What is a Cockroach?

The word cockroach is rooted in the Spanish cucaracha. The cockroach is characterizable by a flat oval body, long hairlike antennae, and a glossy black or brown leathery integument. The head is bent downward, and the mouthparts aim rearward instead of forward or downward as is the case with almost all other insects. The male generally 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 (called oothecae). These are on occasion held coming out from her body or might be stuck in protected places. After the female produces an egg case, the soft, white nymphs emerge. As their exoskeleton solidifies, it turns brown in appearance. The structure and large size (certain species possess a wingspan of more than 12 cm [4.7 inches]) of cockroaches have made them a particular interest in the biological laboratory.

The cockroach prefers a warm, humid, dark habitat and is often found thriving in tropical and other mild areas. Only a couple of species have become pests. The insect inflicts damage upon more material than it consumes and emits a unpleasant smell. The nutrition of the roach, which includes both plant and animal produce, can be from food, paper, clothing, and books to dead insects, including bedbugs. Insecticides are utilized in roach control.

The American cockroach (species Periplaneta americana) is 30 to 50 mm long (up to about 2 inches), reddish brown, and lives in an outdoor habitat or in dark, heated indoor spaces (e.g., basements and furnace rooms). In its adult life, a time of about 1.5 years, the female generates 50 or more oothecae, each holding around 16 eggs that hatch after 45 days. Nymphal life lasts from 11 to 14 months. The American cockroach, originally from tropical and subtropical America, possesses well-developed wings. However, most species are not often great at flying.

The German cockroach (Blattella germanica), a common pest in households and on occasion incorrectly thought of as a waterbug, is light brown with two dark stripes on the prothoracic region. The female generates the ootheca three days from mating and carries it for generally around 20 days. Because it is tiny (about 12 mm [less than 0.5 inch] long), this cockroach frequently is introduced into residences in grocery bags and boxes; it has spread throughout the globe by ship. Three or more generations may breed yearly. This cockroach, found abundantly throughout the water pipes of the Croton Aqueduct in New York City, has become called the Croton bug.

The brown-banded cockroach (Supella supellectilium) resembles the German cockroach but is a little bit smaller. The male possesses completely developed wings and is paler in shade than the female, whose wings are stunted and nonfunctional. Both sexes have two light-coloured bands over the back. The adult life span is around 200 days, and there may be two generations a year. Eggs may be dropped in clothes, wood molding, or cracks in the floor. With the invention of heated buildings this cockroach became established in cooler climates.

The Oriental cockroach (Blatta orientalis) is thought to be one of the filthiest 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 resembling that of the American cockroach. The male has short, fully developed wings, and the female has vestigial wings. This cockroach has been spread by vehicles of business from its Asiatic origins to almost all the temperate regions.

Wood roaches are non-domestic pests. Parcoblatta pennsylvanica, the common wood cockroach, habits beneath logs and stones in northern latitudes. The male and female are so differing in appearance that they were originally seen as individual species. The male, 15 to 25 mm (0.6 to 1 inch) long, has wings that extend beyond the abdomen; the female is smaller and possesses much shorter wings. Cryptocercus punctulatus digests wood with the aid of select protozoans in its digestive tract.

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