Oriental cockroach

Habitat

Oriental cockroaches tend to travel somewhat more slowly than other species. Often called "waterbugs" since they prefer dark, moist places, they can generally be found around decaying organic matter, in bushes, under leaf groundcover, or under mulch, and in sewer pipes, drains, basements, porches, and other damp locations in and around human habitations where they may be major pests.

Adaptation

To thrive, cockroaches need a source of food/liquid and a place to hide, preferring warm places and relatively high humidity; the optimum temperature for oriental cockroaches is between 20 and. Female oriental cockroaches have vestigial tegmina (reduced fore wings) and males have longer tegmina. Oriental cockroaches are mainly nocturnal, and they can be elusive in that a casual inspection of an infested dwelling during the day may show no signs of roach activity.

Life stages

Ootheca

Signs of cockroaches are their oothecae, which are "egg cases". The blackish-brown oothecae are formed a day after mating, and are deposited typically a day or two after formation (but up to seven days later), in a sheltered area or attached to a substrate by oral secretion. About 10 – long, with indistinct egg compartments housing 16–18 eggs, they are initially a yellow-white, turning reddish- then blackish-brown. They hatch on their own in about 42 days at 29.5 C and 81 days at 21 C; at temperatures below 0 C they lose viability.

Nymph and adult stages

Like all cockroach species, the immature nymph lacks wings. The adult form is sexually dimorphic; the male has prominent wings, however the female is brachypterous, having very small non-functional wings. The female is shorter and wider than the male. File:Blatta orientalis 0001 L.D.jpg|A colony, containing many different life stages File:Blatta orientalis (6524514361).jpg|Nymph (immature stage with no wings) File:Blatta orientalis male from Botevgrad, Bulgaria 01.jpg|Adult male, with semi-functional wings File:Blatta orientalis Trento 03.jpg|Adult female, with very short, non-functional wings

Relationship with humans

Cockroaches transfer bacteria and viruses from their legs to food, dishes, utensils, and countertops and they are known to spread dysentery, E. coli, Salmonella, and food poisoning.

Comparison of three common cockroaches

Notes

References

References

1. "How to Get Rid of Oriental Roaches {{!}} Oriental Cockroach Control".
2. Robinson, William H.. (14 April 2005). "Urban Insects and Arachnids: A Handbook of Urban Entomology". Cambridge University Press.
3. "Oriental Cockroach - Types, Facts, and How to Identify {{!}} Oriental Cockraoch Control".
4. "Oriental cockroach - Blatta orientalis Linnaeus".
5. Arnett Jr., Ross H.. (28 July 2000). "American Insects: A Handbook of the Insects of America North of Mexico". CRC Press.
6. "How to Get Rid of Oriental Cockroaches In the House".
7. "Oriental Cockroaches: Facts about Their Size, Habitat & Dietary Habits".
8. "Oriental Cockroaches Control - Identify Cockroaches".
9. Robinson, William H.. (14 April 2005). "Urban Insects and Arachnids: A Handbook of Urban Entomology". Cambridge University Press.
10. Bassett, W.H.. (12 October 2012). "Clay's Handbook of Environmental Health". Routledge.
11. "Biology and Management of the German Cockroach".