Black cockroaches: earthen and basement glossy pests

What does a black cockroach look like: photo

Black beetle.

Description of the cockroach

Name: Black cockroach Lat.:
Blatta orientalis

Class: Insects - Insecta Order: Cockroaches - Blattodea

A pair of black cockroaches.

The black cockroach has a flattened, shiny body of tar-brown or black-brown color, the length of which can reach 20-30 mm. Males differ from females in the location of their elytra. In males they are slightly shorter than the abdomen, and in females they do not reach the middle of the abdomen. The mouthparts are gnawing type.

At the end of the abdomen, the male has a pair of styluses; the female has a pair of valves separated by a transverse groove. Glands on the body of insects secrete a fragrant secretion that attracts insects to each other. Therefore, black cockroaches live in large groups.

Habitat and lifestyle

Black beetle.

This type of cockroach is found throughout Europe, Asia and Africa. He lives in wildlife and in people's homes, in greenhouses, basements, and sewer hatches. The black cockroach is omnivorous and feeds on garbage. Although he has wings, he does not fly, but he runs very fast.

Black cockroaches live mainly at night. But if not one, but several individuals were noticed, especially during the day, then this will be evidence that a large colony already lives very close.

This aggressive species is afraid of humans, but not other representatives of its kind. If black cockroaches live in a house, any others will leave.

Reproduction

Black cockroach and ootheca.

Females become sexually mature at the age of 6-7 months, after one fertilization; the female lays up to 22 ootheca during her life. The capsule or ootheca matures in 3 to 14 days, then the female attaches it in a warm place. One such clutch can contain from 8 to 20 eggs.

Small black larvae or nymphs emerge from the eggs and quickly scatter in different directions. They can live without food or water for two months. From the appearance of the egg to the adult individual in favorable conditions, 5-12 months pass, during which time the larvae molt up to 10 times. At low temperatures and lack of nutrition, the period of maturation can last up to 5 years.

It is precisely because of the long period of maturation that this type of cockroach is not very common. They are most often destroyed faster than they reach sexual maturity.

Nutrition

Have you encountered cockroaches in your home?

Not really

This type of scavenger has powerful mandibles and a gnawing type mouthparts. Saliva contains special bacteria that can digest almost anything. Even very unpleasant and unusable things - pieces of book binding, old leather shoes.

Black cockroaches are omnivores; they feed on bread, flour, cereals, any leftover food from the trash, pet food, and excrement. They eat the remains of small insects, as well as their weakened relatives, larvae and eggs.

Methods for exterminating pests

Over the years, people have come up with different ways to remove cockroaches. But not everyone knows how to get rid of black cockroaches in an apartment for a long time. There are a variety of methods to combat these arthropods. The most common types of pest control are presented below.

1. Freezing - in winter, the room is not heated for two to three days, thereby destroying all types of insects that lived in it. The method is very reliable and safe, but in an apartment building it is impossible to implement it due to the central heating system. It is also necessary to consider at what temperature cockroaches die.
2. Folk remedies. Repelling with strong odors (bay leaf, ammonia, elderflower, orange peels) is not the most effective way to get rid of huge cockroaches. After some time, they may get used to it and not react to a particular smell. Baits with boric acid are considered more effective.
3. Insecticidal preparations are chemical substances that poison all living organisms into which they enter. The most effective method of controlling cockroaches, but it is also the most dangerous for pets and humans. Insecticides are presented in the form of gels, creams, crayons, dusts, powders, and sprays. Such methods require increased caution during their application. Among the popular products are Global, Dohlox, Raptor, Combat, Get, Clean House, Fas, Raid.
4. Mechanical extermination and traps are effective if one or more insects accidentally entered the apartment and have not yet managed to acquire a colony.
5. Ultrasonic exposure is a method that temporarily paralyzes the nervous system of a cockroach. After using ultrasonic repellers, you need to quickly get rid of the affected insects before they come to their senses.

Harm to humans

Black cockroaches that appear in the house can spoil food. They leave infections on household and personal hygiene items: bed linen, towels, dishes.

By feeding in garbage dumps, they can carry pathogens of various diseases on their feet, or disperse harmful bacteria along with their waste products. Eggs of some worms were found in the stomach of a black cockroach.

There is evidence that they can bite the epidermis from the skin of a sleeping person. Such situations are rare, but are possible due to prolonged hunger.

Sometimes cockroach nests are found in household appliances . They cause faults and short circuits and do not show themselves for a long time.

Nutrition and reproduction

The digestive system of the black cockroach is designed in such a way that, in addition to food waste, it can also digest paper, cardboard, shoe leather, and soap, so the pest’s diet is very varied. Black and tan cockroaches can go without food for up to four weeks. The life cycle of a cockroach averages four to eight months, but some specimens can live up to five years.

Fighting methods

The black cockroach looks quite nasty and can cause food spoilage and even health problems. But it’s easy to fight them.

The appearance of a large, fat animal suggests that they are clumsy. But this is not true, because glossy black beetles can crawl into any crack very quickly.

Destruction of emerging insects

Black cockroaches.

Cockroaches do not live at zero temperatures, but at sub-zero temperatures they generally die. By freezing the room, you can achieve the death of adults, eggs and larvae.

Poisoned baits or sticky traps can be used in areas of movement. Some of them can be made with your own hands, some are purchased specially.

Several individuals that appear can be driven out using folk remedies. If there are a large number of cockroaches, chemical treatments will be effective.

Lifestyle

Under natural conditions, the enemy-competitor of the black parasite is the well-known red cockroach - the Prussian. These two species cannot live in peace in the same territory, since they eat the same food. A war of species occurs inexplicably: sometimes a red-haired Prussian lives in an apartment, having defeated a black pest, and sometimes it’s the other way around. Often they simply replace each other. Perhaps this change in species is explained by the different nature of the action of insecticides on them.

Reproduction

Over the entire life cycle, the female black cockroach lays two or three capsules of 16 eggs each. After 40 days, young individuals emerge from them.

At a comfortable room temperature, parasites are able to reproduce year-round. The insect's life cycle is 3-8 months, and sometimes extends to a couple of years.

Harm

As you know, cockroaches spoil food and things. However, in addition to this, all of them, and especially black ones, are distributors of typhoid fever, diphtheria, dysentery and worms. They carry pathogenic bacteria and helminth eggs on their paws and belly and easily leave them on dishes, food, and the table. This usually happens during their nightly “walks” around the apartment. Therefore, sloppy people can easily catch all these ailments.

Prevention

Of course, it is better to prevent the appearance of these harmful insects than to fight them. Moist, warm rooms with sufficient water and food become comfortable for their living. They appear at night. Therefore, it is important not to leave water and food available overnight.

Maintaining cleanliness and order will ensure that unwanted guests will not appear in your apartment or house. And to prevent them from getting in from your neighbors, you need to close all the cracks and monitor the ventilation.