The word cockroach is a corruption of the Spanish cucaracha. The cockroach is recognized by a flat 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 back instead of forward or downward as is the case with most other insects. The male usually has two pairs of wings, while the female, who in some species, is wingless or has vestigial wings. The female produces eggs in egg cases (called oothecae). These are occasionally held coming from her body or may be stuck in protected areas. After the female deposits an egg case, the soft, white nymphs emerge. As their exoskeleton toughens, it turns brown in appearance. The geometry and big size (certain species demonstrate a wing spread measurement of over 12 cm [4.7 inches]) of cockroaches have turned them into a significant interest in the biological laboratory.
The cockroach enjoys a warm, humid, dark environment and is more often than not thriving in tropical or other mild areas. Just a couple species have become pests. The insect harms more material than it eats and emits a disagreeable smell. The eating habits of the roach, which is both plant and animal product, ranges from food, paper, clothing, and books to dead insects, particularly bedbugs. Insecticides are taken in roach destroying.
The American cockroach (species Periplaneta americana) is 30 to 50 mm long (up to about 2 inches), reddish brown, and lives in an outdoor habitat or in dark, heated indoor spaces (e.g., basements and furnace rooms). In adult life, a time of about 1.5 years, the female creates 50 or more oothecae, each holding usually 16 eggs that hatch after 45 days. Nymphal life goes from 11 to 14 months. The American cockroach, indigenous to tropical and subtropical America, possesses well-developed wings. However, many species tend not to be gifted flyers.
The German cockroach (Blattella germanica), a common pest in households and sometimes incorrectly referred to as a waterbug, is light brown with two dark stripes on the prothoracic region. The female deposits the ootheca three days post mating and carries it for generally about 20 days. Because it is small in size (about 12 mm [less than 0.5 inch] long), this cockroach generally is introduced into houses in grocery bags and boxes; it has spread throughout the world by ship. Three or more generations can live yearly. This cockroach, found in abundance in the water pipes of the Croton Aqueduct in New York City, became labeled the Croton bug.
The brown-banded cockroach (Supella supellectilium) is like the German cockroach but is even smaller. The male has totally developed wings and is lighter in colour than the female, whose wings are undeveloped and nonfunctional. Both sexes have two light-coloured bands along the back. The adult life span is about 200 days, and there can be two generations annually. Eggs can be left in clothes, wood molding, or cracks in the floor. With the innovation of heated buildings this cockroach became established in cooler temperatures.
The Oriental cockroach (Blatta orientalis) is held to be one of the most disgusting 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 like that of the American cockroach. The male has short, fully developed wings, while the female possesses vestigial wings. This cockroach has been distributed by vehicles of commerce from its Asiatic origins to almost all the temperate regions.
Wood roaches are non-domestic pests. Parcoblatta pennsylvanica, the common wood cockroach, is found below logs and stones in northern latitudes. The male and female are so different in appearance that they were initially believed to be different species. The male, 15 to 25 mm (0.6 to 1 inch) long, has wings that go beyond the abdomen; the female is smaller and has much shorter wings. Cryptocercus punctulatus eats wood with the help of particular protozoans in its digestive tract.
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