The word cockroach is stemmed from the Spanish cucaracha. The cockroach is recognizable by a flattened oval body, long thin antennae, and a glossy black or brown leathery integument. The head is held downward, and the mouthparts are directed to the rear instead of forward or downward as is the case in almost all other insects. The male often has two pairs of wings, unlike the female, who in some species, is wingless or has vestigial wings. The female generates eggs in egg cases (labeled oothecae). These are occasionally held protruding from her body or might be stuck in protected parts. After the female produces an egg case, the soft, white nymphs emerge. As their exoskeleton solidifies, it turns brown in shade. The geometry and huge size (particular species demonstrate a wing measurement of longer than 12 cm [4.7 inches]) of cockroaches have made them a keen study in the biological laboratory.
The cockroach prefers a warm, humid, dark living and is frequently thriving in tropical and other mild climates. Just a couple species have become pests. The insect damages more material than it consumes and emits a unpleasant odour. The diet of the roach, which should be both plant and animal produce, ranges from food, paper, clothing, and books to dead insects, including bedbugs. Insecticides can be used in roach killing.
The American cockroach (species Periplaneta americana) is 30 to 50 mm long (up to about 2 inches), reddish brown, and lives outdoors or in dark, heated indoor places (e.g., basements and furnace rooms). During adult life, generally about 1.5 years, the female drops 50 or more oothecae, each containing usually 16 eggs that hatch after 45 days. Nymphal life lasts from 11 to 14 months. The American cockroach, indigenous to tropical and subtropical America, has well-developed wings. However, the majority of species are rarely gifted flyers.
The German cockroach (Blattella germanica), a common house pest and is on occasion erroneously thought of as a waterbug, is light brown with two dark stripes on the prothoracic region. The female creates the ootheca three days after mating and carries it for generally around 20 days. Because it is miniature (about 12 mm [less than 0.5 inch] long), this cockroach often is brought into households in grocery bags and boxes; it has moved across the world by ship. Three or more generations may occur yearly. This cockroach, found in abundance throughout the water pipes of the Croton Aqueduct in New York City, is labeled the Croton bug.
The brown-banded cockroach (Supella supellectilium) resembles the German cockroach but is slightly smaller. The male has totally developed wings and is lighter in colour than the female, whose wings are stunted and nonfunctional. Both sexes have two light-coloured bands over the back. The adult life span is generally around 200 days, and there may be two generations annually. Eggs may be dropped in clothes, wood molding, or cracks in the floor. With the innovation of heated buildings this cockroach became common in cooler areas.
The Oriental cockroach (Blatta orientalis) is held as 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 possesses short, fully developed wings, while the female has vestigial wings. This cockroach has been distributed by vehicles of business from its Asiatic origins to all the temperate regions.
Wood roaches are wild pests. Parcoblatta pennsylvanica, the common wood cockroach, can be found under logs and stones in northern latitudes. The male and female are so unlike in appearance that they were once thought to be separate species. The male, 15 to 25 mm (0.6 to 1 inch) long, possesses wings that go past the abdomen; the female is smaller and has much shorter wings. Cryptocercus punctulatus eats wood with the help of some protozoans in its digestive tract.
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