In human homes, cockroaches live for several thousand years. There was a time when the appearance of insects promised prosperity and wealth, but now they are pests that spread infection. Why do they get into apartments? The answer is simple - searching for food, water and warmth. After all, a cockroach cannot survive outside in winter due to the cold and lack of food.
Any cockroach living near a person has a whole set of features characteristic of any of the species:
- A cockroach goes through three stages of development: a larva emerges from an egg and turns into an adult insect - an adult;
- Externally, the imago and larvae are similar;
- Female cockroaches have edema to brood eggs;
- The cockroach's mustache helps it not to get lost in space;
- The insect is capable of chewing and digesting any food;
- For a long time, you can simply not notice them, thanks to their high speed of movement, the ability to hide in cracks and crevices, and their high activity mainly at night.
How to recognize a cockroach
There are a great variety of insects in nature, and a person encountering a cockroach for the first time may not recognize the enemy by sight. How do you know that it is a cockroach? So, the characteristic features of the insect:
- The length of the oblong or oval body is 4mm -10 cm;
- The head is not round, but flat, in the shape of a heart or triangle;
- The mouthparts of the gnawing type are covered with a shield.
The photo shows the types of cockroaches that may end up in an apartment.
Lifestyle
Under natural conditions, the enemy-competitor of the black parasite is the well-known red cockroach - the Prussian. These two species cannot live in peace in the same territory, since they eat the same food. A war of species occurs inexplicably: sometimes a red-haired Prussian lives in an apartment, having defeated a black pest, and sometimes it’s the other way around. Often they simply replace each other. Perhaps this change in species is explained by the different nature of the action of insecticides on them.
Reproduction
Over the entire life cycle, the female black cockroach lays two or three capsules of 16 eggs each. After 40 days, young individuals emerge from them.
At a comfortable room temperature, parasites are able to reproduce year-round. The insect's life cycle is 3-8 months, and sometimes extends to a couple of years.
Harm
As you know, cockroaches spoil food and things. However, in addition to this, all of them, and especially black ones, are distributors of typhoid fever, diphtheria, dysentery and worms. They carry pathogenic bacteria and helminth eggs on their paws and belly and easily leave them on dishes, food, and the table. This usually happens during their nightly “walks” around the apartment. Therefore, sloppy people can easily catch all these ailments.
Where do cockroaches come from?
Of the five thousand varieties of cockroaches, only a few of them live in houses and apartments in Russia. Why do they choose your apartment to live in? In each case the reason is individual:
- Dishes periodically left overnight in the sink;
- Migrating individuals from neighbors;
- Accumulated trash and food waste;
- A cockroach brought from the street or from guests and much more.
Once at least one cockroach has entered the premises, there is a high probability that their numbers will soon increase significantly. Pests often appear in clean rooms; do not forget that cockroaches are omnivores and can even feed on paper.
Egyptian (Polyphaga aegyptiaca)
This insect is also mainly found in southern regions with warm climates. Pests do not select living conditions, so they inhabit both human housing and utility buildings where livestock are kept. They do not pose a particular threat to humans unless their numbers are high.
Egyptian cockroaches are distinguished by their unusual appearance; they can grow up to several centimeters in length. The shell is smooth and shiny, almost black. On farms where lizards are bred, Egyptian cockroaches serve as food for them.
How to find out that there are cockroaches in the house
It may not be possible to detect pests immediately if there are still a few of them. The neighborhood will become noticeable when they begin to manage your kitchen as if they were at home. There are signs by which you can determine the presence of cockroaches in a room:
- Black dots are visible on the tiles, in the corners of the walls, on the furniture - these are insect feces;
- Look in cracks, tiny crevices and all corners for cockroach eggs;
- Cockroaches are sometimes accompanied by a specific smell.
Identify the type of cockroach
Cockroaches are the most common synanthropic insects. But among several thousand species, not all live at home. The most common cockroach in our homes is the red cockroach, less often the black and American cockroaches. In the south and in the tropics, other species wander into houses, but they cannot be called synanthropic; rather, they are random guests. Since the domestic cockroach looks different, depending on the variety, we provide a brief description and photo of each of the common species.
Harm from the Prussians
Damage from insects consists of:
- spreading about 50 pathogens of viral and microbial infections;
- provoking allergies and worsening asthma;
Invasion of the Prussians.
- the appearance of an unpleasant odor;
- food spoilage;
- dirtying things;
- impact on the psyche;
- infection with helminths and protozoa;
- loss of the appearance of finishing materials and failure of electrical appliances.
Types of cockroaches in the apartment (photo)
Prusak - red cockroach
Almost every resident of our country knows the red cockroach. In the photo you see a female (above) and a male below. The name of the species comes from their shell color – brownish-red.
Males are more slender and agile. The favorite place of residence of red cockroaches is the kitchen, where they feed on leftover food. Prussian larvae do not have wings; they differ from adult insects in color and physique.
Red cockroach larva – photo
It is believed that this type of cockroach was brought to us from Prussia, but in Germany, on the contrary, they are called “Russians”. Adult insects reach 10-16 mm in length. It is believed that the Prussian dog is nocturnal, but recently it can be found at noon right on the table.
“I saw a cockroach at home, and then I doubted it, it was too small, maybe it was a bug after all? And then I found out that the cockroach has cerci at the end of its abdomen, small appendages that are like a rudiment in insects; those who are more developed, in particular the bug, do not have them. Is it true?"
Elena. Ekaterinburg.
Indeed, if you look closely, cerci are visible on the abdomen of the cockroach, which indicates their primitiveness in evolutionary development. Cerci are appendages in the form of segmented filaments; higher insects do not have them at all.
Cerci of cockroaches - photo
Black beetle
Black cockroaches are large and, accordingly, have a coal-black color, they look as if covered with varnish. Males have large wings, they practically cover the body; females have shorter wings, but the abdomen is wider. Black cockroaches do not fly, although males use their wings to jump further.
Below you see a photo of domestic cockroaches - black (above - male, below - female).
The length of these cockroaches is 1.8 - 3 centimeters. The black cockroach smells unpleasant, it’s all because of the pheromones they use to mark their habitat, attracting their relatives there.
American cockroach
The American cockroach cannot be considered “domestic” in the full sense of the word. He lives in nature, but once in an apartment, he easily changes his diet. Outwardly, he looks a little like a Prussian, only “ours” is much smaller. An adult insect (imago) is 35-50 mm long and can fly. These cockroaches feed on everything they can, but they give special preference to sweets. Cockroaches are aggressive and bite even sleeping people, and the liquid they secrete causes allergic reactions.
American cockroach in the house - photo
Furniture (Supella longipalpa)
These insects were discovered in our apartments about 50 years ago, and since then the residents have been unsuccessfully fighting them. These cockroaches can be easily identified by their transparent wings with dark stripes and a bright red hue. You won't find them in the kitchen, since their diet consists of old books, paper, waste paper, and wallpaper glue. Therefore, quite often they settle in places where there is a lot of paper, and these are libraries, archives, etc.
Domestic cockroaches are species rarely found in human homes.
Central Asian cockroach
The Central Asian cockroach can be found in southern Russia. Its abdomen is brown, almost dark, and its head is yellow. The “Asian” has a peculiarity - it is very jumping and even flies short distances.
Photo of the Central Asian cockroach
White cockroaches
The white cockroach is not an albino, but a nymph that has just become an adult. For several hours, its body is soft and painted white, although it does not leave the shelter; it is rare to see the insect, but it is still possible.
Photo of a white cockroach
Egyptian cockroach
The Egyptian cockroach lives in addition to African countries in the Middle East and the Mediterranean. This specimen is scary because it eats paper and wood. Its body is flat, oval, 20-25 mm long (male) 40-45 mm (female), dark or reddish-brown in color. Males have developed wings, while females do not have them at all. In appearance they resemble turtles.
Egyptian cockroach photo
Control measures
Protecting premises from cockroaches is a matter of paramount importance. People try every possible means. During the years of this war, the Prussians acquired good immunity to classical insecticides and many pesticides.
Hydroprene and methoprene are more effective drugs. They delay development and molting.
This species is not in danger of extinction, despite the active fight against it. Moreover, in a certain region at one time you may not find any individuals at all, or vice versa, there are so many of them that they will wander around during the day due to lack of food.
Representatives of exotic fauna
But not all types of cockroaches are pests. Representatives of some species are very popular among originals, who prefer to have an unusual exotic pet in their home. Today you won’t surprise anyone with an iguana in an aquarium or a dangerous tarantula in a children’s room. So the turn came to the individuals of the cockroach order.
We suggest considering the types of popular exotic cockroaches and their photos.
- The car cockroach looks more than original. Its characteristic features are short elytra of a light shade and a light stripe along the perimeter of the body, and males are also distinguished by bright spots on the pronotum.
- The chess cockroach is the cutest, so to speak, representative of his squad. It has a bright black and white color, which resembles the color of a predatory ground beetle, which helps it not to become prey for some predators. Like representatives of other species, the chess cockroach prefers to hide during the day and go out at night in search of food.
- The next type received the catchy name “Death's Head”, as it has a pattern on the back that resembles a scary mask.
- The Madagascar hissing cockroach is the largest representative of its order. Adults can reach 10 cm in length and surprise with their behavior - they hiss. It may seem that in this way they are trying to scare you away, but this is not entirely true. Undoubtedly, they use this sound to scare away enemies, but often the hissing emitted is just a sharp exhalation. Read more about this species in the article: Conditions for keeping Madagascar cockroaches.
- The rhinoceros cockroach is distinguished by its impressive weight - some individuals can reach a mass of 37 g. Almost like an ordinary sparrow. These insects are long-lived - they can live about 10 years.
- Megaloblatta longipennis is a cockroach native to Latin America that can fly. His wingspan is 20 cm, and when he unfolds them, he becomes truly huge.
And these are not all representatives of the cockroach order. After all, every year there are new individuals that have not been studied before. Insects adapt to poisons, get used to new environmental conditions and again settle in our homes. Some as exotic pets, others as pests.
