The most common cockroach species found in U.S. homes, apartments, restaurants and hotels, the German cockroach is a small roach species that can be found all over the world. German Cockroaches Habits Adults of both sexes have well-developed wings, but they never fly. Adult females carry the egg capsule protruding from the rear of the …
Light brown with two dark stripes along the pronotum, German cockroaches are active at night and hide in dark crevices during the day. Spotting a German cockroach during the day is a good sign because they are either already full or food and moisture are in such short supply that daytime foraging is necessary. Though adults of both sexes have well-developed wings, these roaches rarely fly and prefer to scamper and crawl across surfaces instead.
Contrary to popular belief, German cockroaches don’t only infest dirty homes. Even spotless homes can attract German cockroaches. German cockroaches are often brought into a home by hitchhiking in grocery bags, cardboard boxes, luggage, or furniture. These cockroaches can even pass between apartments through light switch plates and electrical sockets. German cockroach nymphs, which are often black in color, can fit through holes less than 1/32 of an inch, while adult roaches can fit through holes less than an inch wide.
Most commonly found indoors, infestations are sometimes found in areas not generally suspected of harboring roaches, such as dresser drawers in bedrooms. German cockroaches found scattered through non-food areas of a home or building are usually a sign of a heavy infestation or effective insecticide applications elsewhere in the facility. Adult males are the most mobile German cockroach population, while pregnant females rarely leave the harborage.
Though they prefer kitchens and bathrooms and spend 75 percent of their time in harborages, German cockroaches can pass through apartments through light switch plates and come in with grocery bags, cartons, handbags, and luggage. Nymphs, which are often black in color, can fit through holes less than 1/32 of an inch, while adult roaches can fit through holes less than an inch wide.
Signs of a German cockroach infestation include an oily, musty odor, dark droppings that resemble pepper or coffee grounds and dark fecal stains in the corners of rooms. Dead roaches or shed skins are also telltale signs. These light brown buggers also have a love of soap and toothpaste, so look for them in your bathrooms as well as your kitchen.
Light brown or tan in color, with two black stripes behind their head, at less than an inch long, these light to medium brown roaches are on the smaller side.
Females typically produce one egg capsule every three to four weeks, which contains 25 to 45 eggs. Females often carry their egg capsules with them until they are ready to hatch. Living up to a year, young nymphs reach sexual maturity at 36 days, making them an insect with “high reproductive potential.”
With a penchant for living in bathrooms, drains and dumpsters, cockroaches spread at least 33 kinds of bacteria, six kinds of parasitic worms and at least seven other kinds of human pathogens. They can pick up germs on the spines of their legs and bodies as they crawl through decaying matter or sewage and then carry these onto food surfaces. Germs that cockroaches eat from decaying matter or sewage are protected while in their bodies and may remain for several weeks longer than if they had been exposed to cleaning agents, rinse water or just sunlight and air.
Voracious omnivores, cockroaches are known to feed on plants and meat. Though they have been known to eat dead and living human flesh, they are most likely to chew on fingernails, eyelashes, feet, and hands. Such attacks can cause irritation, lesions, swelling and even minor infection. Preferring exposed or discarded food to human flesh, roaches are most likely to attack humans during large infestations where food sources are limited.
Keeping your home, particularly your kitchen and bathroom, clean and free of food and soap debris is the first step in preventing an invasion.
Some states aren’t just great places for people — they’re paradise for pests, too. Warm weather, high humidity, and plenty of food and water sources can turn an everyday backyard into a bug buffet. Whether you’re planning a vacation, thinking about moving, or just curious about what states have the most bugs, we’re here to …
When you see a bug, what’s the first thing that comes to mind? Is it how annoying they are when they buzz around your head? Or how itchy one of their bites can be? Chances are, you’re probably not thinking about the surprising role these tiny creatures have played in shaping human history, culture, and …
What’s Bugging Your Nose: 6 of the Smelliest Infestations So, you’ve noticed an odor that’s a little off in your home. Is it just a passing breeze or is there something more sinister lurking beneath the scent? If a strange stench is lingering, it could be a pest infestation. While you might expect pests to …
Mon – Fri: 8:00 AM – 5:00 PM
Don’t share your home with pests! Schedule a free inspection with a Stark Exterminators professional.
Get an Stark Exterminators professional at your door stat by locating a service center near you.