The German cockroach is the most common
cockroach found in homes within all regions of the United States and is thought
to be the hardest species of cockroach to eliminate. You may also here the German cockroach
referred to as a croton bug. These roaches are a medium brown color and
typically grow to be between ½” and ¾” in length when fully grown. The nymphs
are darker in color and will have a distinguishing stripe down the middle of the
back which is lighter in color, while the adults will have two dark brown
stripes on the back of their heads. Unlike most species of cockroach the German
cockroach does not simply place the egg capsule in a protected location; they
will carry the egg capsule with them until the eggs are ready to hatch to
ensure survival of the nymphs.
The capsules of German cockroaches contain as many as 30-50 eggs per capsule and only take a mere 28 days from the formation of the capsule to hatch. The nymphs will go through 6 stages of instars before reaching adulthood. The stages of instars typically take between 40-125 days for them to reach maturity and become of reproductive age. Although this species of cockroach can live as long as one year, they tend to die off before reaching this age. The adults and nymphs both tend to hide in small cracks and crevices where they will go unseen during the daylight hours, and then come out in the evening hours to forage for food and water. However, if the population is too large and the supply of food and water is diminished you may see German cockroaches during the daytime hours as well.
The adult German cockroaches can live for
up to a month with no food source; however, the nymphs are only able to survive
for a period of ten days without food. If there is no source of either food or
water, the adults will die off within two weeks and the nymphs can only go a
few days without food or water. If a German cockroach is deprived of food and
water for more than a couple of days they tend to become stressed and will
aggressively search for food and water during both the day and night.
Although German cockroaches tend to migrate to moist dark areas, when the number of these pests multiplies it is not uncommon to find them in areas of the home such as dresser drawers and cabinets as a result. Although not the preferred source of food German cockroaches can survive on the glue on the drawers of dressers or droppings found on dirty clothing.
Although German cockroaches tend to migrate to moist dark areas, when the number of these pests multiplies it is not uncommon to find them in areas of the home such as dresser drawers and cabinets as a result. Although not the preferred source of food German cockroaches can survive on the glue on the drawers of dressers or droppings found on dirty clothing.
German cockroaches can also live outdoors
as well and tend to be found in areas where there is an indoor infestation
where foraging has become slim. When this occurs they may migrate outdoors to
garbage receptacles looking for a source of food and water. Because of the
large number of eggs which are deposited per egg capsule as well as the short
duration of time which it takes for these egg capsules to hatch the German
cockroach can quickly infest a home or business. Because of the high potential
of reproduction, the German cockroach is the most prevalent and hard to manage
species of cockroach found within the United States.
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