Identifying Cockroaches Chapter 9 Section II – General Pest Control Basics of the Pest Bear & Affiliates Service Personnel Development Program 2005 Copyright

Identifying Cockroaches

Chapter 9

Section II – General Pest Control Basics

of the

Pest Bear & AffiliatesService Personnel Development Program

2005

Copyright @ 2005-2006, Central Fla Duplicating, Inc. All rights reserved

Cockroaches - General Information

• There are over 3500 species of cockroaches, 55 species are known to live in the United States.

• Cockroaches produce odorous secretions which can contaminate food and when infestations are high impart an odor into the air.

• Cockroaches have a gradual metamorphosis: egg, nymph & adult.

• Eggs are produced in a purse shaped case -the Ootheca.

• Most cockroaches are nocturnal - active at night.



• Seeing cockroaches during daylight hours usually indicates a heavy infestation.

• Temperature is the most important factor effecting the development of cockroaches.

• Cockroaches develop more rapidly at higher temperatures.

• Cockroaches are good hitchhikers , commonly being introduced in cartons, bags and boxes from infested locations.


• Cockroaches are second only to termites in importance to homes and other buildings.

• Flies and mosquitoes may be more important as household pests, but they generally breed elsewhere and then invade the dwelling.

• Cockroaches can transmit diseases to man by carrying disease organisms on their body or in the feces.

• Cockroaches are most commonly implicated in the transmission of Salmonella, which causes food poisoning.



• Parasitic Toxoplasma can also be transmitted by cockroaches.

• Cockroaches have been known to bite man, but they generally restrict their biting to consumption of hair and lose skin from humans.

• Some people are allergic to cockroach secretions or fragments.

• Contamination of food by cockroaches is usually caused by fragmented body parts, fecal material, or topical alteration due to chewing or gnawing by the cockroaches.



Cockroaches - General Control Information

• IPM - Integrated Pest Management - the utilization of control methods and procedures other than or in addition to chemical control is of utmost importance in cockroach control.

• Good sanitation is as important to cockroach control as chemical control.

• Prior to attempting to use insecticides, you should be completely familiar with the Environmental Protective Agency rules and regulations.


Cockroaches - General Control Information

• Since cockroaches are nocturnal, insecticide applications in or near nesting areas will increase the effectiveness of the treatment.

• When selecting an insecticide for cockroach control, refer to the label for any restrictions, recommendations or limitations.


German cockroach, Blatella germanica• The German cockroach is the most

important species in the United States.

• The adult is about 1/2” to 5/8” long.

• Nymphs and adults of both sexes have two dark stripes behind the head.


German cockroach, Blatella germanica• They prefer to live in kitchens and

bathrooms of homes and apartments, restaurants, supermarkets, and hospitals.

• The Asian cockroach, Blatella asahinai, is identical to the German cockroach in appearance and lives outdoors in lawns and leaf litter.


German cockroach - Adult Male• The adult male is 5/8” long and is pale

brown to tan in color with two stripes on the pronotum.

• The male’s abdomen is slimmer, yellower and more tapered to the tip than the female’s.

• The wings of the male extend almost to the tip of the abdomen.

• Males court females by raising their wings above their abdomen, exposing a dorsal gland; females eat the secretion from the gland.


German cockroach - Adult Female

• The adult female is also 5/8” long and is darker than the adult male.

• The female’s abdomen is broader at the tip than the male’s and the wings extend just beyond the tip.

• Adult German cockroaches live about half a year.

• Males and females are usually found in equal numbers.


German cockroach - Female with ootheca

• The adult female develops an ootheca (egg capsule) about 11 to 12 days after becoming an adult.

• The female carries the ootheca for about three weeks, until it is ready to hatch.


German cockroach - Female with ootheca

• Eggs in ootheca removed from females dry out and do not develop.

• The female provides moisture to the developing embryos through a porous area of the ootheca where it is attached. A female can develop five to eight oothecae during her life.


German cockroach - Ootheca (egg capsule) • The German cockroach ootheca is

3mm wide and 8mm long and has segments.

• Each segment of the ootheca contains two eggs.

• Each ootheca usually has 30 to 40 eggs.

• Mature embryos in the egg capsule are almost ready to hatch when a blue-green line is seen through the ootheca.

• German cockroach egg capsules usually will not hatch if they are removed from the female.


German cockroach - Ootheca hatching

• When mature, the first instar nymphs in the ootheca force the ootheca to rupture and crack open at the keel.

• About 30 to 40 white first instar nymphs emerge form the cracked ootheca.

• At first, they remain with the ootheca and wait for their cuticle to harden and become dark.

• Then they move into small cracks and crevices. Copyright @ 2005-2006, Central Fla Duplicating, Inc. All rights reserved

German cockroach - First instar nymph

• The first instar nymphs are 3mm long and dark gray to black in color.

• They have a pale brown band on the second and third thoracic segment.

• In later instars, the pale band becomes narrower.

• They strongly aggregate and are usually found in large numbers.


German cockroach - Third instar nymph

• The third instar nymphs are about 6mm long and dark brown to black in color.

• They have a light band extending from the pronotum behind the head to the abdomen.

• The light band separates the two long, dark streaks which are characteristic of German cockroaches.

• The edges of their thorax are almost clear. Copyright @ 2005-2006, Central Fla Duplicating, Inc. All rights reserved

German cockroach - Sixth instar nymph• The sixth instar nymphs are about

10mm long and almost black in color.

• The median light stripe is very narrow and the edges of the thorax are clear.

• The abdomen is almost completely black.

• They are large nymphs and are considered to be the dispersal stage that emigrates to new habitats and begins new infestations.


German cockroach - Newly molted adults

• Completely white nymphs or adults are often seen in heavily infested locations.

• These are newly molted individuals whose cuticle has not had time to harden.

• Normally the darkening process requires about two to four hours.


German cockroach - Infestations

• German cockroaches aggregate in places where food, water and harborage are abundant.

• They prefer cracks that are 3/16” wide.

• They usually are found in kitchens or bathrooms of houses and apartments, restaurants, hospitals and hotels.

• Surveys of low income apartments have found more than 10,000 cockroaches per apartment.


Brown-banded cockroach, Supella longipalpa

• The Brown-banded cockroach is 5/8” long as an adult.

• They are dark brown, and their wings range from reddish-brown to brown.

• They have two pale bands on the wings and the edge of their pronotum is clear.

• They prefer to live in bedrooms, furniture, and closets, particularly high on shelves.


Brown-banded cockroach, Supella longipalpa

• They prefer temperatures which would not normally be considered comfortable.

• Control procedures definitely require a thorough inspection and direct insecticide applications are difficult.


Brown-banded cockroach - Life Cycle

• Brown-banded cockroaches have a longer development period than German cockroaches.

• They develop best at higher temperatures.

• Temperatures of 80 degrees and higher are optimal for Brown-banded cockroach development.

• The female carries the ootheca for 24-36 hours before attaching it to an object.

• Ootheca are usually attached in clusters.


Brown-banded cockroach - Life Cycle

• The ootheca is 4x2.5mm and yellowish to reddish brown.

• Fertile eggs show “greenish” through the walls of the ootheca.

• Incubation of the eggs averages 49 days

• Females will produce an average of 14 ootheca, averaging 18 eggs with an average hatch of 13.

• The development cycle may be 276 days, with the adults stage lasting an average of 206 days.


American cockroach, Periplaneta americana

• The American cockroach is about 1 1/2” long as an adult.

• They are reddish-brown with light markings behind the head.

• Their cerci at the tip of the abdomen are long and thin.

• They re commonly found in sewers and basements.


American cockroach, Periplaneta americana

• They are the predominant species in commercial buildings, greenhouses and ships.

• They are capable of flight, but rarely fly.

• They will sometimes migrate in large numbers.


American cockroach - Life Cycle

• The development period is dependent on temperature.

• At ordinary room temperature, the development cycle is 600 days.

• After reaching sexual maturity, the female average life may be another 400 days.

• The ootheca is 8x5mm, in brown until deposited and then turns black.


American cockroach - Life Cycle

• The ootheca has “teeth” across the top.

• The ootheca is deposited on or near the food source, usually within a day of developing.

• The female may glue the ootheca to a surface of drop it in the food source.

• A female may average as many as 21 ootheca; produced at a rate of 1 per week; and each containing 14 to 16 eggs.


Australian cockroach, Periplaneta australasiae

• The Australian cockroach is about 1 1/4” to 1 1/2” long as an adult.

• They are reddish brown with a characteristic markings on their head.

• On the front edge of the base of the forewing, there is a light yellow band.

• The nymphs have light yellow spots on the top of the abdomen.

• They are abundant outdoors and in greenhouses where they can damage plants.

• They can enter homes .


Smoky-brown cockroach, Periplaneta fuliginosa

• The Smoky-brown cockroach is about 1 1/4” long as an adult.

• They are mahogany brown to black with no patterns behind the head.

• They are abundant outdoors and are found in tree holes, wood piles, and attics of houses in Florida.

• They readily enter homes.


Brown cockroach, Periplaneta brunnea• The Brown cockroach is almost

identical to the American cockroach in appearance.

• They are about 1 1/4” long as adults.

• They are reddish-brown.

• The cerci at the tip of the abdomen are stubby; whereas the American cockroach has long, thin cerci.

• They are found outdoors.

• They readily enter homes.Copyright @ 2005-2006, Central Fla Duplicating, Inc. All rights reserved

Florida woods cockroach, Eurycotis floridana

• The Florida woods cockroach is about 1 1/2” to 1 3/4” long as an adult.

• They are often called stinking cockroaches; they produce a foul-smelling fluid to protect themselves from predation.

• They are reddish-brown to black.• The nymphs have broad yellow

bands on the top of the thorax.• They are commonly found in leaf

mulch, wood piles, and under rotting logs.

• They are often called Palmetto Bugs.


Surinam cockroach, Pycnoscelus surinamensis

• The Surinam cockroach is about 3/4” to 1” long as an adult.

• They are shiny brown to black with golden markings on the abdomen.

• The pronotum behind the head has a yellow margin along the front edge.

• They are a burrowing species that lives outdoors and often infests potted plants.

• They infest homes when potted plants are brought inside.


Oriental cockroach, Blatta orientalis

• The Oriental cockroach is about 1” long as an adult.

• They are shiny black and have no distinctive markings.

• The male has wings that cover only 3/4 of the abdomen; the female has only wing pads or lobes.

• They are not commonly found in Florida.

• They are usually found in damp basements, sewers, and crawl spaces beneath homes.


Cuban cockroach, Panchlora nivea

• The Cuban cockroach is about 3/4” long as an adult.

• Males and females are light green, whereas the nymphs are dark brown.

• They are an outdoor, topical species that usually are not found north of Florida.

• The adults are attracted to light and are adept fliers.


Documents

Identifying Cockroaches Chapter 9 Section II – General Pest Control Basics of the Pest Bear & Affiliates Service Personnel Development Program 2005 Copyright