Cockroaches can become a nightmare for a home or other place where people live. When such "neighbors" appear, getting them out is not an easy task. As soon as insects occupy a room with suitable conditions, their numbers grow exponentially. And you can bring them out only if you accurately determine the type of cockroaches.
Years of study
Science knows about 5,000 species of cockroaches. About 55 of them can live in houses and apartments, but often we encounter only a few. Almost everyone is afraid of large cockroaches. And there is nothing strange in this one: such insects can hardly be called pleasant neighbors.
Can cockroaches fly? They can, since they have wings that are reduced only in some species. A flying insect causes even greater horror in people who are terribly afraid of cockroaches. In nature, there is only one species of these insects capable of effortless flight. However, it is not found in our country. By the way! It is believed thatevery ten years a new species of cockroach appears.
Insects prefer rooms that are warm and humid. The activity of these creatures manifests itself at night, which prevents their timely detection. The length of the body of insects is different and can vary from 0.4 to 10 cm. The head is in the shape of a triangle, flattened in the dorsoventral direction. The mouth apparatus is of a gnawing type, and the opening of the mouth is at the bottom.
Black cockroach
Black cockroaches are the most common. Their food is fresh and spoiled food. In areas with a warm climate, they even live outdoors. In fact, the home for black cockroaches is only a small part of their range. And the definition of a black large cockroach has a fairly broad meaning. Their color can vary from rich brown to black.
The size of this type of cockroach also has different. The term “large” is taken literally by a disinfection specialist (ten centimeters). However, in reality, the body of the insect does not exceed 3 cm in length in females. By the way, their presence in the room is a sign of poor sanitary conditions. They live in garbage cans, toilet rooms and other similar places. It is not surprising that these creatures are carriers of many diseases. Horror causes only one appearance of cockroaches. A photo of insects clearly demonstrates this.
Red cockroach
The red cockroach is one of the species with the widest range. Basically, we meet them. They accompany a person wherever he leaves the remainsfood.
The structure of the red and black cockroaches is identical. Only the first ones have an elongated body with a reddish-brown chitinous cover. The popular name is Prussian. Red species of domestic cockroaches surround a person everywhere.
American cockroach
The size of the American cockroach can reach four centimeters. They feed on almost everything and have a high fecundity. Considerable growth rate and ability to survive make us talk about this cockroach representative seriously.
American cockroaches can move everywhere, even on the ceiling. When threatened, this insect exudes a stinking liquid that causes instant allergies in the enemy. It can be attributed to centenarians among the entire cockroach family. If you find this creature in your home, immediately contact the appropriate service to remove them. The American cockroach in the struggle for food can even attack a pet! Agree, such creatures are very unpleasant neighbors.
We have listed the most famous types of cockroaches. Next, let's talk about those that, when meeting, can cause surprise and even amazement.
Albino cockroaches
This is a rather rare occurrence, but nonetheless unpleasant. It looks like an insect that has shed its shell during a molt. The procedure for changing the chitinous cover (molting) occurs up to 8 times during the life of a cockroach. Then it becomes quite light, but soon chitin is formed again.
Albinos are endowed withcolorless shell. This phenomenon is also found among other species of animals and plants. It is worth remembering that albinos are the same pests as other cockroaches. It is difficult to say exactly how many species of cockroaches are known to scientists. Their approximate number is five thousand, other sources call the figure 4600. Any insects can be albinos.
Which individuals get into houses?
Not all types of cockroaches want to get into the house. But if the red-haired Prussians made their way into the dwelling, then the struggle will be serious. Those tenants who have already been breeding cockroaches remember their agility. It is difficult to find out exactly where these insects entered the house from. But the main reasons for their appearance in the apartment are known:
- dirty dishes in the sink that don't wash for a long time;
- garbage with leftover food that is rarely taken out of the house;
- neighbors who already have cockroaches.
Increased risk of insect pests for those who live near canteens and cafes. There are cases when cockroaches are simply brought from work. Maintaining cleanliness in the house (especially in the kitchen) is the main means of preventing the appearance of disgusting insects. Even one cockroach that gets into the house can multiply quickly. By the way, it also happens that insects appear in those who zealously keep their homes clean.
Reproduction of different species
Knowing the basics of the life cycle of cockroaches will help prevent their appearance and facilitate the process of destroying unwanted guests. One female is able to give life40 young individuals. Their number depends on the number of larvae in the egg carried by the female. Outwardly, such an egg is more like a bag. All types of cockroaches in the apartment breed year-round.
During her life, the female lays eggs up to 4 times. Finding such masonry is problematic. Another feature of the life of these creatures is their ability to leave marks at food and water sources for their relatives.
But getting rid of any type of cockroach is difficult. Sometimes even expensive drugs cannot cope with this task. Exterminators advise taking preventive measures to prevent the appearance of these creatures in your home, because it will be quite problematic to destroy them.
It is common knowledge that these insects can spoil food. Most people think they only eat crumbs and leftovers. In fact, cockroaches can get to the food contained in the thin shell. Leather goods, books, flowers, paper wallpapers are also attacked. Individuals that feed on excrement can carry pathogens of dangerous diseases, including parasites. For this reason, it is better to prevent them from appearing within the walls of the house.
Lifespan
You may remember the joke that cockroaches existed before the dinosaurs and outlived them by many thousands of years. This joke is only part of the joke, and the rest, alas, is true. The remains of cockroaches are, along with the remains of cockroaches, the most numerous traces of insects in sediments. Paleozoic. Cockroaches adapt very well to changing conditions. All they need to live is water and food.
Life span is determined by the availability of food. Different types of cockroaches live their term. Prussians can survive without food for up to a month, and blacks for up to 70 days. In conditions of food shortage, cannibalism is common in them. And sometimes cockroaches can bite people.
You may be surprised, but these creatures can live without a head! The experiments carried out are stunning: a headless insect will live for several more weeks. This is due to the features of the structure. They breathe with the entire surface of the body. Scattered throughout the body, the nervous system retains the basic reflexes. However, a headless creature will practically lose orientation in the world around it, and will not be able to remember and learn.
Insect bites
Cockroaches bite when they have a shortage of food or water. Obviously, bites are not a manifestation of wild aggression, but only a way to make up for the missing food and survive. The following areas of the body are most affected:
- elbow and knee folds, eyelids, lips (bite off particles of the skin);
- skin around eyes and lips (bite women and children while sleeping);
- skin in the nasolabial fold.
Recall that a cockroach bite is disgusting, disgusting and dangerous. The site of damage to the skin can become inflamed. Sometimes a parasite-borne infection can get into the wound. Pests sometimes bite off eyelashes and eyebrows in a dream in children. Injure existing skin lesions.
Cockroaches can eat sweat, secretions of the sebaceous glands, saliva and feces. It's safe to say: cockroach bites are a pretty dangerous thing. Damaged areas almost always swell and become inflamed.
There is an opinion that there is a species of cockroaches that feed on eyelashes. In practice, almost all members of the family can eat human body hair.
Allergy to cockroaches
People are often allergic to cockroaches. Allergens get inside in different ways: with air, with food, directly upon contact. According to doctors, the majority of patients with bronchial asthma are allergic to cockroaches. The consequences of such a pathology can be very different:
- Feeling stuffy in pest habitats.
- Feeling bad when cleaning an apartment with cockroaches.
By the way, any kind of cockroaches can cause allergies. A photo of insects even provokes an attack of cruel disgust, what can we say about a "face-to-face meeting"! And given that "close acquaintance" is fraught with serious consequences, it is not surprising that people try by hook or by crook to get rid of uninvited neighbors.
You can avoid trouble if you follow simple rules of indoor hygiene:
- Check the he alth of plumbing equipment.
- Wash dishes in a timely manner and keep them in a designated area.
- Always take the trash out of the house, keeping it outstagnation.
- The trash bin must be hermetically sealed so that insects are not interested in it.
These simple tips will help keep pests out of your home and keep them from coming back after being driven out.
Where cockroaches hide
Many people know the appearance of a cockroach, but finding it is not an easy task. Usually we learn about their presence at the moment when the insects already feel at ease in the open spaces of our house and do a lot of dirty work. If a homeowner wants to know about an unwelcome neighborhood early, they can follow some simple guidelines to help locate the intruders.
Firstly, almost any kind of cockroach likes dark dirty places. As for everything else, the main signs of the presence of cockroaches are as follows:
- black dots are visible on tiles and furniture - insect excrement;
- felt an unpleasant peculiar smell;
- cockroach eggs are visible in the cracks.
It is not uncommon for the owner to see all this, but not focus on it. This may continue for some time, until the cockroaches begin to run around the house in groups. We must not forget that if even insignificant traces of the insects we are considering caught our eye, then we should definitely declare war on them.
Start by carefully checking all the nooks and crannies in your kitchen where vermin might be hiding. Perhaps your fears will be confirmed if you find irrefutableevidence of their presence. Then thoroughly wash plates, pots, and other utensils that may have had food particles on them. Inspect all food items to see if they have been spoiled by cockroaches. Because if spoiled, they will continue to use them for food.
Instead of afterword
If you find uninvited guests, you should not leave the solution of the problem "for later" or let things take their course. Every day matters. The sooner you start to destroy pests, the less damage to your family and home you will emerge victorious from this fierce struggle.
Now you know how many types of cockroaches can become uninvited neighbors in your house. We hope the information was useful to you. For forewarned is forearmed!
