Black cockroach and other types: red cockroach, marbled, banana

The planet is home to a huge number of insect species, including pests that are dangerous to humans. Cockroaches are one of the most unpleasant, dangerous and difficult to exterminate members of the family, capable of penetrating into human homes and living “in the neighborhood.” In our latitudes, houses and apartments are mainly inhabited by black and red cockroaches. As their name suggests, their main difference is color, and the insects also vary in size.

Fact
As a rule, different types of cockroaches prefer not to live in the same room. They are at enmity and fighting for water and food. If the sight of a red cockroach, unfortunately, is more or less familiar to many, then the appearance of a black cockroach in an apartment becomes a serious cause for concern, panic and immediate action.

Everything you need to know about black cockroaches

13.09.2019
There are many species of cockroaches on the planet. In the apartments and houses of residents of our latitudes, two types of domestic cockroaches mainly live: red and black. But, as a rule, they are at enmity with each other. The black cockroach is much less common, but if it has settled in your apartment, then there will be much more problems with it than with the red cockroach. If black cockroaches appear in your apartment, you must immediately take appropriate measures, since if they spread, they can settle in your home for many years.

Lifestyle

This species, like its relative the Prussian, having found itself in a domestic human habitat, realized that living with people was much more comfortable for it than living in the wild. Because of this, pest populations began to grow rapidly and spread throughout people's homes, especially with the advent of apartment buildings. Now it's quite difficult to get them out.

Black cockroaches are very tenacious insects. To bring them out you need to know everything about them. It is preferable for them to live in damp basements, sewers, garbage collectors or ventilation shafts, thanks to which they have free access to any apartment.

There is no doubt that cockroaches can live independently of people, but favorable conditions, such as constant food, warmth and protection, turn out to be much more attractive than living away from people. Therefore, in order to remove them, it is necessary to create terrible conditions for these parasites.

These insects are nocturnal; during the daytime they sleep and try not to leave their shelters. When darkness falls, they crawl out in search of food, so kitchens are their favorite places in the house. It is at such a moment that the question of what black cockroaches are spreading in the apartment, how to get rid of them and what to do becomes especially relevant.

Habitat

Cockroaches prefer damp, dark rooms where it is warm and there is plenty of food. The main location in the apartment is the kitchen. They feel at ease:

• under the battery;
• behind the refrigerator;
• on product shelves;
• behind the stove;
• under torn wallpaper;
• in cracked plaster.

In these places they make nests and lay eggs. When the population increases, insects colonize new areas and migrate throughout all rooms.

Pests enter through ventilation grilles, cracks, and sewer risers. First, a scout cockroach crawls into the apartment. The young male explores the territory, marks it with pheromones and finds a secluded corner. If the pioneer does not return, the rest of the colony follows him, guided by the specific smell left behind.

Cockroaches are nocturnal, hiding in corners and crevices during the day, but when there is a lack of food, they go out hunting during the day. They eat any food waste, soaking it with saliva, including paper and soap.

Females are extremely fertile. The lifespan of an adult red insect is about 30 weeks. During this time, the Prussians manage to lay 5-9 clutches of eggs, from which hundreds of young pests emerge.

Appearance

To understand how to get rid of black cockroaches in the house and remove them as quickly as possible, you need to know what they look like. It is absolutely impossible to confuse domestic black cockroaches with their red relatives. The main difference between these parasites is their impressive size and darker black color. According to entomologists, the females of these insects are slightly larger than the males. The average size of these insects is about 3 cm. However, some individuals can reach a length of up to 5 cm.

The body of the insect consists of a black shiny chitinous shell, which is quite durable in its characteristics. Therefore, to crush it, you will have to make an effort. The insect has an elongated flat body, thanks to which it can easily get into various narrow places and crevices.

Black cockroaches have a segmented body shape, it is divided into: head, chest, abdomen. The segments of the head section of the Prussian are connected. There are antennae on the head of a cockroach; they are necessary for the insect to recognize odors and sense vibrations in the air. During movement, these antennae are pushed forward and function like an antenna. Moreover, male Prussians have longer antennae that exceed the length of their body.

Internal structure

The internal structure of the black cockroach is the same as that of all insects. The body cavity is the same as that of other arthropods, formed by the fusion of the secondary and primary cavity. The muscles are attached to the external skeleton.

The digestive system of an insect consists of:

• oral cavity;
• the foregut (pharynx, crop, esophagus, chewing stomach), in which food is diligently ground with chitin teeth;
• the midgut, where, under the influence of digestive secretions, partial absorption of food and final assimilation are carried out;
• hindgut, where food remains pass out in the form of excrement.

Video “Cockroach Blatta orientalis in Turkey”

Close-up video of a large black cockroach.

The lower jaws of a cockroach are equipped with an additional sensory organ - tentacles. The mouth part is a gnawing jaw, it is very powerful and can handle a wide variety of foods. This allows the insect to consume both liquid and solid food.

It is worth noting that compared to many other insects, the structure of the black cockroach's digestive system is excellent. When biting off food, the entire contents are thoroughly crushed by the jaws and at the same time moistened with saliva. Further in the intestine, food is exposed to digestive enzymes and the mechanical action of the so-called chewing stomach, which consists of folds that resemble chitinous platinum in appearance.

In addition, in the stomach, food is affected by special bacteria that populate the insect’s intestines. Thanks to this, the parasite can safely digest foods that seem inedible to most creatures.

The movement of nutrients and waste products throughout the cockroach’s body occurs due to hemolymph.

Life forms

Cockroaches belong to the order of insects with incomplete transformation. That is, during their life there are only three forms that differ significantly from each other - egg, nymph (small cockroaches), imago.

When mating occurs between a sexually mature female and a male, immediately after this process, the formation of an ootheca, a kind of chitinous cocoon, begins to occur in the female’s genital sinus, in which the maturation of eggs will subsequently occur.

It is noteworthy that the ootheca is very dense; it is protected by the dorsal scutes on the last segment of the insect's abdomen. As a rule, the size of the ootheca is quite large and can reach up to 12 mm in length; it can simultaneously contain up to 16 eggs.

During this time, the female's abdomen gradually increases in size. She carries the ootheca with her for several days, thus taking care of the offspring, but after a while she leaves it in a secluded place for the larvae to mature. The entire incubation period is 44 days, and after this time, larvae emerge from the cocoon, resembling adult cockroaches in appearance; such individuals are called nymphs; they are white, even transparent.

Subsequently, these small cockroaches darken during the molting process. In total, during their lives they molt about 10 times and each time, the nymph becomes more and more similar to its parents - adults, which are called adults.

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.

Meet the domestic black cockroach

Well, we just dealt with the red ones, and now some black ones have appeared in the apartment, and even larger ones, what to do and what to do?

Black cockroach, Latin name Blatta orientalis. It is also called the eastern, basement, sewer or water beetle. There is practically no country in the world where these insects do not exist.

Lives both outdoors and indoors. In warm weather, it can easily be found in trash cans, sewer drains, and under fallen leaves.

As soon as the streets become cooler, they move indoors.

However, it is very rare to find these insects on the upper floors of high-rise buildings. They prefer lower floors, basements and temperatures of 25-30 degrees Celsius.

What does it look like?

The adult black cockroach is shiny, dark brown or black in color. Younger individuals are darker and do not shine like adults. Males are smaller than females and have wings. Females have only wing embryos.

The male is up to 2.6 cm in length, and the female is from 2.6 to 3.25 cm in length. Weight approximately 0.55 -0.70 grams.

Adults live from one to six months. But the period from birth to adulthood is quite long and lasts a whole year. During this period, the small barbel (nymph) molts up to 7 times.

The photo shows how the male and female black cockroach differ

Where do they come from?

The greatest period of Blatta orientalis activity is spring. But young animals are most common in May, June and July. Therefore, when these barbels appear in the house, it is mostly small black cockroaches. These are nymphs that have not reached sexual maturity.

What does a black cockroach eat?

This type of insect is omnivorous. He eats animals, plants and everything that comes his way and can be eaten. These can be hard and soft objects and any liquid.

However, it feeds on garbage or some decaying organic matter. And your favorite foods consist of everything sweet or contain a lot of starch.

Blatta orientalis can live for a month without food if there is water nearby. But if there is no liquid nearby, he will die in 2 weeks.

Are they dangerous?

Black or Oriental cockroaches are the dirtiest pests that invade our homes. They can spoil food, and they also emit a foul smell.

Everything is dangerous, because on their legs and antennae these insects carry up to 40 types of different viruses and bacteria. And also the remains of their chitinous cover are an allergen for many children suffering from asthma.

Do black longhorned beetles bite?

It is reliably known that black cockroaches can bite humans. This usually happens at night when insects are more active. The reason may be a lack of food or a huge colony that does not have enough food.

They usually chew the cuticle around human nails. They can also bite your face: the area around the mouth, near the eyes, as an additional source of fluid.

The saliva of a cockroach contains the strongest allergen - tropomyosin. Therefore, in people prone to allergies, severe inflammation around the bite is possible. Cockroaches come precisely to eat, so the place itself looks like a small wound.

This is another serious argument to quickly get rid of black cockroaches in your home.

If this happens, treat the area with an antiseptic: peroxide or chlorhexidine and cover it with brilliant green.

The photo shows the bite mark of a black cockroach

Sexual differences in cockroaches

Let's first look at the differences between female and male cockroaches. There are only three differences between insects. Males have a more modest body size, they have developed wings and have a genital plate called styli. Females have wings, although not developed, but they wave them invitingly, inviting the male to mate. In response, like real men, males make sounds (some species of cockroaches are even threatening), fly up and even fight for the right to possess a beautiful lady.

In the photo you see a male and female red cockroaches (female on top).

And here are black cockroaches.

How are black cockroaches different from red ones?

Firstly, the size. Blatta orientalis is several times larger than the Red Prussian.

Secondly, the breeding season for black long-horned beetles is much longer. During this time, the red neighbors manage to give birth to several generations of new cockroaches.

Thirdly, red Prussians happily eat the larvae of Blatta orientalis, because the latter do not hide them well.

And lastly, black gives off a very unpleasant odor.

And so, these two species get along well with each other.

How to get rid of black cockroaches in an apartment?

To breed Blatta orientalis with the right preparatory stage you will need quite a bit of time. And believe me, these insects don’t just need a lot of food, they need high humidity and warmth. if your apartment is dry and cool (less than 24 degrees Celsius), the barbel will not want to stay here and will look for a new habitat. Let me remind you that this does not apply to red Prussians.

Here are the basic rules that will prevent oriental cockroaches from wanting to live with you:

1. Close access to water; if there is a leak, be sure to fix it;
2. Treat all windows, doors, cracks with a special sealant or cement, if there are holes;
3. Wet areas such as a bath should be well ventilated;
4. Decaying leaves should be removed from windows and preferably from the surrounding area;
5. The kitchen should be clean: do not leave dirty dishes and leftover food overnight;
6. If you have pets, you will have to hide their food at night;
7. Garbage bins should be stored in dry places.

Now let’s talk about insecticide preparations that will help you effectively get rid of black cockroaches.

Remedy for black cockroaches in the apartment

Most drugs that work well against other types of cockroaches can also cope with black cockroaches. Believe me, defeating them is much easier. After all, reproduction occurs very slowly, and the colony does not grow quickly.

Effective gels

Gels are very convenient to use. We can rightfully say that this is the best remedy: spread it in equal portions around the perimeter of the apartment, be sure to treat places where insects accumulate and the result will not be long in coming.

Again, an important note: the amount of gel should be twice as much as when treating a room against Prussians. After all, the black cockroach is very large and eats much more.

For these purposes, you can use any insecticide gel, for example, Dohlox or Globol.

Sprays and aerosols

Forms of insecticides in which the active substance must be sprayed are rightfully very effective. What can I say: I sprayed it and within the first minutes you can see the result.

But it should also be noted that inhaled particles of sprays negatively affect our health. When using them, you must use a gauze bandage, protective clothing and special glasses. And for the best effect, leave the room for a day.

These substances are also dangerous for your pets. And if there are fish in the house, be sure to cover the aquarium while spraying.

Traps

In traps, as in gels, similar insecticides are used and their principle of action is similar. However, I must disappoint you, this method will not be effective for black cockroaches, since the holes in the traps are small and the insect simply will not fit inside.

Folk remedy for black barbels

Boric acid

In this case, the well-known boric acid will help you. But since we found out that black cockroaches are very fond of sweets, we will prepare the poison according to a special recipe.

Mix three parts dry boric acid with one part powdered sugar. Use gloves when preparing the mixture to avoid irritating the skin on your hands. Add a small amount of water to make a thick mixture.

Then make small balls and scatter them in places where insects accumulate.

The second option is not to make balls, but spray the resulting powder of a mixture of boric acid and powdered sugar in dry form in places where insects accumulate.

Chrysanthemum flowers from pests at home

You won’t believe it, but chrysanthemum flowers contain a substance – a natural insecticide. It's called Pyrethrum. This substance is also found in chamomile. 99% of pyrethrum is ground chamomile and chrysanthemum flowers.

To get the effect, you can scatter the powder throughout the house or make balls out of it. The recipe for the balls is simple: three parts flower powder and one part powdered sugar. Mix, add water to the desired consistency and make balls.

The convenience of this method is that the substance is completely safe for pets. But it should also be noted that if the colony of cockroaches is too large, it will not be effective.

You can buy it online, just choose trusted stores. But it won’t be difficult for you to prepare the powder yourself. Pick off the chrysanthemum flowers, dry them and blend them in a blender until they become powdery.

Diatomite or Mountain Flour from longhorned beetles

This rock, which contains a silicon component, is effective against insects in the house. For these purposes, it is the mineral ground into flour that is used.

Diatomite is sprayed around the house and, due to the small size of the particles, easily sticks to the beetle. And since silicon absorbs moisture, the insect becomes completely dehydrated and dies.

The method is also good if there are pets in the house, it is completely safe for them.

Today you met a new species of longhorned beetle, I hope this “guest” has not settled in your house, and if this has happened, you know reliable and effective ways to get rid of it.

Any additions to the article are welcome, perhaps you have discovered a new way to fight insects, write in the comments.

Black cockroaches in our apartments

When black cockroaches take up residence in a neighbor’s apartment or take up residence in the garbage disposal, you can be sure that in the near future they will appear in your home.

Some are sure that cleanliness in the house is a panacea for cockroaches. Of course, these insects will not stay long in an apartment where there is no access to food and water. However, they may well appear for a short time and try to take root indoors.

If the owners of an apartment inadvertently forget dirty dishes in the sink, cockroaches may well consider the house suitable for living and move in with their brothers. Therefore, uninvited residents must be met fully armed.

Let's take a closer look at what black cockroaches are and how they can be removed from the apartment.

Furniture – Supella longipalpa

A species whose distribution area and habits are very similar to Prussians. The gathering places in the apartment are located away from the kitchen. They live in closets, pantries, and utility rooms. They can be found in offices, libraries and even on trains.

Furniture cockroaches carry infectious diseases and worm eggs on their paws, so black spots in the corners of shelves and inside furniture cannot be ignored. The methods of struggle used are the same as those used to exterminate the well-known “stasiks”.

Are black or red cockroaches more dangerous?

Both types are found in Russian homes. However, they do not inhabit apartments at the same time; rather, on the contrary, black and red cockroaches compete with each other. Experience shows that the redhead is the winner in this fight. Eggs laid by female black cockroaches often disappear - they are eaten by competing individuals, and cases of cannibalism are not uncommon.

In addition, Prussians reach sexual maturity much earlier and reproduce more actively. Therefore, their numbers are growing much faster.

Based on the above, it may seem that people do not have to be afraid of the appearance of black cockroaches in their homes. Nevertheless, these parasites, sparkling with their black chitinous shell, can often be seen in apartments. The length of adult individuals can reach three centimeters. They run very fast and spread an unpleasant odor around them.

Black cockroaches have one thing in common with red cockroaches - it is undesirable to allow both of them into the apartment. They pollute your home with waste products and damage electrical appliances and wires. In addition, coming from landfills and sewers, they are carriers of serious diseases, which most often affect defenseless children.

Where do they come from and why are they dangerous?

The appearance of cockroaches of any color in residential premises is always associated with a danger to human health. First of all, these pests are a source of strong allergens. The reaction can occur upon contact with their chitinous covering, as well as upon inhalation of fumes left by feces and insect secretions. Constant contact with such strong allergens can lead to the development of asthma and Quincke's edema.

Danger comes from cockroaches for other reasons. Their lifestyle is directly related to visiting places that are far from the concept of sanitation. Among the diseases spread by pests are:

• helminthiases;
• mycoses;
• dysentery;
• salmonellosis;
• tuberculosis;
• coccal infections, including meningitis.

Traveling along the walls of garbage chutes, basements, and sewer pipes, insects collect bacteria and pathogens on the surface of their bodies. Moving into human housing, coming into contact with food, dishes, and household items, cockroaches spread dangerous microorganisms. If they enter the human body, they can lead to the development of infectious diseases.

Synanthropic species of cockroaches are not taken into a person’s home from the street either. Among the ways of their spread are:

• garbage cans and container sites;
• catering establishments;
• neighbors' apartments are infected;
• basements;
• attic spaces.

Cockroaches that live near humans easily move through sewer pipes, ventilation ducts, and get into the cracks between panel slabs. It is almost impossible to block their path. But more often than not, the person himself turns out to be the culprit of such a neighborhood. Violation of sanitary safety rules in the home, neglect of regular cleaning, storing leftover rotting food - all these factors, combined with dripping taps and leaking pipes, significantly increase the risk of encountering cockroaches, including their white nymphs.

As for nymphs, due to their weak chitinous cover, they lead a more secretive lifestyle than adults. At this stage of development, insects prefer to hide in dark, secluded places with free access to water. If a cockroach can live up to six months without food, then without moisture it can live only a few days. It is while in search of a watering hole that the pest immediately after molting catches the eye of a person.

How to deal with black cockroaches?

People learned to fight these nasty insects a long time ago - ever since they learned about the harm they can cause. And they have succeeded significantly in this field.

You can get rid of black cockroaches in your apartment in the following ways:

1. Killing them one by one with a slipper or other suitable object. The method is effective against single individuals; if an apartment is massively populated by cockroaches, it is worth choosing something else.
2. By freezing them, lowering the room temperature below -80 C. This method has been known since ancient times, but it finds practically no practical application in modern high-rise buildings.
3. Using repellents - substances that repel insects. For this purpose, some housewives place chamomile inflorescences, bay leaves or wormwood around the house. Cockroaches are sensitive to odors and cannot tolerate many aromas. However, the trend is that modern individuals have become less susceptible and can often be seen on laid out bouquets designed to scare them away.
4. Setting traps. This is another clever way to get rid of insects. Cockroaches are lured with tasty foods left in a visible place. A cockroach will never refuse a treat, but when tempted by food, it will fall into a trap. Some lubricate the cardboard with a sticky and sweet substance in which parasites can get stuck. Others leave a glass jar with bait and oiled sides. Cockroaches come into such a trap by smell, and then cannot get out.

Newfangled traps kill cockroaches in an even more exotic way. For example, a discharge of electricity. True, the disadvantage of such traps is still the same - in order to destroy an insect, it must first be lured.

1. Using insecticides - substances produced by modern industry designed to kill insects. Today they are the most effective remedy for cockroaches.

True, even they can sometimes fail. Everyone knows that cockroaches are extremely tenacious creatures. If, after swallowing the poison inside, the insect gets to the water, the poisonous effect will be greatly smoothed out. Insecticides are produced in different forms: tablets, gels, crayons, aerosols, powders. Many of these products can be harmful to humans, so care should be taken when handling them.

The only practically harmless insecticide for people is boric acid, beloved by many. Given the low cost of the product, its effectiveness is beyond doubt.

Limiting the breeding of cockroaches

How to make cockroaches breed and reproduce less? Create unfavorable conditions. If they don’t have enough water and food, the females will suffer from swelling for years, and then, lo and behold, they will go in search of a better life.

There is an option to direct all your efforts to destroy pregnant females, but you will simply have to act mechanically and crush them with slippers. But you won’t be able to crush everyone; you will still notice abandoned, no longer needed capsule shells from time to time. They leave them in plain sight. Since baby cockroaches eat the same things as adults, you can fight them using the same usual methods - poisoned baits, gels, powders. This will not stop them from multiplying, but at least a significant part of the colony will die.

We advance on all fronts

Let's say we managed to remove black cockroaches from the home. What caused the disappearance of these insects? Maybe it was the widespread use of folk remedies, or maybe it was the widespread use of modern insecticides. One way or another, you no longer see them in your apartment when you enter the kitchen at night or open the trash can.

But this does not mean that the residents won a decisive victory. Insects tend to change their location and, starting to fight alone without the support of neighbors, you can only win a temporary victory. If these insects begin to be poisoned in nearby apartments, it is likely that they will soon appear again.

It would be much wiser for all residents to unite and present a united front. The main blow should fall on the places where these insects are permanently located. We are talking about garbage chutes and damp basements. It is quite problematic to cope with such a task on your own. Therefore, the best thing to do in this situation is to contact a pest control service. Only such an integrated approach will allow you to forget about black cockroaches in the house for a long time.

Cockroaches: types, features, what they look like and how to distinguish

Cockroaches are one of the most common pests in the world. They can live anywhere, as long as the living conditions are suitable. Their habitats are quite diverse, but they give preference to human dwellings.

Many readers have most likely had the misfortune of encountering these harmful insects at some point. They can often be found in basements, storage rooms, as well as in old Khrushchev-era apartments and communal apartments. If you live in an ordinary high-rise building, but on one of the first five floors, be careful, they can live with you too.

Almost everyone knows what these insects look like. This is explained by the fact that they are very common, and many have encountered them, more than once. It is not so difficult to distinguish a cockroach from another insect, given that they are even larger in size than their other apartment counterparts.

But sometimes a cockroach can be confused with another insect. For example, with an ordinary cricket. In principle, they have certain similarities, which can lead to confusion. You should know exactly what the parasite looks like, so as not to panic once again if an insect similar to it is noticed in the apartment.

It is necessary to consider in detail the distinctive features of cockroaches , their detailed description. This will allow you to distinguish these parasites from other, more harmless insects, and find out what a domestic cockroach looks like.

American (Periplaneta americana)

In fact, the homeland of American cockroaches is hot Africa, and they came to America with the help of cargo ships. After some time, they began to be found on almost all continents.

Food remains in huge quantities that accumulated in trash cans near houses, as well as a high level of unsanitary conditions in public places, led to the appearance of this type of cockroach in our country. The American cockroach can be easily distinguished from other types of similar insects by its large size, as well as by the shape of its body, which is oval in shape. In addition, this insect has a brown shell that looks like folded wings.

There is another factor that helps distinguish this insect from other types of cockroaches - this is the fact that the American cockroach is afraid of the cold. Already when the temperature drops to 0 degrees, these insects die. In addition, the American cockroach is characterized by an increased level of aggression, so it can attack both humans and domestic animals, which cannot be said about other types of similar insects.

Types and stages of development

You should immediately identify a list of the types of these parasites that currently exist. It is not worth mentioning tropical and other exotic species , because they cannot be called synanthropic, and they are very rare. For reference: synanthropic species are animals or plants that feel much better near humans than in the wild. There are even some species that do not exist in the wild at all, preferring to live only near humans.

Below we will list species that are synanthropic , that is, they settle near people, and at the same time are very common. It is these parasites that are more likely to be encountered than others. There are three types of the most common cockroaches:

• Red, also called Prusak. The leader of our unique “hit parade” of cockroaches. Unconditionally the first place in prevalence. Occurs most often.
• Black beetle. This type of parasite is a kind of heavyweight when compared with other species.
• American.

Red variety

It’s worth starting with a description of the most common type of domestic parasites. This species is known to almost every inhabitant of the northern hemisphere. Red insects are very mobile and reproduce quickly. Males are different from females. Female cockroaches have a wider and denser abdomen, while males are slimmer. The abdomen of a pregnant cockroach becomes even larger and denser during pregnancy.

• There is an interesting point regarding the peculiar nickname of these parasites. Red-haired parasites are often popularly called Prussians. They began to be called that a long time ago, since the Napoleonic wars. Then there was an opinion among the people that insects came to Russia from Prussia. This is where this unique nickname comes from. The most interesting thing is that in Germany, red parasites are called “Russian cockroaches.”

The larvae of this type of parasite differ from adults in size, body density and the absence of wings. The color is also different : the larvae of red cockroaches have two black stripes on their bodies at an early stage of development, which run from the head to the end of the abdomen. In adults, these stripes disappear over time, but they remain two lines on the cephalothorax.

Small cockroaches develop very quickly. After emerging from the eggs, the larvae are very small , not exceeding a millimeter in length, and are transparent. However, just a few hours after their birth, the chitinous covering of cockroach larvae hardens and they become darker. A baby cockroach is not very different from an adult, which indicates the phenomenon of incomplete transformation during the development of the larva into a full-fledged insect.

If you look closely at these insects, you will notice that they have two appendages at the end of their abdomen. These are the so-called cerci , which are evidence of the primitiveness of cockroaches. Cerci are absent in other insects that are more evolutionarily developed. It is by the cerci that one can distinguish a red cockroach from a house bug.

Black cockroaches

This type of cockroach is quite easy to distinguish from its red counterparts. Differences in both color and size. If you compare a black cockroach with a Prussian , then it will seem like a real giant compared to its red-haired brother. In very rare cases, the length of red cockroaches can reach half the body length of their black counterpart.

Adults have a charcoal body color. The larvae also have brown elements - stripes outlining the abdomen. They run across the body, and with a good look can be distinguished.

Female black cockroaches have short wings and a wide abdomen. Males also have wings, but they are longer and cover almost the entire abdomen. But one should not naively believe that the presence of wings allows these insects to fly. Fortunately, they cannot do this. However, males can use their existing wings in a certain way. They jump over fairly long distances, using wing beats to achieve a more powerful jump. In females, the wings have no function.

By the way, we can say a few words about the presence of wings in Prussians. Red parasites also have wings, but they also cannot fly . They are used if they fall from a great height. Wings help correct the direction of fall. There are species of tropical cockroaches that can fly and quite skillfully. We are talking about exotic banana species that are not found here.

American look

And finally, we will talk about American cockroaches. This species is not as common as the same red-haired Prussians discussed above, but it is still quite common. are not found so often in people's apartments , and this has its own explanation. American representatives of the species are not as “domesticated” as their black and red counterparts. They prefer to live in fields or forests, but they are also able to adapt to living near people. Once settled next to a person in his apartment, the “Americans” easily adapt to new living conditions and to human food.

By the way, American cockroaches owe their spread throughout the world to people. They dispersed around the world along with cargo, thus appearing in new and new countries, finding new habitats for themselves.

representative of these parasites looks “more elegant” than their red and black counterparts. We are talking about a slimmer, elongated body, as well as color - their color is brown, rich. There are also light markings on the head. The "Americans" also have wings, which they cannot use to fly.

Biology and Behavior

Cockroaches are heat-loving and moisture-loving, very mobile insects that are predominantly nocturnal; During the day they hide under stones or fallen leaves, in cracks on the soil surface, in rodent burrows, under the bark of stumps and dying trees. Winged birds can fly to the light at night. They feed on plant and animal remains.

Cockroaches are one of the hardiest insects. Some cockroaches can live up to a month without food. Cockroaches have a much more developed ability to resist radiation than vertebrates: the lethal dose of radiation for them is 6-15 times higher than for humans. However, they are still not as resistant to radiation as, for example, fruit flies.

The females of some cockroaches bear an ootheca at the end of their abdomen.

Cockroaches reproduce sexually and parthenogenetically, but in order to begin reproduction, the female must mate with the male at least once. Modern cockroaches lay eggs protected by a special capsule - an ootheca, which is sometimes carried by the female and protrudes at the end of the abdomen. Some species are viviparous; Cockroaches of the genus Cryptocercus and some others have complex parental behavior. The transformation is incomplete, the larvae of wingless species are difficult to distinguish from adults; develop from several months (red cockroach) to 4 years (black cockroach), molting 5-8 times during this period. Many species of cockroaches can fly.

Insect nests

Many people mistakenly believe that cockroaches have peculiar “nests” - places where they gather as a colony. This is indeed a misconception , since these parasites do not have nests. Cockroaches really tend to gather as an entire colony in one specific place, but this is explained by the fact that they simply find the most comfortable place in the apartment and gather for reasons of comfort.

A person may mistakenly stumble upon one of these places and because of this decide that it is a cockroach nest. You might even think that the cockroaches in the colony have a queen like a bee, but this is not so. Cockroach colonies do not have such an organization.

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