The word cockroach is stemmed from the Spanish cucaracha. The cockroach is characterized by a flat oval body, long stringlike antennae, and a shining black or brown leathery integument. The head is directed downward, and the mouthparts point backward instead of forward or downward as is the case in many 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 creates eggs in egg cases (called oothecae). These are sometimes held coming from her body or could be glued in protected parts. After the female deposits an egg case, the soft, white nymphs emerge. As their exoskeleton solidifies, it turns brown in colour. The shape and huge size (some species have a wingspan measurement of more than 12 cm [4.7 inches]) of cockroaches have made them a particular area in the biological laboratory.
The cockroach likes a warm, humid, dark environment and is often found thriving in tropical and other mild areas. Only a small number species have become pests. The insect damages more material than it consumes and emits a unpleasant scent. The food of the roach, which can be both plant and animal product, goes from food, paper, clothing, and books to dead insects, especially 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 locations (e.g., basements and furnace rooms). During adult life, a time of about 1.5 years, the female drops 50 or more oothecae, each possessing around 16 eggs that hatch after 45 days. Nymphal life lasts from 11 to 14 months. The American cockroach, indigenous to tropical and subtropical America, has well-developed wings. However, most species are usually not great at flying.
The German cockroach (Blattella germanica), a common pest in the household and occasionally incorrectly labeled a waterbug, is light brown with two dark stripes on the prothoracic region. The female produces the ootheca three days post mating and carries it for about 20 days. Because it is tiny in size (about 12 mm [less than 0.5 inch] long), this cockroach frequently is taken into households in grocery bags and boxes; it has moved through the globe by boat. Three or more generations could occur yearly. This cockroach, abundant in the water pipes of the Croton Aqueduct in New York City, became labeled the Croton bug.
The brown-banded cockroach (Supella supellectilium) resembles the German cockroach but is a little bit smaller. The male has wholly developed wings and is brighter in hue than the female, whose wings are stunted and nonfunctional. Both sexes have two light-coloured bands along the back. The adult life span is around 200 days, and there may be two generations a year. Eggs are be left in clothes, wood molding, or cracks in the floor. With the introduction of heated buildings this cockroach became more common in cooler temperatures.
The Oriental cockroach (Blatta orientalis) is held to be one of the most disgusting 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 has short, fully developed wings, but the female possesses vestigial wings. This cockroach has been distributed by vehicles of trade from its Asiatic origins to almost all the temperate regions.
Wood roaches are not domestic pests. Parcoblatta pennsylvanica, the common wood cockroach, can be found below logs and stones in northern latitudes. The male and female are so different in appearance that they were first seen as separate species. The male, 15 to 25 mm (0.6 to 1 inch) long, has wings that go past the abdomen; the female is smaller and has much shorter wings. Cryptocercus punctulatus consumes wood with the assistance of select protozoans in its digestive tract.
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Tags: brisbane pest exterminator, pest control brisbaneMay 19th, 2010UncategorizedRead More >No Comments
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