Insects such as cockroaches have existed on earth for more than 300 million years, which has been proven by archaeological excavations. They are incredibly resistant to changes in climate and environmental conditions. They can survive in the cold, with little or no food, and live underwater or without oxygen for short periods of time. These insects are the most common in the world, among other types of household pests.
There are approximately 3,500 species of these insects. Most of them live outdoors and do not survive indoors. Only a small part consider houses to be their favorite habitat. It is difficult to find a place on the globe where these pests cannot be found. Due to the fact that they masterfully adapt to their environment, they are present in almost all parts of the world.
At the same time, all their ability to change makes them leaders in invulnerability. They easily get used to the type of pesticides that they were poisoned with earlier and do not react to it in the future. They can even do without a head.
In Russia there are only a few species: German, red, black. Such species mainly inhabit houses in Russia, America and Europe.
Cockroaches photo
The general appearance is familiar to everyone and is presented in the photo of cockroaches. They have an oval shape with a flat body, which allows them to fit into all types of cracks and crevices. The back looks like a kind of shield. With their long, spiny legs, they can quickly run long distances on almost any surface. Their paws have such properties that they can easily move along glass windows or walk on the ceiling. Different species differ in size and color, some of them can fly. The most common are German cockroaches. They are the ones who most often inhabit apartments, restaurants, hospitals, warehouses, offices, and so on. They have a brown color. A distinctive feature is two black stripes on the back of the body, near the head. Immature individuals, called nymphs, become darker in color. Being almost black, they have a light stripe in the middle of the back, which is a known marking of a juvenile. Significantly smaller in size than an adult.
An adult red cockroach is about 1.5 cm long. The adult male is golden brown in color and has a narrow body with wings extending beyond the tip of the abdomen. The female is dark chestnut in color, has a teardrop-shaped body, and her wings do not completely cover the abdominal cavity. Both sexes have distinctive horizontal yellow stripes. The nymph has two pale stripes that run horizontally across the entire body.
Cockroach invasion or who is attacking our apartments?
Of all the diversity, only fifty species are adapted to live next to humans. And only some types of cockroaches in the apartment withstand the hunt organized for them, migrating from dangerous conditions to more prosperous homes. These are black and red cockroaches. Each type has its own characteristics. In general terms, insects can be characterized as follows:
- preference is given to apartments in which “tropical” conditions are created: humid and warm;
- body size ranges from 2 to 9 cm;
- two-eyed;
- three pairs of legs;
- antennae (two);
- gnawing type of mouthparts with jaws and chitinous teeth;
- bisexual, reproduce sexually;
- optimal living conditions: warmth and dampness;
- lifestyle is nocturnal.
What are cockroaches afraid of?
These pests do not like strong odors such as vinegar or kerosene. Such dope will repel annoying insects. Also, ultrasonic devices have recently begun to appear on the market, but they have not yet fully proven themselves.
Since cockroaches move mainly at night, daylight or lamplight will stop them. But there is no point in spending money on electricity and being particularly happy; they will still find a way to profit. Finding tidbits in hard-to-reach places when cleaning.
The main thing cockroaches are afraid of is being hungry. If you maintain sanitary conditions, carry out regular wet cleaning, take out garbage in a timely manner, put food in containers, and do not leave dirty dishes and crumbs behind after eating, then cockroaches will have nothing to do.
But, if your room is loved by these insects, then getting rid of them will not be easy. After all, they easily adapt to new environmental conditions. And what scared them off the first time may not have an effect on them the next time. And they will not give up trying to move in with you again. The use of barrier protective equipment is necessary.
Penetration through a garbage chute
The best place for cockroaches is considered to be the garbage disposal. This is an abundance of food, moisture, good shelter. They are unlikely to want to run into an apartment from such a comfortable corner, unless there are too many of them separated. Parasites can penetrate from the garbage chute into apartments to settle in new areas.
To do this, the scout cockroach inspects the premises; if it finds it suitable, then several dozen individuals move to a new living space. But the scout may not like the cleanliness, lack of moisture and available food.
Tatyana, Saratov:
“We have a garbage chute in a multi-story building. He caused a lot of trouble at first. The cockroaches climbed as if they were asking for food. The children were afraid to take out the trash. We couldn't have done it on our own. First they called a special service, they fixed it for us, but they only gave us a guarantee for half a year. It's so little. Then we ourselves began to spray some kind of poison inside every week. Each floor is different. Young people read on the Internet that they should bully different people. Now there are no insects, not even flies in the summer.”
How do cockroaches reproduce?
Cockroaches have three stages of development: egg, nymph and adult. Each female produces 4-8 capsules during her life. The female carries the eggs in a special cocoon that looks like a capsule. It has an elongated long shape and a light brown tint. Inside the cocoon there are 2 rows of eggs. The female wears this capsule on the lower part of her body almost until the very moment of maturation.
Before hatching, the female lays a capsule by dropping it or sticking it to some surface. Most often, this happens in a secluded place where nymphs can easily find treats for themselves. It happens that the eggs mature while still on the female’s body and the capsule is opened.
Each capsule can contain from 30 to 50 eggs. When the maturation process is completed, the seam along the capsule on the upper part is broken through by the grown nymphs. After which, they immediately begin full-fledged life activities.
The population is dominated by young individuals, who are the vast majority in relation to adults.
The next stage is nymphs. These are small cockroaches that are no different in behavior from an adult. They also make constant forays in search of food.
Do cockroaches bite?
Cockroaches are omnivores; they eat everything from plants to meat. In case of extreme infestation, where their number is very large, they can even bite a living person. Especially when food becomes limited. Therefore, the answer to the question do cockroaches bite is yes, they do. Although, this does not happen as often as one might think.
When it comes to biting, they are more likely to bite: Legs; Hands; Nails; Eyelashes. This does not mean that the cockroaches actually want to taste you. They don't do it intentionally. Food is the only thing they are looking for. Therefore, bites usually occur at night when people sleep with food debris around their hands or mouth. It is this leftover food that attracts them.
In most cases, cockroaches will not bite people if there are other food sources available, such as in trash cans or open food. When cockroach numbers are left unchecked, the population can outgrow normal food sources. In such a situation, they will be forced to obtain more food and eat things that they usually do not eat. Typically, pest control will begin before the population reaches these levels.
These ugly pests use a chewing motion that can cause painful bites that cause mild skin reactions in sensitive people.
Brought back from a trip
It is quite possible for travelers to bring parasites from a business trip, travel, or vacation. A female cockroach could choose a suitcase or travel bag to lay eggs. There is no guarantee that your hotel stay or train stations or airports will be free from cockroaches. Wherever there is food, parasites can live.
Parasites are constantly poisoned. All organizations that deal with products must do this. But cockroaches can appear again if the place is comfortable and the poisonous substances are not too poisonous.
Anastasia, Kemerovo:
“At the train station I noticed cockroaches that were not on the second floor, where there was a buffet, but near the tracks. I asked the guides, it turned out that these parasites have adapted, they can already eat any kind of lubricant that they use to coat sleepers, as long as there is water. In the buffet they are poisoned, the water is removed, they are dried. There is a lot of water outside after rain. They don’t want to go to the buffet; they’re even ready to eat lubricant. This is how they know how to adapt. Maybe soon they will be the only ones left on the planet; we can’t adapt like that.”
How long does a cockroach live?
It takes 40-125 days to complete the nymph stage into a mature individual, under room conditions. Depending on environmental conditions and other factors. Adult German cockroaches can live up to one year, but most will die from various causes long before that time. Adult females live about 200 days.
To answer the question of how long a cockroach lives, you need to add up all the stages of its development. The total will be about 1.5 years, excluding the egg stage.
They are very stable and tenacious. If water is present, adults can live for about a month without food, but young nymphs will starve to death within 10 days. Without water and food, adults die in less than two weeks. At this time, cockroaches become very aggressive and begin to look for food even during abnormal periods such as daytime. They begin to move to other habitats in search of a better life.
A cockroach's body can survive even without its head for up to a week. This is because they breathe through small openings in body segments and have an open circulatory system. Since they do not need a head to breathe, these insects can survive without it for a short period of time. Eventually, the cockroach dies from dehydration because it will no longer be able to drink water.
Penetration from neighbors
This is the most difficult case. There are two options. Cockroaches are fleeing because the neighbors have unsanitary conditions and the insects have become crowded. Another option is that neighbors are constantly getting rid of parasites that are looking for shelter in other places.
When neighbors don't want to kill pests in their homes, they can be forced to do so through legal action. First you need to obtain a document that confirms the unsanitary conditions in the neighboring apartment.
Such a document is issued by the management company or the sanitary housing inspection. If neighbors are trying to get rid of insect pests, you need to agree to take action at the same time. It will be more efficient.
Insects can crawl through cracks in the floor/ceiling, cracks in walls, loose baseboards, and through sockets. They move around the entrance, live in attics and basements.
Where do cockroaches come from?
It is simply impossible to determine where the cockroaches come from. They move very quickly, are unnoticeable and constantly travel in search of new habitats.
They can get into your home for absolutely different reasons. You may unknowingly bring them with you after visiting some public place, be it a shopping center, cinema, cafe or others.
Since we live in apartment buildings, one infected apartment is enough for the whole house to suffer! They crawl through cracks and crevices, vents, sewer pipes, under doors, in common areas and stairwells, even along exterior walls through windows.
Your home is an ideal breeding ground for certain types of pests. With plenty of food, warmth, water and nesting sites, they can remain active all year round.
Cockroaches insects
Cockroaches are insects that can become pests in homes, schools, restaurants, hospitals, warehouses, offices, and almost any structure that has food preparation or storage areas. They contaminate food and cutlery, destroy fabrics and paper products, and impart stains and unpleasant odors to surfaces when they come into contact with them.
Such parasites can transmit bacteria that cause food poisoning. Also capable of transmitting pathogens, bacteria and hepatitis viruses. Participate in the spread of typhoid fever and dysentery. Internal cockroach infestations are an important source of allergens and asthma risk in some populations.
People are shocked when they find cockroaches in their homes and kitchens. Even if you maintain crystal cleanliness, you still will not be completely immune from the appearance of such neighbors.
Having seen one individual, there is a high probability that most of the population is simply hidden from view. So there is no need to delay destruction. First of all, carry out general cleaning, the main thing is not to forget about hard-to-reach places. If you do not see the special one yourself, you may stumble upon the waste products of these insects. In such cases, it is better not to delay until the breeding process develops into a larger disaster.
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Prevention
After treatment, all cracks in the baseboards, doors, floors, and ceilings are carefully sealed, the ventilation is treated with gel and covered with a mosquito net. As a preventive measure, they use washing floors with disinfectants, maintaining cleanliness in the sink, on the table, in the kitchen in general, in the bathroom and toilet. Leaking risers are repaired or pipes are replaced, garbage is sealed and removed from the house daily. Folk methods of war suggested what to do if you saw a cockroach in the house. Ammonia is sometimes added to the water for washing floors or the baseboards are lubricated with ammonia. It is not harmful to insects, but they cannot stand its smell. But the smell is also unsafe for the owner, in which case they leave the house for a while.
Cockroaches are tenacious, annoying, rapidly multiplying and infection-carrying insects. The war against them is being waged on several fronts, and having thought about where they came from, they do not give the slightest chance to survive or return to their homes again.
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