Cockroaches are quite frequent guests of human homes. In addition to the fact that no one likes such a neighborhood, they are also dangerous, since they carry pathogens of various ailments on their paws. These are mainly infectious or bacterial lesions of the human body. If they appear, all residents try to get rid of uninvited guests. Mostly one or two species of cockroaches appear in a person’s home, although there are several species in nature, including those that are kept at home as exotics.
Black cockroaches (Blatta orientalis)
This type of cockroach is quite common where people live or work. This mainly applies to catering facilities, as well as food production facilities, since they are interested in places where there is enough food. Their favorite places to live are dirty, cluttered basements, garbage dumps or sewer pipes. Therefore, they easily penetrate a person’s home or apartment, grocery stores, warehouses, etc. When it’s warm outside, they feel quite comfortable in natural conditions, but when it starts to get cold, they strive to get into their home, because it’s always warm here and there’s something to profit from.
These insects grow up to 3 cm in length, are distinguished by an unpleasant odor and the presence of a black shell (chitinous layer). Depending on the conditions, their color can range from dark gray to dirty red. This type of cockroaches does not reproduce so quickly, so timely control of them gives high positive results. If this is not done, then the colony of these pests can become threatening in size and then getting rid of them is much more difficult.
As a rule, they accumulate in special places, such as:
- Within the trash can.
- Within the stove for cooking.
- Behind the refrigerator or behind the kitchen furniture.
- In pantries where food is stored.
Black cockroaches pose a serious danger to humans, since their favorite habitats are places with clear signs of unsanitary conditions. Therefore, it is difficult to even imagine how many bacteria and infections move with these insects. Since they also crawl on food, there is a high risk of contracting some kind of disease.
BEAUTIFUL AND SCARY COCKROACHS
What is the danger to humans?
At first glance, cockroaches are harmless insects that feed on leftover food and hide in corners. But it turns out that hungry “tenants” bite people. Insects damage areas with delicate skin: neck, lips, eyelids. The infection freely penetrates through the wound, which the longhorned beetles catch on their paws while visiting the trash can.
Nocturnal insects have the habit of hiding in various crevices. And the human ear can serve as their home. The cockroach easily crawls into the ear canal and gets stuck. The result is irritation and pain, and in critical cases, damage to the eardrum occurs. If the room is literally swarming with insects, a person should sleep with earplugs.
Cockroach saliva and particles of chitinous cover that get into the wound cause allergies. It is dangerous for those suffering from bronchial asthma to be in a room where females call males for mating. The aromatic substance secreted by females can provoke an attack in the patient.
Red cockroaches (Blattella germanica)
Red cockroaches are also called cockroaches or domestic cockroaches, since they appear in homes more often than other species, regardless of the level of unsanitary conditions. The fact is that the main thing for them is to have access to moisture and food residues.
Red cockroaches are considered quite tenacious insects that reproduce at an incredible rate.
In addition, they develop resistance to various types of chemical insect control agents, which complicates the fight against them.
Red cockroaches can be found in any conditions, for example:
- In residential areas.
- In hospitals.
- In public places.
- In utility rooms.
- In country houses, dachas.
The red cockroach is distinguished by the fact that it has a slightly elongated body, and the chitinous layer is colored red, and the shade can vary from light to dark. For their livelihoods, they choose places where there is free access to food and water. Without much difficulty they climb into the most inaccessible areas of the home.
Red cockroaches are living creatures that can find food for themselves where at first glance there is none.
Moisture plays a special role in their life. They can live without food for a long time, but not without water. If you poison cockroaches, you need to cut off their access to moisture, otherwise your efforts may be useless. Red cockroaches are able to eat young shoots of indoor plants if they do not have enough food.
Cockroach control company "Sandez-Eco" in Ivanovo
The discovery of even 1-2 cockroaches or traces of their presence in an apartment carries the threat of the spread of pests and the colonization of residential premises by numerous colonies.
The rapid growth in numbers, secretive lifestyle and the ability to enter any room through communication passages make all types of cockroaches in the apartment practically indestructible. But only for home methods.
By contacting a professional SES service, you will solve the problem quickly and efficiently. After all, here you will be offered:
- modern methods of destruction;
- the latest drugs;
- experienced specialists;
- special equipment.
In Ivanovo, such services (and not only) are provided: more than 7 years on the market, low prices, conclusion of a contract, guarantee. Call us and our specialist will advise you completely free of charge.
White cockroaches
Often, white cockroaches may appear in the apartment. This insect does not represent any new species, since an ordinary cockroach can acquire a white tint after molting. Cockroaches molt up to 10 times in their entire life.
After molting, a cockroach may have a white, almost transparent color, which often makes it difficult to find these insects. After some time, when the insect grows a new shell, the cockroach takes on a classic appearance. As a rule, this takes the insect about a couple of weeks.
Cockroaches can change their color under the influence of chemicals that are used to control them. As a rule, this happens if ineffective chemical components are used, to which insects have developed immunity. After some time, they regain their natural color.
Preventive measures
As preventive measures against the spread of cockroaches in the home, it is recommended to use the following recommendations:
- Maintain perfect cleanliness in the kitchen and in the apartment as a whole. There should be no crumbs on the tables and floors, and greasy deposits on the walls. The trash can should be taken out in a timely manner, without putting it off until tomorrow.
- Store seasonings in glass, hermetically sealed containers.
- Wash dishes and sinks promptly.
- Do not leave containers with prepared food or grocery bags open.
- Cover the air vents with a grill or fine mesh.
- Cockroaches can live for several weeks without a head, which has been confirmed by repeated experiments.
- Many species can fly (the synanthropic American or Lapland cockroach).
- Whiskered insects may not breathe for 40 minutes. This property contributes to the retention of water available in the body when it is impossible to replenish it.
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.
Features of life
Domestic cockroaches do not have a full development cycle. Their larva is similar in appearance to the adult, but must shed more than once. On average, the larvae shed their skin 5-6 times in 3 months. The lifespan of pests does not exceed one year, and for black ones - no more than six months.
Cockroaches eat everything that their stomach can digest. These are not only food remains, but also scraps of paper, shavings, fabric and even hair. These nosy pests obtain food for themselves wherever they find themselves.
Much more important than food for cockroaches is a source of moisture. If some individuals are able to survive without food for at least 30 days, then without water the insects die within a week.
Cockroaches do not fly in the house, but glide if they fall from a height. They crawl out of their hiding places only in the dark, when people are sleeping. These pests do not tolerate bright light.
Typically, domestic cockroaches do not bite, but due to the lack of other food, they can grab pieces of the epidermis from a person. As a rule, small children are susceptible to insect attacks, since their skin is soft and delicate.
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.
How to stop reproduction?
In order to prevent cockroaches from reproducing, you need to deprive them of the main thing they love:
- Warmth. Let your home cool down for a while. In the old days, this is what they did - they cooled the hut, the insects died, unable to bear human deceit. These were the folk methods.
- Water. They can't help but drink. That’s why in apartments they stick to the water supply, the kitchen, and the sinks.
- Food. Elevate cleanliness into a cult. No crumbs, leftovers, or overflowing trash cans. Although in this case the cockroach will move onto the paper. He is practically omnivorous.
In addition, measures should be taken to expel uninvited guests from the house. There are many different products, ranging from crayons like Mashenka, FAS dusts, Clean House, ending with Kombat, Foresight traps and Raid, Raptor, Get, Executioner aerosols.
Interesting fact! In folk medicine, dried cockroach carcasses were often used in the past. For dropsy they drank tea infused with dry cockroaches. And if you had an upset stomach, you ate fried mustaches with garlic.
In general, in the old days it was believed that cockroaches were a sign of prosperity. If there is nothing for people to eat in the house, then there is no place for people with mustaches. This means that we should not be too harsh towards such a talisman of our well-being.
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.
Key Features
There are several varieties of domestic cockroaches that live in domestic apartments.
They have a number of similar characteristics:
- 3 stages of development: egg, larva, imago.
- When carrying larvae, the female uses a special capsule. It's called ooteke.
- In appearance, adults and larvae are very similar.
- They use tactile antennae to orient themselves in space.
- The insect is omnivorous and can chew even strong food.
The lifespan of cockroaches is quite long and their growth takes several stages.
Domestic cockroaches can lead a secretive lifestyle for a long time. Often, owners have to deal with huge colonies of pests. This phenomenon is observed due to the characteristics of the body of insects. It is flat, and therefore they can be hidden in small holes without any problems.
Speed is also a characteristic feature of these creatures: they move quite quickly on any surface. Harmful insects prefer to be nocturnal. This is why it is so difficult for people to detect them.
In this video you will learn more about cockroaches:
A little exotic
As a rule, cockroaches cause a feeling of disgust and danger in humans. Despite this, there are cockroach families, representatives of which are kept at home as pets. Some of the ornamental insects have very interesting colors. The chess cockroach is one of the pets, and it is called so because its coloring resembles a chessboard. Leads a nocturnal lifestyle. During the daytime it hides in its shelter, and at night it actively moves around a person’s home.
Death's head cockroach
The Death's Head cockroach is no less popular among exotic lovers. He was named so because he has a very interesting pattern on his back, reminiscent of a scary mask. This insect is capable of making long flights.
Madagascar cockroach
The Madagascar cockroach is an amazing insect that can grow up to 10 cm in length. In addition, this is the only type of cockroach that can make sounds in the form of a loud hiss. At the same time, experts say that this insect breathes like this, making sounds.
Rhino cockroach
The rhinoceros cockroach is another unique representative of this numerous genus of insects. Their uniqueness lies in the fact that they weigh up to 40 grams, and besides this, they are able to live for at least 10 years.
Stages of insect development
Prussians and their black relatives are very different from each other in appearance. Black insects are much larger than red ones. Their larvae are also larger in size than baby Prussians. The female insect lays her eggs in a special chitinous shell - the ooteca. In the black representative of cockroaches, up to 20 larvae are formed in one clutch. The life cycle of a large barbel consists of several stages:
- The ootheca remains for about 1.5 months in a warm, secluded place, after which nymphs emerge from it;
- the larva is formed within 7–8 months, shedding its chitinous shell and acquiring a new one;
- The adult is capable of reproduction and can lay more than 20 oothecae during its life of up to 5 years.
Red representatives of cockroaches develop in a similar way, but the duration of their cycles is shorter:
- The ootheca left by the female releases from 25 to 40 small cockroaches within 2 weeks;
- the larval stage lasts 2 – 4 months;
- On average, the imago lives a short life of 1 year, during which time it manages to give birth to offspring about 10 times.
