroaches eat?

Everything that black cockroaches eat is organic at various stages of its existence. Their diet may include:

Any products from your table
Garbage from a garbage can
Houseplants
Microorganisms growing in moist environments
Pet food
Excrement

Black cockroaches have a penchant for cannibalism. They can eat not only smaller domestic insects and their remains, but also larvae and weak individuals of their own species. Also, black cockroaches can eat skin on delicate areas of the body - the face, behind the ears, in the armpits, between the fingers, etc. The likelihood of encountering this is small, but nevertheless it still exists.

Description and features

The black cockroach is a large crawling insect known to mankind for 350 years. Other names for this species are oriental, water, and sewer cockroaches (due to their preference for places with a humid microclimate).

Remedy for black cockroaches

Using special means to bait cockroaches is the most effective and relatively simple method of independent pest control. If you approach the treatment thoroughly, repeat it several times and combine it with the necessary preventive measures to protect the premises, it is quite possible to achieve a visible and lasting result. Insecticidal products against cockroaches for household use can be produced in several versions. How it should be used depends on the form of release and composition of the product.

Powders

Phenaxin
Cucaracha
Absolute
Delicia
Ecokiller
Gektor
Diatomaceous earth

Powder products are used either for mixing poisoned baits, and, accordingly, act on cockroaches through the gastrointestinal tract when they eat the bait, or have a contact effect and kill insects, penetrating into their body directly through the body.

Gels

Maxforce Ultra Gel Bayer
Raptor for cockroaches and ants
Clean house
Forssyth
Absolute
Proshka Brownie
August Cucaracha

Gels, depending on the characteristics of a particular drug, can work either as bait, or as a contact agent, or combine both actions at once. As a rule, they are applied directly to surfaces or substrates in areas where cockroaches congregate. Gels can be used as barrier preventatives or to kill cockroaches already living in your home. Some gels are designed to renew poisoned baits inside pre-made plastic traps.

Aerosols

Combat Super Spray
Raid Max
Cobra Insect Killer
Raptor from tenacious cockroaches
Clean Home universal protection
Dichlorvos Neo
Dr. Klaus against ants and cockroaches

Aerosols are primarily contact-acting agents. With their help, you can quickly process individual areas, rooms, or even the entire apartment. They can be highly specialized to combat cockroaches specifically or be broad-spectrum drugs against crawling insects. Products with an additional narrow tube allow the composition to be injected into crevices, holes and cracks within reach.

Crayons

Mashenka Silver
Argus
Blockbuster
Absolute
Titanic
Tornado
Euroguard

Crayons are means of contact action. They are used to draw in areas where insects gather and on their movement routes. When parasites come into contact with the product, they transfer it to their bodies and the poison begins to affect them. It is important to understand that the product does not act instantly and does not create the effect of an electric fence barrier that kills insects outright.

Traps

Combat Super Bait
Forssyth
Raptor
Argus
Block
Delicia
Mr. Mouse

They can be glued or be a small box with bait inside. In some trap models, the bait can be updated. Glue traps need to be changed regularly as they become full - the insects in them stick to the glue applied to the substrate. Traps and, in general, any means with a luring effect should be placed in places where small children and pets cannot reach them.

Concentrates

K-Otrin WG 250
Agran
Forssyth
Medilis-Ziper
Get
Cypermethrin
Dobrokhim Micro/Fos

The most difficult and dangerous option for independent use. You need a quality sprayer. You need to mix the product with water and achieve the desired concentration of the solution yourself. Treatment is carried out by spraying. In other words, you prepare the product yourself, which will be in the form of a spray.

Carefully!

When using any product yourself, read the instructions for it in full and strictly follow the recommendations in the section on method of use, dosage and safety precautions.
Wear closed clothing, use rubber gloves, a respirator and eye protection. Working with toxic substances, especially in concentrated form, can be dangerous for you and others. No special remedy for black cockroaches is required. When using high-quality, not expired drugs according to the instructions, all formulations intended for cockroaches are suitable.

Prevention of occurrence

There is no better prevention against cockroaches than perfect cleanliness in the apartment. Here are the conditions required to prevent cockroaches from colonizing your home:

wash dishes immediately after eating;
store bread and rolls in sealed plastic bags;
collect crumbs of bread and other products that have fallen on the floor from the table;
take out the trash promptly;
Clean kitchen cabinets regularly;
do not clutter the apartment with unnecessary items;
ventilate the apartment every day;
Perform daily wet cleaning of the apartment and weekly general cleaning;
plant a geranium in a pot and place it in the room, it will act as a repellent.

Attention! Water should not drip from the tap if it is closed. Deny cockroaches any access to water, especially at night when they are most active. Insects will not live in an apartment where there is no way to quench their thirst.

Having discovered black cockroaches in your home, you first need to find out where they came from. Next, depending on the number of arthropods, it is necessary to develop a strategy for combating cockroaches and immediately begin exterminating them.

How else can you get rid of black cockroaches?

In addition to special means, there are several other methods for getting rid of black cockroaches.

Folk remedies

There are a huge number of folk remedies

from all known types of insects, but almost all of them are either outdated and dangerous, or have a selective effect, or only repel pests, that is, it is extremely unlikely to completely get rid of parasites with their help. Considering this fact, the most effective folk remedy for cockroaches can only be considered baits with boric acid or borax.

Mixing proportions recipe (powder/food bait):

For boric acid powder: 1/1
For borax: 1/2

As a food additive, eggs, flour, jam, potatoes or bananas, vanilla and regular sugar are used as sweeteners. The bait is mixed until homogeneous, divided into small fractions and placed on substrates in places where cockroaches accumulate. From time to time, the eaten bait must be replenished. The method works on those pests that feed on it. Destroying a colony using this method takes some time, sometimes up to several months.

SES processing

The fastest solution to the problem. Provided you contact a reliable service that provides quality services, most often just one treatment is enough, even for resistant (having developed immunity to chemicals) cockroaches. The method is suitable if you don’t want to poison cockroaches yourself, you can’t do it yourself, or you’ve already tried everything and nothing works.