Photo of different types of domestic cockroaches

Domestic cockroaches, contrary to the wishes of a person, often become an integral part of the home. They are so accustomed to a comfortable habitat created in comfortable apartments that in the wild, especially in the Russian winter, most species simply could not survive. Therefore, the title of "home" cockroaches is quite deserved.

About how and what they live, what types of them are found in apartments and how they look, what danger they pose to us - all this will be discussed further ...

 

Distinctive features of domestic cockroaches

All domestic cockroaches have a number of common features that allow them to be considered typical representatives of the Blattoptera suborder. They are insects with incomplete transformation, and in their development they go through three stages: egg, larva, adult.

Cockroach eggs are completed in a dense chitinous capsule - ootheca (the photo shows a female cockroach with ootheca):

The larvae are very similar in appearance to the adult insect. The photo below shows the larvae of a red cockroach of different ages:

Larvae, or nymphs, make up the bulk of the domestic cockroach population. With each subsequent molt, they increase in size and more and more resemble their parents.

It is interesting

Some people manage to observe a strange event: a cockroach suddenly begins to tremble unnaturally, and its white copy crawls out of it with special efforts. No, this is not a new type of domestic cockroach. This is how the insect looks in the first hours after molting. It will soon get the right color.

The most important organ of a domestic cockroach is the tactile antennae, which ensure its orientation in space.

Each cockroach has a gnawing mouthpart, deftly grinding a wide variety of food. This explains the omnivorous nature of the insect.

A domestic cockroach has three qualities, thanks to which it is able to lead a hidden lifestyle for quite a long time without coming into conflict with the owners of the dwelling:

1. A flat body that allows the insect to instantly disappear from the field of view of a person, penetrating into narrow gaps.
2. Three pairs of running legs, equipped with claws and suction cups, help the cockroach to move on any surface with incredible agility.
3. Activity at night - contributes to the fact that the meeting of a domestic cockroach and a person does not occur so often.

Many cockroaches boast two pairs of wings. However, the vast majority of species have only the beginnings of an organ intended for flight. Although domestic cockroaches look like excellent flyers, they are by no means such. With a synanthropic existence, there is no need for flights, which is why cockroaches do not fly.

 

And further: Good old Karbofos poisons cockroaches with a bang - watch our video ...

Types of domestic cockroaches

In the great variety of cockroaches, there are not many species that are firmly established in human apartments.

Some representatives of the wild fauna (for example, the Madagascar cockroach), accidentally finding themselves in our homes, also feel good, but, as a rule, there is no mass distribution of exotic inhabitants. However, with proper care, these types of cockroaches brought from the tropics live and breed well in terrariums, although they still cannot be called domestic.

The most popular is the Red house cockroach shown in the photo:

This is a cosmopolitan that knows no boundaries, confidently settled in almost all latitudes of the globe. It can be recognized by its characteristic yellow-brown, sometimes with a reddish tinge, color. Black stripes are visible on the pronotum.

The male is equipped with wings, and a sexually mature female can very often be found with an ootheca, which she drags behind her abdomen, and parts with it only at the time of the offspring.

Here is a photo of a male domestic cockroach:

Here is a photo of a female:

The black cockroach is no less famous than the Prusak.Large individuals, exuding an unpleasant odor, often frighten the residents of the lower floors. Black domestic cockroaches prefer warm and damp basements, warehouses, garbage cans.

The American periplanet is another variety of domestic cockroaches (see photo).

This overseas guest easily adapts to Russian apartments. It is very mobile, has well developed wings, is aggressive. Pets, and sometimes peacefully sleeping people, can suffer from it. One thing pleases: this cockroach does not tolerate cold at all, even zero temperature is fatal for him.

Residents of the southern regions of Russia and Central Asia are familiar with rarer types of domestic cockroaches - nimble Egyptian and sluggish Turkestan. The latter is readily bred as food for reptiles. Both cockroaches feel great not only in human dwellings, but also in buildings where farm animals are kept.

Photo of an Egyptian cockroach:

And here is a photo of the Turkestan (Turkmen) cockroach:

A little more than half a century ago, in the central part of Russia, a domestic cockroach of ocher-red color with transparent wings and brown stripes began to be found. This insect destroys the prevailing stereotype about synanthropic cockroaches, as if they are attracted exclusively by the kitchen.

Representatives of this species prefer food rich in starch, which is easy to find under wallpaper and in the spines of old books. Its nests are often found in bedrooms, libraries and offices, in furnishings, for which it got its name - Furniture cockroach:

 

There is no place for cockroaches in the house

The harm caused by domestic cockroaches is enormous. They not only spoil the aesthetic appearance of the home, but also pose a real threat to the health of the occupants of the premises. All the evil that these insects deliver to human health is called blattopterosis.

Domestic cockroaches can affect people in different ways, and sometimes meeting with an insect entails serious consequences. Consider possible scenarios.

1. A cockroach is like a foreign body. Cockroaches tend to hide in narrow cracks, and therefore they can easily turn out to be a living foreign body inside a person. Otolaryngologists sometimes face the problem of finding a cockroach in the external auditory canal or in the nose. It is difficult for the insect to get out on its own, it beats inside, exhausting the unfortunate patient and forcing him to panic.
2. Cockroach as a provocateur of allergic reactions. The information that the waste products of these insects are powerful allergens is absolutely reliable. Skin tests have proven sensitization to domestic cockroach allergens in patients suffering from vasomotor rhinitis and bronchial asthma. Especially often, people are allergic to the chitinous covers of insects shed during molting.
3. Cockroaches bite. Yes, unfortunately, this fact, which previously seemed absurd, is also true. These insects are far from being as peaceful as it sometimes seems. Their victims are usually the most defenseless creatures - small children. Fueled by thirst and hunger, domestic cockroaches can gnaw on the delicate skin of the earlobes, red border of the lips and eyelids of a soundly sleeping baby. It's not just about bite marks. Often a secondary infection joins, pyoderma develops
4. Cockroaches are carriers of pathogenic microorganisms.Scientists have proven the presence on the body, paws and inside the insect of completely harmless bacteria, viruses, fungi, protozoa and even a tick - a cockroach parasite, which, it turns out, is not averse to biting a person.

And further: We tested Phenaksin powder on cockroaches - and these monsters, at least henna ...

As you can see, it can be concluded that regardless of whether red, black or even brown-striped cockroaches are wound up in the house, nothing good can be expected from their presence. It is better to immediately be puzzled by the question of how to deal with them and begin to act without delay.

 

Interesting video: black cockroaches eat a chicken egg