Know Your Enemy
Accurate identification of pests is as important as choosing the best preventive pest management available on the market today. Preventive Pest Control has compiled a list of most common pests to help you identify the problem.
American Cockroach
(Periplaneta Americana)
Characteristics
The adult American cockroach is usually 1 17/50 to 2 inches long, and is considered one of the biggest cockroaches found in homes. They are reddish brown with pale brown to yellowish band surrounding the edge of their pronotal shield. They have wings, but they do not usually use their wings to fly.
Habitat
The American cockroach loves to stay in areas where moist is present. They can stay in dry areas only if there is an easy access to water. They prefer to stay in warm areas and will not survive if the temperature is below 15 degrees Fahrenheit. When they are outdoors, they can be found in yards and alleys. However, they prefer the moist and wet environment of sewer systems. When indoors, they will stay in commercial places such as bakeries, restaurants, hospitals, groceries, food processing plants, and so on.
Behavior
This cockroach is an outdoor pest, and will spend most of their time in a cramped narrow cracks and crevices for safety. Their preferred location is the sewer or in moist areas where they will be able to have easy access to food and water. When these cockroaches are found in homes, they may have gotten inside through the sink and shower drains.
Food
The American cockroach can eat anything they can consume. They will even eat each other if they cannot find enough food and water. They can eat paper, wool, clothes, sugar, ink, soap, leaves, bark, fish, and so on. They can also consume decaying organic matter, which makes them unsanitary and dangerous to have inside a home.
Life Cycle
Once a female American cockroach is able to produce eggs, she will place her 14 to 16 embryos in a case, then place it in a sheltered place near a food source such as in a crack or a crevice and will just leave it until the eggs hatch. After 38 to 49 days, the eggs will hatch and the nymphs will arrive. These nymphs will not receive any help from their mother and will just rely on themselves to get their own sustenance. Early instar nymphs will shed their skin or molt continuously to reach maturity. Each molt these cockroaches do will result in having their body weight and size double. Each nymphs will require 13 molts before they become adults. If their habitat is favorable, these nymphs may become adults in just six months and will be ready to reproduce again. These cockroaches can live one year or one year and a half depending on their environment.
Other Information and Tips
The American cockroach is considered an enemy of commercial establishments because of how they defile and destroy food. These cockroaches can transmit a variety of bacterial diseases by consuming the food they contaminate, then passing it on, to unsuspected victims. Infestation of these cockroaches can also trigger allergies and asthma attack in sensitive individuals. If your home or your commercial establishment has this pest, make sure to get rid of them by getting rid of the harborage areas and their food and water source. Get the help of a pest control professional for major infestations since you do not want these cockroaches around your premises.
Photo by Sputniktilt (Own work) [CC BY-SA 3.0], via Wikimedia Commons / resized from original
