Scientific Name: Blattaria
Description:
Cockroaches are large order of insects with nearly 46,000 species. They are usually 30mm to 15mm in length. A cockroach body is segmented like of any insect into head, thorax and abdomen. They are differentiated with an exoskeleton which protects their body and three pairs of legs. Generally, they take colours from reddish brown to black. Furthermore, male cockroaches have two sets of wings, but female cockroaches either lack wings or have wings which are too tiny for flying.
Cockroaches mostly live in warm or moist environments but they have not adapted to one habitat. Only few species live close to humans with hope of finding food easily. Moreover, cockroaches are omnivore insects that because they eat dead animals, dung and dead plants. They are capable of sniffing out food from their mouth and they also have strong jaws to chew off food.
On the other hand, cockroaches are nocturnal creatures that like to reside in corners or dark and warm areas. It does not like the light at all. When cockroaches are disturbed, they are capable of running very quickly to get away from danger. Running is their adapted method of escape from enemies.
The two most common pest species are the
American cockroach and the German cockroach.
American Cockroach
The largest species of common cockroaches, the American Cockroach has a variety of names including Bombay canary, kakerlac and ship cockroach. Despite the name of the pest, they are almost endemic in the United States and can be found largely in tropical climates. Usually, this species grow around 4 cm in length. Noteworthy for its speed, the American cockroach is considered to be one of the fastest running insects.
German Cockroach
Small in size, this species of cockroaches are usually tan to almost black in colour. They grow about 1.1 to 1.6 cm long. Renowned to be one of the most troublesome domestic pests, the German cockroach is widely mistaken for the Asian cockroach. Another interesting characteristic of these species are that they prefer confined spaces.
Cockroaches are considered pests when they infest any property. They eat all kinds of food and they destroy books, rugs, clothing or anything stored. People are repulsive towards their existence in any premises and cockroaches can also be carriers of organisms which cause dangerous diseases. Existence of cockroaches in any property also causes an unpleasant odour giving rise for the need to control them.
