When cockroaches are discovered in a home, everyone probably immediately thoroughly disinfects the premises, which allows them to temporarily get rid of the problem. As a rule, insects reappear some time after treatment.
Most often, this situation is caused by the presence of clutches of cockroach eggs in the secluded corners of the apartment, which even the most effective pest control agents cannot cope with the destruction of.
Insects reproduce quickly; just a few adults are enough to revive a colony in a couple of months.
What should you know about the offspring of cockroaches in order to protect your home from uninvited guests? What do cockroach eggs look like, what measures should be taken to destroy them? Let's consider these questions in more detail.
How to detect cockroach eggs in an apartment
Finding cockroach eggs is just as bad as finding adult cockroaches. Eggs could indicate the presence of adult cockroaches, or it could mean there are oothecae containing cockroach eggs hidden in your home that may hatch and you could be dealing with a real pest problem. Cockroach eggs do not need attention from the adults, they just need a warm, dark place where they will not be disturbed. There they can develop and hatch. Everyone needs to know how to detect cockroach eggs in an apartment, because their appearance is an important sign of a cockroach infestation that will put your entire family in danger.
What is the difference between these groups
In all species of cockroaches, the development of offspring to the larval stage occurs in a capsule - the ooteca. But in ovoviviparous animals it is hidden in the female’s body. When the time comes, ready-made larvae emerge from the cockroaches. It may seem that such species are viviparous, but they are not. Development proceeds standardly: the first stage is the egg.
In oviparous animals, the ootheca gradually moves out of the abdomen as it fills. Eggs fill the capsule 4 in one row: 2 high and 2 wide. Domestic cockroaches belong to the second group.
Interesting!
The literal translation of the word “ootheca” from Greek is the storage of eggs.
Oviparous species are also divided into 2 groups. Some carry the ootheca with them until the young hatch. Others drop the “container” as it fills.
About the reproduction of cockroaches
Do cockroaches lay eggs? Yes they do. In fact, they "lay" many eggs at the same time. Like many animals, the cockroach's reproduction depends on eggs from the female and sperm from the male. Typically the female releases pheromones to attract a male, and in some species males fight over available females. But what happens after a male deposits his sperm into a female varies from species to species.
After mating, female cockroaches lay their eggs in a secure oval capsule called an ootheca. When the eggs are almost ready to hatch, the mother of most species either drops it near a food source or uses oral secretions to stick it to a suitable surface.
Ootheca and cockroach eggs
Cockroaches produce an egg sac called an ootheca. The ootheca serves for protection. This is a layer of protein that hardens to become a protective cover for the young. The exact number depends on what species you are dealing with.
How many eggs does a female lay at a time?
The American cockroach lays about 16 pieces in one ooteca.
The oriental cockroach lays as much as its black counterpart.
Female red cockroaches lay up to 50 eggs in one capsule.
Brown banded cockroaches will produce between 10 and 18 on any given occasion.
Ootecae are very small: less than a centimeter in length. When they are first formed they may be white in color, but as they age they darken and harden. Many species of cockroaches produce dark brown or reddish-brown oothecae. Some of these egg shells have ridges. These are the oothecae produced by brown and German cockroaches. Other capsules are swollen and lack ridges. This is the offspring of American and Oriental cockroaches.
Drug safety
The substance is a colorless crystal or white powder that easily dissolves in water and is odorless and tasteless. Refers to substances with slightly acidic properties. It is colorless, finely crystalline flakes. The powder is poorly soluble in water. Natural sources of the substance are mineral waters and geysers, hot springs. The scope of application of H 3 BO 3 is extensive: from nuclear reactors to disinfectants. Boric acid is actively used against cockroaches. Belongs to the third class of danger. In the most popular recipes, it is used as a base for the preparation of various medicines or in its pure form.
Boric acid was discovered in 1702 by Wilhelm Homberg. In his laboratory, he tried to isolate boric acid by mixing mineral acids, water and borax. During the process, he allowed the water to evaporate to extract crystals or powder, which he then called Homberg's salt. After further research in Europe, the beneficial properties of boric acid were discovered.
According to another version, boric acid was discovered in 1777 in Soffionia Tuscany (Italy) and is a weakly mineralized acid, like Sasolin. Since natural deposits of boric acid are limited, it is currently produced from borax, which occurs in nature in the form of deposits of mineral salts in large quantities.
Did you know that boric acid is a naturally occurring compound and can be found in common foods such as apples, bananas, almonds, peanuts, beer, wine, white bread and white rice? It has always been a part of the food industry as a preservative for processed foods. However, research from the World Health Organization shows that too much boric acid in the human body can be fatal. On average, safe ingestion of boric acid is only about .16 milligrams per day. A large dose can lead to fatal diseases and complications.
Insect egg sizes
The size and color of the eggs will help you determine what type of cockroaches you are dealing with in your home. All capsules with larval eggs basically have the same shape: elongated, reminiscent of tablets. Differences in color and size depending on the type of cockroach. To understand this issue, it is better to study it in the photo.
- Black cockroach - about 8 mm in length. The color is dark brown.
- Oriental cockroach - approximately 8 to 10 mm. Medium to dark reddish brown.
- German cockroach - approximately 6 to 9 mm. Usually shades of brown.
- Brown-striped cockroach - about 5 mm. Light brown with a little red.
How are they born?
The larval development phase ranges from 35 to 75 days. The cockroach prefers to breed where it is warm and humid. At temperatures close to zero, the development of the embryo stops. In this case, the appearance of offspring is postponed to a later date - when optimal conditions for full formation arise.
Embryos gradually increase in volume as they feed on all the necessary substances inside the egg. When the larva becomes uncomfortable, it makes a hole in the egg and, gnawing through the ootheca shell, finds itself outside. This birth technology is observed in females who separate the capsule. If the “incubator” matures inside the body of a pregnant individual, then the larvae independently leave the insect’s body.
The time period for the appearance of offspring varies from half an hour to 3-4 hours. At first, the insects are white and translucent. But over time, the outer cover of young cockroaches hardens and at the same time changes color to a dark color.
What do cockroach eggs look like?
In practice, you will never see this, because they are securely hidden in a capsule, from which a small cockroach will then emerge.
Cockroach eggs are a real mobile nursery
Prussians are the most common type of cockroaches. They are about a centimeter long and have a light brown capsule, about 3 mm long and 1.5 mm wide. Females of most other species briefly carry the newly extruded egg "case" for a short time, give birth to it, and then hide it or "glue it" in a hidden, protected location. The nymphs hatch a few weeks later. The mother of the red cockroaches, however, is very protective of her offspring, and carries an ootheca with eggs protruding from her abdomen for two to three weeks until all the babies hatch. She is viviparous.
The Prussian egg capsule has a series of indentations on each side. Each depression outlines an egg compartment inside, which develops into a developing nymph. Each capsule can contain from 30 to 48 developing nymphs. If you open the capsule, you will see 15-24 nymphs lined up in both the top and bottom half. Eventually, the fully developed nymphs open their protective cover and seek shelter in your kitchen!
How many eggs does a cockroach lay?
How long do cockroaches live? The lifespan of a cockroach is usually one year, and during the life of any female, she can produce 200 to 300 offspring or 6 generations per year. The number of eggs a single cockroach can produce will vary from species to species. Potentially, and under optimal conditions, a single female Goose and her offspring could produce 300,000 babies per year. This means that if you're not careful, a relatively small infestation can quickly develop into a much more serious problem that must be dealt with quickly.
How many cockroaches will hatch from one egg?
If you are trying to control cockroaches, you should also ask how to kill the parasite's offspring. Why? Because one “egg” can turn into 50 young cockroaches if you don’t stop them right away. Fear not, there is a proper way to deal with them to prevent them from hatching. It's important to know how to do it right so you don't waste all your efforts. Black and red members of the community should not continue to hatch.
Features of the appearance of larvae
Each type of cockroach has certain characteristics of the birth of larvae. And if in most species this process is identical, providing for the birth of larvae without the participation of a female, then hissing cockroaches have a slightly different method.
The females of these insects continue to carry an ootheca in their abdomen until the young nymphs are born.
Next, the birth of larvae occurs, which are literally hatched from the mother’s body, as it may seem to an outside observer. In reality, the opening of the ootheca located in its abdomen occurs.
There are some differences in the ways in which adult females care for their offspring. Madagascar cockroaches, for example, can guard emerging nymphs for several hours, often days, after which the latter scatter, hiding in secluded corners.
Other types of cockroaches are not such caring parents, leaving their offspring to the mercy of fate.
However, the presence or absence of guards does not play a special role for the newly born nymphs. Immediately after birth, insects are full-fledged members of the colony; they can feed on their own, find food, and look for secluded places to hide.
Cockroach eggs can protect offspring from insecticides
Swellings with eggs cannot be removed with insecticides. When there is a massive cockroach infestation, you will see both hatched and unhatched egg capsules among the carcasses, shed skins, and other debris. The egg capsule before poisoning appears full and plump, while the hatch may appear split, bruised or wrinkled.
You can see why German cockroaches are so successful. They have more nymphs per egg than any other species, and the female gives birth to 4-8 clutches in her lifetime. The strong outer shell of the egg storage capsule is resistant to insecticides, so new whiskered insects can hatch within days or weeks of pest control. You should make sure that you or your pest control contractor schedules follow-up maintenance to kill any nymphs that appear during this time.
Where to find cockroach eggs?
How and where to find these eggs? Where are these safe places? Finding eggs of the pest is not easy: they do not move and do not come out at night, like adult parasites. You cannot predict their behavior and you cannot kill them by squashing them.
To be honest, it is impossible to determine the exact location. Do you know what happens in their mind when they decide and determine that they have found the safest place? We can only make some assumptions.
We already know where they like to hide and what kind of environment they prefer. We also know about common places where we can find them hiding. We also know about common places where a lot of eggs are often found. Using these bits of information increases the chances of our efforts.
These pests usually like to hide in dark, nooks and crannies, so common places like closets and behind baseboards (where the wall meets the floor) are good places for them to hide their egg sacs.
The "safe areas" in which cockroaches prefer to lay eggs are the same for all species.
There are several standard places and their characteristics:
- Isolated
- Dark
- Quiet
- With high humidity environment
- Closed from most predators, including humans and pets
These characteristics of the places where the masonry is hidden will somewhat narrow your search.
You must do a thorough search to find the future descendants of your enemy in the house.
Some of the most common places to find them include:
- in the cracks and crevices
- in the hole around the pipes
- within the walls
- in closets
- behind the instruments
- under the baseboard
- in electronics
- in furniture
- in the bathrooms
- in technology
- in paper (newspapers, books, magazines)
- in closets
- in the basket
- on the ceilings
- in the bathrooms
If you happen to see a female carrying her egg sac, killing her could end her contribution to the population - if you pull out the ootheca and throw it away. Leaving a dead body on the floor or counter is the worst thing you can do. You might as well hang a sign above your door that says, “Cockroaches Welcome!”
Room treatment
Remove water, wipe sinks, turn off taps, etc. before using poison.
Powder from the package, sprinkle in a thin path around the perimeter of the cabinets, along the baseboards under the sink above the floor
Pay special attention to the “routes” that cockroaches have made to the water
Proven folk remedies are available. For example, you can make bait using this recipe. Dilute half a packet of boric acid in half a glass of water, add 2 tablespoons of sugar and a teaspoon of honey. Fill small bowls and saucers with the contents and turn them into traps. Place in areas where cockroaches look for food. Due to their natural curiosity, they will definitely feast on poisoned baits.
It is useful to know how to prepare the poison by adding flour, which weakens the smell of boron. The ingredients are mixed in equal parts. A similar mixture can be prepared by mixing boron powder with talc. The mixture is laid out on paper sheets in small piles. They should be placed on shelves, under the refrigerator and sink near baseboards.
To poison even more effectively, we recommend enhancing the disinfestation effect by using gel or crayons as additional active ingredients.
How to prevent pests from breeding
How to destroy cockroaches and their eggs? And again, we first need to understand what species we are dealing with. To identify them quickly, the best way to catch them for identification is with a bunch of sticky traps. Use odorless sticky traps and place them where you frequently see pests. Once you've caught a few, you can identify them.
The right way to deal with eggs: insect growth regulators.
They are effective in preventing hatching. If you use the right substances, they will become sterile. This means that the cockroaches will not hatch to repeat the entire reproduction cycle again.
Alternatively, you can use a contact pesticide.
