The cockroach is considered an arthropod insect and is included in the superorder of cockroaches from the order Cockroaches. In Latin it is called Blattoptera, Blattodea.
However, the Russian version of the word Cockroach is difficult to explain. A small part of etymologists came to the conclusion that they began to be called, therefore, due to the phrase “tar-aqan”, which originates from the Chuvash language. Its approximate meaning is to denote someone running away. And based on the Turkic - “taz” means “to run away”.
General description of cockroaches
They are distinguished by a flattened body based on an oval shape, with a total length of 1-10 cm, sometimes more than this size. The abdomen of this insect is created by many tergites in the form of dorsal segments.
Females have 7 of them, and males have about 8-10. The abdomen ends with cerci, for the most part they are formed in a segmented manner. Most cockroaches have a light shade of overall body color, and have elytra of a yellow or brown hue. Dark or black ones are much less common.
The elytra of this insect are particularly dense. Some species are distinguished by their front or rear shortened wings; wingless representatives of these insects are known. There are varieties that can make short flights.
All cockroaches have 6 legs. Spikes may be found on the thighs or lower legs. Their legs are distinguished by excellent development; they have five-membered paws, making them very comfortable while moving.
The American cockroach is capable of running 75 cm in one second. Due to these characteristics, it is difficult to catch a cockroach with your hands. This insect is capable of changing direction about 25 times within a second.
Its head is flat and at the same time triangular or heart-shaped. The front back has an almost flat shape and is expressed as a shield; it is large in size; some types are presented with transparent edge options.Their jaws are quite developed, of the gnawing type, with many teeth formed by chitin. The mouth part is always directed downwards.
It has large eyes, it has 2 simple ocelli, wingless species are mostly distinguished by atrophied eyes, and cave species do not have them at all.
It has sensitive antennae of a long shape, sometimes they exceed the total length of the body, have the appearance of bristles, with a large number of segments.
The male has reproductive organs in the form of a genital plate, represented by the ninth abdominal sternite. In females, you can find a hidden version of the ovipositor, as well as edema in the form of a protein version of the capsule, which is necessary for the maturation of the offspring.
The lifespan of a cockroach lasts approximately 4 months, however, in some species it can last up to 4 years.
How to find out that there are cockroaches in the house
It may not be possible to detect pests immediately if there are still a few of them. The neighborhood will become noticeable when they begin to manage your kitchen as if they were at home. There are signs by which you can determine the presence of cockroaches in a room:
- Black dots are visible on the tiles, in the corners of the walls, on the furniture - these are insect feces;
- Look in cracks, tiny crevices and all corners for cockroach eggs;
- Cockroaches are sometimes accompanied by a specific smell.
Identify the type of cockroach
Cockroaches are the most common synatropic insects. But among several thousand species, not all live at home. The most common cockroach in our homes is the red cockroach, less often the black and American cockroaches. In the south and in the tropics, other species wander into houses, but they cannot be called synatropic; rather, they are random guests. Since the domestic cockroach looks different, depending on the variety, we provide a brief description and photo of each of the common species.
Folk methods of struggle
The folk method of dealing with these neighbors is simple. The natural characteristics of cockroaches do not allow them to live in frost starting from -5 degrees.
To get rid of them completely or cause noticeable damage to their population, it is necessary to open all windows for a while in winter. Residents at this time may be at work, at school, kindergarten, or just walking.
American (Periplaneta americana)
It is not worth judging the origin of an insect by its name. The homeland of this family is hot Africa. Cockroaches made their way to America with cargo ships, and then easily spread across all continents.
American cockroach
Abundant food, a large amount of garbage near houses and unsanitary conditions in public institutions became an excellent incentive to appear in our country. Despite how many species there are, this insect is easy to distinguish - its large size, oval body with a brown shell that looks like folded wings, differs sharply from the appearance of the familiar Prussians.
Another feature that distinguishes American cockroaches from red or black ones is that they cannot tolerate cold weather. Even at a temperature of 0 degrees, the insect inevitably dies. Another unpleasant characteristic is that the American cockroach is very aggressive and can even attack a pet or person.
Life cycle
Adults have wings, but nature has not endowed them with the ability to fly. Insects use their wings while jumping to break their fall. Cockroaches reproduce sexually. To attract males, females secrete a substance with a specific odor, and after fertilization they hid in a secluded place, where they leave a capsule with fertilized eggs.
One ootheca contains from 15 to 60 eggs. The dense shell reliably protects the developing offspring from temperature changes and the effects of poisons. Tiny transparent babies that emerge from the egg resemble adults in appearance. But they are slightly smaller and do not have wings. The chitinous covering of babies darkens and hardens within a few hours after birth.
Human housing is occupied by two types of insects: red and black.
Red cockroaches
The Prussians value human proximity most of all. They live for a year and a half, and the female manages to lay 8 clutches of eggs with an interval of 45 days during her life. If a baby is found in the kitchen, then the cockroach family lives in the apartment for at least 2 months.
The body of the red locust reaches a length of 20 mm, while males are smaller than females. The size of insects of different generations is not the same: younger individuals look larger. The first molt in young animals occurs 10 days after hatching from the egg.
Prussians have antennae that help them explore the territory in search of food and serve as a means of communication between members of the cockroach family. To fully interact with the outside world, cockroaches groom their whiskers. Loss or damage to an organ would be catastrophic for the beetle.
Black cockroaches
Nimble insects enter living spaces from basements. Ways to conquer new territories are sewerage, water supply, ventilation. A black cockroach accidentally discovered in the kitchen serves as a signal that there are many more of them hiding in secret places. This species does not reproduce as quickly as the Prussians. But the colony will grow rapidly if measures are not taken in time.
The adult size is 3 cm, they have no wings. They reproduce sexually; each ootheca contains 200 eggs. The life of the black beetle is short: from 5 to 26 weeks.
White cockroaches
When people see a light-colored insect, they often assume it is the result of a mutation. In fact, individuals that have recently shed their “old clothes” have a white chitinous cover. Within a few hours the insect acquires its usual color.
White insects are haunted by many myths. For example, they are accused of radioactivity. But white cockroaches are no different from their counterparts. But for bugs, the first hours after molting are truly dangerous: they become very sensitive to the effects of poisons.
If small cockroaches appear: what to do?
An effective drug in the fight against cockroaches is the Dichlorvos aerosol, which ensures the rapid death of insects provided that they are outside their burrows at the time of treatment. The surviving individuals, after the chemical wears off, will calmly return to their previous way of life. The disadvantage of using this method is the risk of poisoning pets with toxic chemical vapors, for which such treatment can sometimes even lead to death.
Small cockroaches in the bathroom, kitchen and apartment in general can be destroyed with gels (“Dohlox”, “Liquidator”, “Killer”, “Raptor”), sold in large syringes and ready for immediate use. The product should be applied along the baseboard around the perimeter of the room in small drops at a distance of about 10 cm from each other. In just a week, cockroaches will not come to stay in the apartment they have lived in and will leave it forever.
Popular questions
When small cockroaches appear, many wonder whether these insects are the cubs of large red locusts. Despite some superficial similarities, this is not the case. Despite their small size, small cockroaches are adults, imagoes. The larvae of parasites have a lighter, soft chitinous cover.
Do I need to get rid of cockroaches if there are few of them? Necessarily. Even if just one parasite appears, you need to immediately take measures to help get rid of the insects and prevent their spread. Given favorable conditions, parasites multiply at an incredible rate; getting rid of a colony of several hundred individuals is extremely difficult.
About little black cockroaches
The black cockroach is a prominent representative of its compatriots; it enters apartments mainly from sewers, basements and garbage cans. It has been observed that this individual does not rise above the 5th floor, so it causes the greatest trouble to residents of the lower levels. Small black cockroaches in an apartment, the presence of which indicates poor sanitary conditions in the room, do not disdain any food; in its absence, they feed on scraps from the trash can.
In terms of reproduction speed, they are superior to their red counterparts, who also prefer to live close to humans.
The red cockroach (in common parlance “Prusak”), characterized by an elongated body and light red color, has become so firmly established in living quarters that getting rid of it and its brethren is a rather tedious and time-consuming task.
By the way, such insects regulate the number of their numerous colonies independently.
