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Cockroaches

Your home is the perfect environment for roaches to live and breed. Your home has numerous nesting sites and plenty of food and water needed for roaches to thrive. Roaches enter your home through small cracks and crevices, drain and sewer pipes, vents, and electrical ingress points to name a few.

Once inside, roaches can be a pervasive pest, multiplying quickly. They can remain active all year long. They feed on starchy foods, paper, fabric, and decaying organic material. Roaches are nocturnal. Seeing a roach in your home during the day may be a sign of a serious infestation.

If you have children with asthma or allergies, it is important to get rid of the infestation as quickly as possible. Cast-off roach skins become airborne and act as an allergen that can cause an allergic reaction in sensitive individuals. To learn more about the particular types of roaches common in New England homes, click on the profiles available for each type below.

The American cockroach is about 1 3/8 – 2 1/8 inches in length and reddish-brown in color. The area behind the head has a yellowish band around the edge.

What is the American Roach’s Diet?

American roaches are scavengers and will eat almost anything, although they prefer fermenting foods. They are commonly found in food preparation areas.

What is the American Roach’s Reproductive Cycle?

The female American roach produces about 9 to 10 egg capsules in her lifetime. Each capsule contains an average of 14 to 16 eggs. The nymphs molt about 13 times in about 600 days before reaching maturity.

Where do American Roaches Live?

American roaches are very aggressive and strong fliers. They prefer warm, damp areas and are likely to be seen in bakeries, restaurants, basements, and outdoors.

German cockroaches have six legs and two antennae. Adults are about 1/2 – 5/8 inches long. The color varies from tan to light brown. They have fully developed wings, but do not fly. German cockroaches are best identified by their small size and two dark, parallel lines running from the back of the head to the wings. Their wide, flat bodies enable them to easily move in and out of narrow openings. Cockroaches have an acrid odor that may permeate items they come in contact with.

What is the German Cockroach’s Diet?

German cockroaches will feed on a wide variety of foods, especially starchy and sugary materials, including book bindings, photographic film, linens, leather goods and numerous food items. Some of their favorite foods include starches, sweets, grease, and meat products. They usually forage at night. Cockroaches can survive a month or more without food, but less than two weeks without water.

What is the German Cockroach’s Reproductive Cycle?

Under optimum conditions, German cockroaches can produce two million offspring in one year, with an average breeding season resulting in 350,000 offspring. The female carries her egg capsule, which contains 30 – 40 eggs, partially within her abdomen, until 1 – 2 days before hatching. She will deposit them in a safe and sheltered area. From egg to adult takes an average of 103 days.

Where do German Cockroaches Live?

There are 3,500 different species of cockroaches worldwide, with 55 found in the United States. Of these, the German cockroach is the most common. This species is found in houses, apartments, restaurants, hotels, and other institutions throughout the United States and most parts of the world. They prefer dark, damp places with a plentiful food supply. They hide during the day in warm, dark places, such as under sinks, behind dishwashers, stoves and refrigerators, and inside cupboards. They are primarily active at night when they are foraging for sustenance and mates.

Adult male Pennsylvania wood cockroaches range in length from about 7/8 – 1 1/8 inch, adult females are about 1/2 – 3/4 inch. Males are fully winged and good fliers. The Pennsylvania wood cockroach is chestnut brown with a white trim.

What is the Pennsylvania Wood Cockroach’s Diet?

A Pennsylvania wood cockroach’s primary diet is decaying organic matter, but they also have a fondness for sweets.

What is the Pennsylvania Wood Cockroach’s Reproductive Cycle?

The female Pennsylvania wood cockroach lays about 30 egg capsules in a woody area that is protected. Each capsule carries about 32 eggs. From egg to adult takes about 318 days.

Where do Pennsylvania Wood Cockroaches Live?

The Pennsylvania wood cockroach gains entry to structures through cracks and gaps, as well as with firewood. The male, who is attracted to light, may fly indoors at night. The female cannot fly, and does not tend to congregate around light.

The female Surinam cockroach is about 3/4 – 1 inch in length. They are mostly brown, except for some yellow along the front and side margins.

What is the Surinam Cockroach’s Diet?

Surinam cockroaches feed on plants, and can cause considerable damage in greenhouses and atriums.

What is the Surinam Cockroach Reproductive Cycle?

The female Surinam cockroach produces eggs without fertilization by a male cockroach. The female carries her egg capsule inside, until the young emerge. On average, the capsule contains 26 eggs, and the female can produce a new capsule 48 to 82 days later.

Where do Surinam Cockroaches Live?

Surinam cockroaches are burrowing insects and prefer loose soil or loose litter. They thrive in hot and humid conditions such as Florida and Texas. Surinam cockroaches are often introduced to greenhouses, zoos, and offices by potted plants. Hiding during the day, they can go unnoticed until the population has grown quite large.