Scientific Name: Blattella Germanica

The German cockroach is the most common cockroach found in homes, apartments, restaurants, supermarkets, hospitals and other buildings where food is stored, prepared or served. They eat all kinds of food and may hitchhike into the home on egg cartons, soft drink cartons, sacks of potatoes or onions, used furniture, beverage cases, etc. These cockroaches will move from building to building during the warm summer months.

German Cockroaches can develop into large populations and live throughout the home, especially in kitchens and bathrooms. Cockroaches can foul food and produce an unpleasant odor. A significant number of people are allergic to cockroaches, and may exhibit chronic symptoms without realizing the cause of their watery eyes or runny noses. Cockroaches can also contaminate food with bacteria that can cause food poisoning, dysentery, or diarrhea.

Life Cycle

German cockroach females, unlike most other cockroaches, carry ootheca that protrude from their abdomen until the eggs are ready to hatch. The ootheca is then dropped in a secluded location, where the nymphs emerge within one day. A female may produce four to eight cases during her lifetime, each containing 30 to 48 eggs. Eggs hatch in about one month, and nymphs develop in 1-1/2 to 4 months. Adult female cockroaches live about 6-1/2 months and males live slightly less. The German cockroach produces more eggs and has more generations per year (three to four) than other cockroaches, thus troublesome infestations can develop from a few individuals. This cockroach has spread throughout the world by commerce and transportation. It is the most prevalent pest in apartments in the United States.

Behavior

During the day, these cockroaches hide in clusters behind baseboard molding, in cracks around cabinets, closets or pantries, and in and under stoves, refrigerators and dishwashers. The crevices behind kitchen drawers and beneath the sink are one of the primary cockroach harborages. If clusters of cockroaches are seen during the day, the population is large. Both nymphs and adults are very active and capable of running rapidly. Without food and water adults may die in two weeks. However, they can live with only water for up to a month.

Diet

Cockroaches will eat almost any organic matter no matter how rancid. Once inside the home, they will seek out food scraps, unsealed food containers, sugar and grease deposits, pet food, rancid meat, glue and even book bindings. They eat each others feces, to feed the young “nymphs” and extract all nourishment from an organic food source. If you see a clump of pepper-like specs in your kitchen cupboards, it is likely cockroach feces marking their courtship and nearby nesting territory.

Geographical Territory

German cockroaches are the most successful roach and can be found in every area of the world.

Damage

German cockroaches produce odorous secretions that can affect the flavor of various foods. When cockroach populations are high, these secretions may result in a characteristic odor in the general region of the infestation. Disease-producing organisms such as bacteria, protozoans, and viruses have been found on cockroach bodies.

Different forms of gastroenteritis (food poisoning, dysentery, diarrhea, and other illnesses) appear to be the principal diseases transmitted by German cockroaches. The organisms causing these diseases are carried on the legs and bodies of cockroaches and are deposited on food and utensils as the cockroaches forage. Cockroach excrement and cast skins also contain a number of allergens to which many people exhibit allergic responses, such as skin rashes, watery eyes and sneezing, congestion of nasal passages, and asthma.

Control

Apply chemicals at roach hiding places. Enter a dark room quietly, turn on the light, and watch where the roaches run. Spot treat these hiding places and known pathways, especially under and behind loose baseboards or molding strips and around pipes or conduits along the walls and through them. Do not treat entire floors, walls or ceilings. Roaches may hide around the kitchen sink or drain board, in cracks underneath cupboards and cabinets, inside the motor compartment of mechanical refrigerators, behind window and door frames, in radio and TV cabinets, and around closet and bookcase shelves. Surfaces where food is prepared should not be treated. Roaches in buildings with multiple dwellings usually require the treatment of other units as well.

American Cockroach

Size

The American cockroach can grow to as large as 1 ½ inches long and is by far the largest cockroach infesting homes and buildings.

Color

The American cockroach is reddish brown in color and often has yellow markings around the prothorax, which is the shield on the front it its body.

Habits

American cockroaches usually live outdoors, but often live in human structures and are frequently found in restaurants and grocery stores or anywhere food is prepared and stored. In residential and commercial buildings, American cockroaches infest basements, bathrooms, crawlspaces and landscaping areas. They prefer warm, moist environments but can live in dry areas if water is accessible. Although adults have fully developed wings, and are capable of some flight, they are awkward fliers and prefer to run away very quickly when disturbed. Infestations often overtake storm drains and cockroaches use manhole covers to escape under cover of darkness to search for food in nearby buildings.

Diet

American cockroaches feed on a wide variety of materials including human hair, fingernails and toenails. They also feed on things like cosmetics, beer, potted plant shoots, wallpaper paste, soap, postage stamps, and fermenting fruit.

Reproduction

Females produce an egg case three to seven days after mating which protrudes from the tip of their abdomen. The egg case is soon deposited in a hidden location and glued to a surface with the female’s saliva. Each female produces ten egg capsules containing an average of 15 eggs per capsule. In warm conditions, these egg capsules take approximately 45 days to hatch. It then takes six to twelve months for them to mature and become reproductive. An adult female will produce six to fourteen egg cases during her lifetime.

Other Information

American cockroaches contaminate just about anything they touch with their feces and body parts. They also emit a strong and very unpleasant odor which can be transferred to items they crawl across while looking for their next meal. Some members of this species carry bacteria on and in their bodies which can contaminate food and other items. American cockroaches also produce allergens in their fecal material which may contribute to allergic dermatitis and childhood asthma.

Control

Establishing a barrier around the exterior of your home and outdoor areas is critical in the control of this common pest. Using the proper spray equipment, apply a six to eight foot barrier of Cy-kick CS or Talstar around the foundation of your home spraying one to three feet up the foundation and three to five feet out from the base of the home.