German, American, Oriental and Brown Banded Cockroaches

Project Description

Cockroaches can survive on very little carbohyderate food. But they must be able to maintain their body moisture. That’s what they live in tight spaces where the air hardly moves.

The German cockroach is probably the most economically important pest. It is the most common cockroach you will find in a home or business. The German cockroach can be found in homes, apartments, hotels, motels, restaurants and other places throughout Ontario. There are other cockroaches that might be found more in other areas but the German cockroach is by far the most common species infesting homes and other areas.

The adults are about 1/2 to 5/8 inches long and have two dark stripes. Both sexes have wings but do not fly. Males can be distinguished from females by a tapering shape of the abdomen.

German cockroach babies, called nymphs, look like adults except they are smaller, have no wings and are darker in color, sometimes even black. One stripe running down the middle of the back is a prominent marking of the younger German cockroach nymph.

The female German cockroach carries the egg capsule protruding from her rear until the eggs are ready to hatch. The German cockroach is the only house-infesting species that carries the eggs capsule this long. This is what makes it the most presistant cockroach in the United States because they are less likely to be taken by predators.

The adult females can produce 4 to 8 egg capsules in their lifetime. Each capsule contains 30 to 48 eggs. It usually takes 20 to 30 days from the time of initial formation of the first egg capsule until it hatches. There are 6 to 7 nymphal stages, called instars, until they molt into the adult stage. The nymphs have habits as adults. They are mostly active at night and hide in cracks and crevices during the day. Seeing German cockroaches during the day is usually an indication of over population. All cracks and crevices are full or food is in short supply and they are stressed.

German cockroaches usually hide in areas where there is ample food and moisture such as kitchens and other food areas but they can be found in other areas if they are stressed and as a result of a repellant insecticide somewhere else in the building or home. German cockroaches are attracted to fermented foods and beverage residues. If water is present, adults can live about a month without food, but young nymphs will die of starvation within 10 days. Without food or water the adults will die in about 2 weeks.

Mister Pest Control utilizes dust formulations, spray , bait stations and paste forms as well as fumigation techniques to completely eliminate these pests.