Cockroaches- The Facts

There are more than 4,000 species of cockroaches worldwide, but only a handful of them invade and plague our homes. The Pest Species That Invade Our Homes Include:
- Blatella germanica, the German cockroach
- Periplaneta americana, the American cockroach or palmetto bug
- Supella longipalpa, the brown-banded cockroach
- Blatta orientalis, the oriental cockroach
German cockroach is the smallest of the common cockroaches, and the most prevalent
- Length: 1/2 to 5/8 inch long
- Body: wide and flat
- Color: tan to light brown to dark brown, with two dark brown stripes on the body
- Unique characteristics: This cockroach's size is its most identifying characteristic. Like most cockroaches, it does have wings but cannot fly.
American Cockroach (Periplaneta Americana)
- Identification: The American cockroach is one of the largest of the common cockroaches:
- Length: 1.5 inches long
- Color: reddish-brown body with a light brown center and outer edges of a yellowish hue.
- Unique characteristics: Both the male and female have wings, but they glide rather than literally fly.

Of all the species of roaches, the German cockroach is responsible for most infestations.

Fried Cockroaches are common snacks in Cambodia, as are spiders and rats. (I would rather starve)..

Most cockroach pests have spread across the planet by hitchhiking on boats, airplanes, trucks and even in moving boxes and grocery bags.

American cockroaches have a need to inhabit warm, dark, moist places, as they need to be near water. They are often found in sewers and basements, around pipes and drains.

German cockroaches carry disease-producing organisms such as bacteria, protozoans, and viruses on their bodies. Different forms of gastroenteritis (food poisoning, dysentery, diarrhea, and other illnesses) appear to be the main diseases transmitted by these notorious urban pests. The organisms causing these diseases are carried on the legs and bodies of cockroaches and are deposited on our food and utensils as the cockroaches forage for food.

Some female cockroaches can mate once and remain pregnant for the rest of their lives. Thank the lord I am not a roach lol.

The German cockroach It is the most common cockroach species in the world living in houses, apartments, restaurants, hotels, and other institutions and thrives successfully and abundantly in most parts of the civilized world.

German cockroaches thrive in warm and damp places, like kitchens, bathrooms, and places where people eat and drink.

German cockroaches can be found in all corners of the world. They are the most common cockroach in the United States. A German cockroaches life span is about 100-200 days.

Brownbanded cockroaches prefer warmer, drier, and higher locations than most cockroaches. While most cockroaches prefer to live in kitchens and pantries, Brownbanded cockroaches will live in any room in the house. They do not need much moisture and avoid light whenever the can.

Brownbanded cockroaches prefer a diet of starchy foods, such as wallpaper paste and book bindings. Sometimes they’ll even eat non-organic things.

Oriental Cockroaches originate from Africa. They are large and very dark compared to other cockroaches. They usually travel through sewer pipes and drains. They prefer dirty places and cooler temperatures than other cockroaches. An Oriental cockroach creates a strong smell and is considered one of the filthiest of all the cockroaches.

Oriental cockroaches live in sewers and wet, decaying areas, such as basements and crawlspaces, firewood and piles of leaves.

The life span of cockroaches differs between species. Some live only a few months while others live for more than two years.

Newly hatched roaches, known as nymphs, are usually white. Shortly after birth, they turn brown, and their exoskeletons harden. They begin to resemble small, wingless adult roaches.

Cockroaches generally prefer warm, humid, dark areas. In the wild, they are most common in tropical parts of the world. They are omnivores, and many species will eat virtually anything, including paper, clothing and dead bugs. A few live exclusively on wood, much like termites do.

A cockroach's blood doesn't use hemoglobin (red blood cells) to carry oxygen, therefore it remains colorless instead of red.

Cockroaches crawl through the most filthiest grimy crevices on earth and then proceed to creep around our homes contaminating it with a vast collection of foul bacteria and germs. They can contaminate our food by shedding their skins. Their shed their skin and waste byproducts are allergens that can trigger allergic reactions, asthma and other illnesses, especially in children.

Cockroaches feast on a myriad of garbage and waste, spreading bacteria like Salmonella (food poisoning) and Shigella.

For an American cockroach, just about anything is on their menu, including plants and other insects.

A cockroach can live without its head for up to a week. This is because its brain is not in the head, but is scattered throughout its body. This hardy pest can breathe through spiracles, or little holes in each body segment. Plus, the cockroaches brain does not control this breathing and blood does not carry oxygen throughout the body. Rather, the spiracles pipe air directly to tissues through a set of tubes called tracheae. Moral of story..Squish it good and proper.

Cockroaches are closely related to the termite family, but they are not as social as termites. Termite colonies have a well organized social structure in which different members have different jobs, whilst the cockroaches don't have these types of roles, but they do tend to prefer living in groups.

Cockroaches can survive without food for a month, but it will live only a week without water.

Adult male cockroaches can fit into a space of hardly 1.6 mm, but a pregnant female will require 4.5 mm of space to hide.

The heart of a cockroach comprises of a simple tube with valves. It can stop moving anytime, without harming the roach.

A cockroach can make use of its feelers or antennae, as noses.

The sense of smell of cockroaches is very acute. In fact, they can recognize family and friends by their distinctive odors.

A headless roach can live for more than a week because cockroaches do not breathe through a nose or mouth. Instead, they draw air through spiracles, or holes in their sides. Tubes called tracheae deliver oxygen from the spiracles to organs and tissues. When a headless roach finally dies, it's death is thirst related.

Male cockroaches usually have wings, but female roaches often don't. Those females that do usually have vestigial wings which are small, undeveloped wings that often doesn't allow her to fly.

Female cockroaches attract males by producing pheromones, a type of scent.

Cockroaches wear their skeletons on the outside of their bodies and have white blood.

Cockroaches are food for a variety of other animals. Some species of wasp use cockroaches as incubators for their eggs. A female wasp will sting a cockroach or remove its antennae to disable it. Then, she will lay her eggs inside the cockroach, where they will grow until they hatch. In addition to this another household pest being the common house centipede,also eats nymph roaches.

As cockroaches walk, they leave trails of poop in which they use to find their way around.

The world's largest cockroach is found in South America. It is six inches long and has a wingspan of up to one-foot.

A cockroach can swim and hold its breath for about 40 minutes, at a time.

When a cockroach sheds its skin, it becomes completely white. However, the skin grows back within a period of 8 hours.

Male cockroaches not only weigh less than female cockroaches, but can also fly and flee faster.

A cockroach does not have blood vessels.

Cockroach excrement and shed skins contain a number of allergens to which many people exhibit allergic responses, such as skin rashes, watery eyes and sneezing, congestion of nasal passages.

Cockroaches mouths work sideways. The mouth of a roach is actually quite remarkable, as well. The mouth of a cockroach cannot only taste, but it can smell as well! The cockroach mouth is different than a human mouth because the roach chews in a side-to-side motion instead of an up and down. The salivary glands work along with the mouth, creating spit to aid in the breaking down of food.

Cockroaches have 6 legs and least 18 knees!!! all of which are primed for an extra sensory organ. There are little hairs on the legs of each cockroach that allow him or her to have a very extra sensitive touch. The legs work in conjunction with the antennae, actually. The antennae give the roach an extra sense of smell so that they cannot only find great places to live and feed, but also find other cockroaches. Male cockroaches actually have specially adapted antennae that allow them to sniff out a female.

Pregnant for life? The cockroach facts are that it doesn’t sound like much fun, but some female cockroaches mate once and are pregnant for the rest of their lives.

Female cockroaches produce an odor, called pheromone, that attracts males and drives them wild.

A cockroach family tree would be mighty big and long! Cockroaches are thought to have originated during the Carboniferous era, which ended 280 million years ago. They have been abundant ever since and are some of the most primitive winged insects.

The number of young that one roach can bear also varies considerably by species. For example, the German cockroach and her young can produce 300,000 more roaches in one year in comparison to an American cockroach and her young can produce a comparatively small 800 new roaches per year.

All American pest roaches–like most American humans were immigrants.

There are thought to be about 5,000 species of cockroaches worldwide.

Pest cockroaches are native to western Asia and northern Africa.

Cockroaches were carried all over the world in wooden ship. They were the sailors and stowaways of the insect world. Sir Francis Drake once captured a ship which was overrun with millions of roaches.

The H.M.S. Bounty was so infested with cockroaches that Captain William Bligh, a British admiral known for his mean temper, disinfected the entire ship with boiling water.

Some people develop allergies to cockroaches, including skin rashes as well as respiratory problems, such as a condition similar to asthma.

When a male cockroach is interested in a female he transfers sperm to her in a neatly wrapped little package called a spermatophore. The male coats the package in a protein rich cover so that she can eat to obtain nutrients to raise her young.

Female cockroaches incubate their egg cases in their bodies until they are ready to hatch. These babies stay with their mothers a day or two after they are born.

Many cockroaches unfortunately, have the gift of flight and have beautiful transparent wings.

The most notable part of the cockroach anatomy is the skeleton. Unlike humans, the cockroach skeleton is on the outside if its body. The cockroach can actually outgrow his skeleton, at which time he molts, or sheds the outgrown skeleton, often referred to as a shell.

Soft foods are digested through a cockroach’s gut within 48 hours.

Cockroaches use their feelers as noses.

The world’s biggest Cockroach is 6 inches long with a 1ft wingspan.

Cockroaches have compound eyes which allow the cockroach to see all around its body, to protect it from just about anything! This compound vision is made possible by more than 2,000 individual lenses.

Cockroaches live all over the world, including the North and South Poles. In extremely cold places, however, they survive by co-inhabiting with humans.

Cockroaches recognize family and friends by their distinctive odors.

The reason you may see a white colored cockroach, it has just shed its skin.

A cockroach that has just shed its skin is white with black eyes. After about eight hours, the cockroach’s normal color will return.

Ever think about how cockroaches climb walls? They have a set of little claws on their feet designed for that very purpose.

Cockroaches in your gourmet dinner? Maybe not as a main dish, but they have been used in sauces, condiments and as appetizers.

Don’t complain next time you have to swallow cough syrup. You could be taking a dose of cockroaches instead! Processed cockroaches have been used to cure illnesses and physical disorders for centuries.

Tea brewed from cockroaches, has been used to treat dropsy a type of illness.

Ever heard of a hissing roach?..Me Neither..The "Madagascar Hissing Cockroach", also known as the Hissing Cockroach or simply Hisser, is one of the largest species of cockroach, reaching 2 to 3 inches at maturity. They hiss by forcibly expelling air through breathing pores. The males, females, and older babies produce the most common hiss, which is the disturbance hiss. The males also hiss during courtship and aggressive encounters.

Dried and powdered oriental cockroaches are said to make a fantastic diuretic.

There are some people who eat cockroaches fried in oil and garlic as a cure for indigestion.

If you’re ever stung by a sting ray, then mash up some cockroaches to apply as a poultice to the wound.

The cockroach was once a thought of as a guest of honor in European homes, and it was customary to release them in new dwellings.

A cockroach can live for approximately 1 week without its head. It only dies because it can’t drink water with the lack of a mouth.

The world’s largest roach lives in South America.

Some roaches are tiny and live in ant nests.

The cockroach is one of the most successful insect groups, with fossil records dating back at about 280 million years.

There are two little hairs on the rear end of a cockroach. This is known as his or her cerci. The cerci are sort of like a warning system or motion detectors for the cockroach, so that nothing can sneak up on the cockroach. Even a slightest breeze or something moving ever so slightly will alert the cockroach to run and hide.

Tropical cockroaches are often brightly colored green, yellow, red.

Most species of cockroaches live in the tropics.

Roaches can go without eating for a month but will only live a week without water.

Cockroaches can swim and hold their breath for about 40 minutes. They breathe through their sides, not their noses which makes it more difficult to come up for air.

American cockroaches are quick little critters. They can scurry up to three miles per hour.

Cockroaches spend about 75% of their lives resting.

Cockroaches can crawl into amazingly small spaces. A young cockroach need only a crevice .5 mm wide or a space as thin as a dime. Adult males can squeeze into a space of 1.6 mm or the size of a quarter and a pregnant female needs the most space of all to hide: 4.5 mm or a space as wide as two stacked coins.

A cockroach heart is nothing more than a simple tube with valves. The tube can pump blood backwards and forwards in the insect. The heart can even stop without harming the cockroach.

Baiting cockroaches is an effective method to control or eliminate German cockroaches. Baits containing hydramethylnon, sulfluramid, boric acid, or abamectin can provide a high level of control when applied to those areas where cockroaches harbor. Insecticidal dusts like boric acid, silica aerogel, and diatomaceous earth can provide additional control.

The use of insecticidal sprays or aerosol foggers within a structure is of little value in controlling German cockroaches. In fact, these applications may disperse the cockroaches making control difficult and lengthy.