What is a Cockroach?
The word cockroach is rooted in the Spanish cucaracha. The cockroach is characterizable by a flat oval body, long thin antennae, and a glossy black or brown leathery integument. The head is directed downward, and the mouthparts aim rearward instead of forward or downward as is the case in many other insects. The male generally has two pairs of wings, while the female, who in some species, is wingless or has vestigial wings. The female creates eggs in egg cases (known as oothecae). These are at times held coming from her body or may be held in protected areas. After the female produces an egg case, the soft, white nymphs emerge. As their exoskeleton hardens, it turns brown in appearance. The structure and big size (some species have a wingspan measurement of longer than 12 cm [4.7 inches]) of cockroaches have made them objects of interest in the biological laboratory.
The cockroach enjoys a warm, humid, dark living habitat and is usually found living in tropical or other mild temperatures. Just a couple of species have become pests. The insect damages more material than it eats and possesses a disagreeable scent. The food of the roach, which should be both plant and animal product, goes from food, paper, clothing, and books to dead insects, particularly bedbugs. Insecticides should 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 areas (e.g., basements and furnace rooms). In adult life, generally about 1.5 years, the female drops 50 or more oothecae, each possessing around 16 eggs that hatch after 45 days. Nymphal life takes from 11 to 14 months. The American cockroach, a native of tropical and subtropical America, possesses well-developed wings. However, most species are seldom good flyers.
The German cockroach (Blattella germanica), a common pest in houses and occasionally erroneously called 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 around 20 days. Because it is miniature (about 12 mm [less than 0.5 inch] long), this cockroach often can be brought into homes in grocery bags and boxes; it has gone throughout the world by ship. Three or more generations may live yearly. This cockroach, found abundantly around the water pipes of the Croton Aqueduct in New York City, is known as the Croton bug.
The brown-banded cockroach (Supella supellectilium) is similar to the German cockroach but is slightly smaller. The male has totally developed wings and is brighter 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 might be two generations in a year. Eggs are be left in clothes, wood molding, or cracks in the floor. With the innovation of heated buildings this cockroach became common in cooler climates.
The Oriental cockroach (Blatta orientalis) is considered 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, while the female possesses vestigial wings. This cockroach has been spread 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, may be found beneath logs and stones in northern latitudes. The male and female are so varied in appearance that they were originally seen as separate species. The male, 15 to 25 mm (0.6 to 1 inch) long, possesses wings that extend past the abdomen; the female is smaller and has much shorter wings. Cryptocercus punctulatus eats wood with the aid of certain protozoans in its digestive tract.
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