In order to thrive, the Oriental cockroaches need a place to hide; they can be very elusive, which is why a casual day inspection of even a heavily infested household may show no sign whatsoever of roach activity. There are, however, several clues that can give them away.
The best advice for Oriental cockroach control is to practice good sanitation. To prevent Oriental cockroaches from infesting your space, vacuum often, keep a spotless kitchen, seal all entrances around utility pipes and ventilate crawl spaces to prevent moisture buildup.
The Oriental cockroach (Blatta orientalis) is a large species of cockroach; although they live primarily outdoors, in bushes, in the mulch of flowerbeds, beneath leaf groundcover, stones or debris, etc., they can also infest households in search for food and water, especially in times of drought or unseasonably cold weather.
Oriental cockroaches (Blatta orientalis) are a large species of cockroach; although they live primarily outdoors, in bushes, in the mulch of flowerbeds, beneath leaf groundcover, stones or debris, etc., they can also infest households in search for food and water, especially in times of drought or unseasonably cold weather.
Aspect wise, it is dark brown to black in color and has a glossy body. The female is different in appearance than the male, seeming to be wingless at casual glance, but she does have two very short and useless wings just below her head. She has a wider body than the male and is also darker in color. The male has a slimmer constitution, and long wings, which cover two-thirds of the abdomen and are brown in color. The male is capable of very short flights, ranging about 2 to 3 m. Compensating for their short, glided flight, the Oriental cockroach is very agile, and due to its two long antennas and flattened body, it is easy for it to reach the smallest cracks and crevices.
They are often called “water bugs” since they prefer dark, moist places, being mostly active at night. Regarding points of access, the oriental cockroach can gain entry inside households through gaps, open doors, beneath the thresholds of doors, pipes, utility lines, drains, sewers, toilets, bathtubs, sinks, radiators, etc. Once inside, because they are so sluggish, they tend to remain on the bottom floors or those below ground, preferring basements, cellars, or other damp locations, usually around decaying organic matter and large sources of water. In the case of apartment complexes, they might reach the upper floors through garbage chutes. They are major household pests in parts of the Northwest, Midwest, and Southern United States.