German Cockroach

German cockroach    (Blantella germanica)

They have an extremely high reproduction rate, which makes control extremely difficult.

Habitat

German cockroaches prefer to live in warm, humid places close to food and moisture sources. They are frequently found in residential and commercial kitchen environments, and bathrooms. They are good hitchhikers and often find their way into new structures via grocery bags, cardboard boxes, drink cartons and secondhand appliances.

Food

German cockroaches will feed on almost anything, including soap, glue and toothpaste.

Biology

The German cockroach has three developmental stages: egg, nymph, and adult. Females produce a light brown, purse-shaped egg capsule that is less than 1/4 inch long and contains two rows of eggs. Each capsule contains up to 48 eggs, and adult females usually produce from four to eight egg capsules during their lifetime. At room temperature, one capsule is produced about every 6 weeks. Egg capsules are carried, protruding from the abdomen, until hatching time when they are deposited into crevices and other sheltered locations. It usually takes 28 days for the capsule to hatch from the time it begins to form. Formation of the next egg capsule usually begins within a couple of weeks. The length of the egg stage varies from 14 to 35 days, with six to seven nymphal stages occurring over a period of 6 to 31 weeks. The life span of the adult female varies from 20 to 30 weeks. In one year over 10,000 descendants can be produced, assuming two generations per year. They are a small, nocturnal, fast moving cockroach that can quickly escape into cracks and crevices in the wall. Adults are elongated, light caramel-colored brown, with two longitudinal black stripes running along the pronotum. Nymphs are darker brown/black colored, smaller, and oval shaped.

Threat

They have an extremely high reproduction rate, which makes control extremely difficult.  The filth they leave behind in their fecal matter carries a host of disease and allergen issues, such as childhood asthma. Cockroaches have been reported to 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 into food or onto food surfaces. It is best not to let a roach infestation continue without addressing it.

Prevention

The best advice for German cockroach control is to practice good sanitation. To prevent German cockroaches from infesting the space, vacuum often, keep a spotless kitchen, seal all entrances around utility pipes and ventilate crawl spaces to prevent moisture buildup.