Information about Cockroaches, Oriental species

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.

Details about cockroaches, Oriental species

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.

They usually stay hidden during the day in small groups, and only in the case of a massive infestation, they can be seen during the day, exiting their hideouts. They can live between 100 and 200 days and a week after their pairing, brown looking oothecae appear. An ootheca contains up to 36 eggs and is being carried by the female up to four weeks, on the backside of its body, offering thus the necessary liquids and nutrients needed. The eggs are quite well protected and can withstand temperatures up to 22°C (71.6°F). They are even protected against insecticides. The females expel the oothecae shortly before the larvae hatching, close to a water source. The larvae hatch immediately after they are expelled from their ootheca, and during 2-3 months of life, they reach sexual maturity. Due to its short life span, this specie is capable of easily and rapidly multiplying in human residences.

As the Oriental cockroach usually prefers a warm and humid environment, it can thus be easily found in hotels and gastronomy related environments, such as kitchens, dorms, hospitals, bakeries, greenhouses and zoos. They can also be found in private houses or apartment buildings. They can reach households by using food shipments, as they hide in the packaging. From an already infested building, such as a food related factory, the Oriental cockroaches can easily spread in its vicinity.

Behaviour as pests

As a pest, the Oriental cockroach usually damages supplies, materials and hygiene. Being a typical omnivore, it feeds on any accessible animal or vegetal nutrient, ie leftovers from the kitchen, paper, textile and skin. The infested food gets compromised through excrements, scarp shedding, predigested elements and salivary gland secretions, which cause numerous hygiene issues and pose a high health risk. The Oriental cockroach has been reported to spread at least 33 kinds of bacteria, six kinds of parasitic worms and at least seven other kinds of human pathogens. Their habit of feeding on filth makes it easier for them to pick up germs on the spines of their legs and bodies as they crawl through decaying matter or sewage and then carry these into foods or onto food surfaces.
They can also cause allergies or even asthma, as numerous pathogen agents are spread through their feces. In the goiter of this roach, the Salmonella bacteria has been found, which they can easily transmit to humans. Studies have also shown that they are also carriers of tuberculosis and anthrax, but also nematodes which are parasitic worms. In agrarian businesses, due to the pathogen agents that can be transmitted to cattle, meat and milk production can lead to loss, as the infested produce gets an unpleasant odor and becomes impossible to use. These products must be thrown away immediately.

Oriental cockroaches can be harder to get rid of than other roaches. Although adults can be fairly easily killed by the application of residual insecticide, the insecticides can get washed away, and two months later, females can hatch new nymphs.
Getting rid of roaches, and also preventing their reappearance is only possible through continuous removal actions.