What is a Cockroach?

The word cockroach is a corruption of the Spanish cucaracha. The cockroach is recognized by a flattened oval body, long thin antennae, and a shiny black or brown leathery integument. The head is aimed downward, and the mouthparts point to the rear instead of forward or downward as is the case in the majority of other insects. The male usually has two pairs of wings, while the female, who in some species, is wingless or holds vestigial wings. The female produces eggs in egg cases (labeled oothecae). These are sometimes held away from her body or can be stuck in protected locations. After the female deposits an egg case, the soft, white nymphs emerge. As their exoskeleton solidifies, it turns brown in colour. The structure and remarkable size (particular species demonstrate a wing spread of over 12 cm [4.7 inches]) of cockroaches have made them a singular interest in the biological laboratory.

The cockroach enjoys a warm, humid, dark habitat and is more often than not found living in tropical or other mild temperatures. Just a small number species have become pests. The insect inflicts damage on more material than it digests and possesses a disagreeable smell. The food preference of the roach, which includes both plant and animal product, ranges from food, paper, clothing, and books to dead insects, including bedbugs. Insecticides could be preferred in roach removal.

The American cockroach (species Periplaneta americana) is 30 to 50 mm long (up to about 2 inches), reddish brown, and lives out of doors or in dark, heated indoor locations (e.g., basements and furnace rooms). In its adult life, a period of about 1.5 years, the female deposits 50 or more oothecae, each holding around 16 eggs that hatch after 45 days. Nymphal life goes from 11 to 14 months. The American cockroach, indigenous to tropical and subtropical America, possesses well-developed wings. However, many species are seldom gifted at flying.

The German cockroach (Blattella germanica), a common pest in households and occasionally incorrectly thought of as a waterbug, is light brown with two dark stripes on the prothoracic region. The female deposits the ootheca three days from mating and carries it for about 20 days. Because it is small (about 12 mm [less than 0.5 inch] long), this cockroach often can be brought into residences in grocery bags and boxes; it has gone from nation to nation by boat. Three or more generations can occur yearly. This cockroach, found abundantly through the water pipes of the Croton Aqueduct in New York City, is known as the Croton bug.

The brown-banded cockroach (Supella supellectilium) is like the German cockroach but is slightly smaller. The male has fully developed wings and is paler in colour than the female, whose wings are stunted and nonfunctional. Both sexes have two light-coloured bands over the back. The adult life span is generally about 200 days, and there might be two generations in a year. Eggs can be deposited in clothes, wood molding, or cracks in the floor. With the invention of heated buildings this cockroach became more common in cooler areas.

The Oriental cockroach (Blatta orientalis) is thought to be one of the dirtiest of household pests. It is oval, shiny black or dark brown, 25 to 30 mm (1 to 1.2 inches) long, with a life cycle like that of the American cockroach. The male possesses short, fully developed wings, but the female has vestigial wings. This cockroach has been distributed by vehicles of commerce from its Asiatic origins to almost every temperate regions.

Wood roaches are not domestic pests. Parcoblatta pennsylvanica, the common wood cockroach, may be found under logs and stones in northern latitudes. The male and female are so different in appearance that they were originally believed to be individual species. The male, 15 to 25 mm (0.6 to 1 inch) long, has wings that expand past the abdomen; the female is smaller and has much shorter wings. Cryptocercus punctulatus digests wood with the aid of certain protozoans in its digestive tract.

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