Cockroaches

Cockroaches are scavengers, who eat almost anything, even each other. They are nocturnal and eat primarily at night. There are many different species and they can be found in temperate and warm tropical regions around the globe.MSN Encarta: Cockroach Cockroaches are a sanitation problem. The American cockroach can transmit food poisoning due to the bacteria Salmonella and Shigella due to contact with human excrement in sewers and pet droppings. It is believed that German cockroaches are involved in transmission of Staphylococcus spp.,Streptococcus spp., hepatitis virus, typhoid, dysentery, and coliform bacteria. The presence of cockroaches also increases allergen levels and the risk for asthma. Risks of these allergens have been associated with cockroach density, sub-standard housing and lack of sanitation. http://www.ipm.ucdavis.edu/PMG/PESTNOTES/pn7467.html

You find further information on this page regarding the classification and some of the species of cockroaches. The biology of these insects is discussed below and there is an entertaining featured video that shows an animated weatherman after an encounter with a cockroach. YouTube: Masculinity FAIL (0:41)

1. Kingdom: Animalia
2. Phylum: Arthropoda
3. Class: Insecta
4. Order: Blattaria
5. Type: Bug

1. German cockroaches: Most common indoor cockroach species. They can be found near plumbing fixtures, under drawers and kitchen sinks. They can be identified by their light brown or tan color and two dark longitudinal bands behind the head.University Of Minnesota Extension: Cockroaches
2. Oriental cockroaches: Considered to be one of the dirtiest of all the cockroaches. They can be found in damp basements, cellars and sewers.University Of Minnesota Extension: Cockroaches
3. American cockroaches: They can be found in restaurants, grocery stores and bakeries. They can be identified by their reddish brown color and long wings.University Of Minnesota Extension: Cockroaches
4. Brownbanded cockroaches: They can be found behind clocks, pictures and beneath furniture.University Of Minnesota Extension: Cockroaches

Cockroaches have 3 growth stages during their lives: eggs, nymphs, and adults. Egg cases laid by adults are dark and are about the shape and size of a small dried kidney bean. An individual egg can have 16-50 eggs, depending on the species. Depending on the species, an egg case contains between 16 - 50 eggs. From the eggs, emerge nymphs who shortly become adults.

You usually see only a small fragment of the total population because they are nocturnal and they hide in cracks and crevices; however different species can prefer different places to hide. Cooler areas are the haunts of American and Oriental cockroaches and German cockroaches like warm, humid areas close to their food and water source. You can find brownbanded cockroaches in drier areas like closets and pantries. They eat almost anything, including soap, glues, and even leather. It has even been recorded that they find some sustenance in electronics and wiring in appliances. http://www.extension.umn.edu/distribution/housingandclothing/dk1003.html