COCKROACHES

COCKROACHES

Cockroaches (or simply "roaches") are common insects of the order Blattaria. This name is derived from the Latin word barata which means cockroach.

There are about 4,000 species of cockroach, of which some 30 species are associated with man and only about four species are well known as pests.

Among the best-known pest species are the American Cockroach (Periplaneta Americana) which is about 30 millimeters (1.1/4") long, Australian cockroach (Periplaneta Australasiae) is about 30 millimeters - 35 millimeters (1.1/4"-1.1/3"). the German Cockroach (Blattella germanica) about 15 millimeters (5/8 ") long, The Brown-Banded Cockroach, (Supella Longipalpa) about 12 millimeters (1/2") long and the Oriental Cockroach (Blatta orientalis) about 25 millimeters (1"). A species not yet found in Virginia, but have moved throughout Florida, into Georgia, Alabama, Texas and South Carolina is the Asian cockroach (Blattella Asahinai) about 15 millimeters (5/8 in) long.

Most of these roaches will have a page dedicated to them, but since we are not plagued by the Asian Roach we will touch briefly on them here. The Asian Roach may never make it here to Virginia, hopefully our winters are too cold, but they seem to adapt quite well to the conditions wherever they do spread to. Asian Roaches very, very closely resemble the German Roach except their wings are longer and have a very faint metallic shimmer to them and the fly readily where the German Roach does not fly at all. First found in the U.S. in 1986 in Lakeland Florida, in the short period since then they have spread into the states mentioned above and are likely still on the move. This roach is primarily an outdoor insect, but once indoors will quick make themselves at home. Asian Roach populations have been found to grow to 250,000 per acre and perhaps even more in some rural areas of Florida. This insect has spread so rapidly mostly because they are exceptional hitch-hikers, they will very quickly invade a car parked in an area they are inhabiting then go where the car goes and begin a new population where it stops. Also if populations can grow to a quarter million per acre and they can fly they will quickly move from property to property spreading as far and wide as they can survive the climate.

Let's go ahead and take a look at a few Asian Roach pictures here before we move to those pages dedicated to the cockroach species that are pests here in Tidewater today.

Take the kids on a vacation to Disney World in Florida, bring one of these back in your car and they just might have to add another state to the statistics. This female Asian Roach is carrying an egg capsule containing fourteen pairs of viable eggs. That is actually only about half the number of eggs her German Roach cousin deposits in her egg capsules which can contain up to 24 pairs that is forty-eight eggs.

Here we can see that the Asian Roach's wings are almost transparent this is what gives them their metallic look or sheen.

That is enough discussion of a pest we most likely will not be seeing here any time soon, but it is interesting to know that the Asian Roach has gone from first American discovery in Florida and just twenty-three years later is a common pest five states.

Our most common cockroach is the American Cockroach, this large unpleasant looking insect typically makes it's home outside, but can and will live indoors once it has found a way inside. This is where the BUGS-4-LESS! quarterly exterior pest prevention program comes in, our thorough inspection and treatment will stop these pests before they have a chance to invade your home.