American Cockroach

Description: American cockroaches are 1-3/8 to 2-1/8 inches long when mature, red-brown and characterized by fully-developed wings that completely cover the abdomen. The pronotum has a dirty-yellow band around its edge.

The nymphs are 1/4 inch long when they emerge from the egg capsule and initially are gray-brown. As they develop, they become red-brown, and the yellow band becomes more prominent on the pronotum. The purse shaped egg capsule ootheca is dark red-brown in color, 3/8 inch long, and typically has eight eggs per side.

Biology: During her lifetime, the female American cockroach produces from nine to ten egg capsules each of which contains from 14 to 16 eggs. The capsules are dropped or, using secretions from her mouth, glued in protected locations such as cracks and crevices near food sources. The nymphs molt from 10 to 13 times before becoming adults. This requires about 600 days. Adult females live an average of 440 days and males about 200 days. Large populations of American cockroaches accumulate in secluded locations because they live for such a long time.

Habits: American cockroaches are not common pests in most homes. They can be abundant in sewers and commercial facilities, e.g., groceries, prisons, restaurants, hospitals and office and apartment buildings. They prefer to inhabit warm, damp locations, e.g., steam tunnels and boiler rooms. They are strong fliers and easily migrate from building to building. In the summer, large numbers in outdoor locations, e.g., in dumps, alleys and yards., Although they feed on a variety of materials, they prefer fermenting foods.

Control: Cockroaches often are bought into and moved between facilities via equipment and storage boxes. Thus, potentially infested products which are brought into structures should be closely inspected. Many types of cardboard and plastic sticky traps are available to help pinpoint sources of cockroach infestations can not be visually detected. Sticky traps are not intended for control but, rather, to guide and evaluate control efforts as part of the inspection process. Visual inspections can be conducted using a flashlight and aerosol pyrethrin to flush cockroaches from their harborages.

An effective cockroach management program depends on good sanitation in order to eliminate the food, water and harborage they need for survival. It is critical to reduce clutter as large cockroaches like to hide in stacked boxes, cartons, rolled carpeting and stored paper and cardboard materials, especially in dark damp locations. Vacuum cleaning can be used to physically remove exposed cockroaches.

American cockroaches are particularly sensitive to during so it is important to reduce moisture by repairing leaks, improving drainage, and installing screened vents in order to increase airflow. Permanent reduction of cockroach populations can be achieved by caulking to eliminate harborage and prevent entry into structures.

The most important cracks to eliminate include those at which sinks and fixtures are mounted to the wall and/or floor, around all types of plumbing, baseboard molding and corner guards where shelves and cabinets meet walls and door frames, and cracks on or neat food preparation surfaces. Cockroach access routes from wall voids into occupied spaces and around plumbing and electrical fixtures should be sealed with caulk or grout. Basement floor drains should be protected with screens or basket inserts which must be cleaned regularly.

Containerized, paste, dry and gel baits have become very popular in the industry and are very effective products for elimination cockroaches. To maximize effectiveness, paste gel and dry baits should be applied with a syringe-like dispensing tool in many small dabs or spots that are close to harborage sites. Large, plastic bait containers should be placed as close to harborage sites. Large, plastic bait containers should be placed as close as possible to the dark concealed spots where cockroaches are living, preferably adjacent to edges and corners.

Large populations of cockroaches can be reduced or eliminated with careful application of sprays and dusts. Many insecticides break down rapidly within the moist, hot locations these cockroaches prefer so an appropriate formulation for the environmental conditions must be selected.