Cockroaches have been around for millions of years and have adapted themselves to almost every single habitat including your home. There are about 4,000 species of cockroaches, but only a few fall into the “pest” category. These pests are German, American, Asian and Australian cockroaches.  Regardless of how you feel about cockroaches, they are fascinating creatures. There are many strange and scary facts about cockroaches that you may not have known. Cockroaches are one of the most hated pests to invade homes. Little do many people know, cockroaches have been around for millions of years. They can be found in nearly every continent, living inside forests and urban areas alike. These fascinating insects can live for weeks without food and water, are one of the fastest insects on earth, and will eat almost anything (including human hair and fingernails). Cockroaches are among the most feared pests in the world. Known for their dark brown oval-shaped bodies, dreary movement, and creepy-crawly nature, cockroaches have been stirring up disgust since ancient times.

Tell Me About Cockroaches

Introduction

In the world of insects, cockroaches have a bad reputation. They’re associated with contamination, filth, and disease. However, they’re also incredibly hardy and difficult to eradicate once they get into your home. So what makes these creatures so resilient? And what exactly is it that repels us so much about them?

There are about 4,000 species of cockroaches worldwide.

There are about 4,000 species of cockroaches worldwide, and only approximately 30 are considered household pests. In the United States alone, there are more than 70 different species of cockroaches.

Cockroaches include all insects in the order Blattodea (cockroach). They differ from other insects in that they have two pairs of wings instead of one pair like most other insects do. Their bodies are hard-shelled with long slender legs and antennae on their heads. Cockroaches also have a pair of sensory organs called cerci near their abdomens which help them smell food and danger around them.

Cockroaches are related to termites and mantids (mantis shrimp).

Only a handful of those species are household pests in North America.

Only a handful of those species are household pests in North America. Of these, the German cockroach is by far the most common and widespread pest species. This cockroach is about 1/2″ long and light brown with two distinctive black stripes running down its back from head to tail. The American and Oriental roaches grow to be larger than the German roach, but they’re more often found outdoors where they prefer warm climates. The Brown-banded cockroach is considerably smaller than the other species mentioned here; it’s usually less than half an inch long and has a distinct light tan stripe down its back (with no black spots).

The Brown-banded roach can sometimes be found indoors, especially if there are high levels of moisture present—but they’re more likely to be found in basements or crawlspaces where there’s less air circulation than inside bedrooms or bathrooms.

The most common household cockroach in this country is the German cockroach.

The most common household cockroach in this country is the German cockroach. It’s about 5/8 inch long and lives in your home. It can be brown, tan or black, but it has two dark stripes on its pronotum that distinguishes it from other roaches. Other common species are American, Oriental and Brownbanded.

Adult German cockroaches grow to be about 5/8 inch long.

• Adult German cockroaches grow to be about 5/8 inch long.
• They are oval in shape and tan to light brown in color.
• They have two dark stripes behind the head, running from the eye to the middle of the pronotum (the shield-like structure that covers most of their thorax). These stripes help distinguish it from other species of roaches found in homes.
• Their antennae are long and slender with bead-like tips, which can project beyond the length of their body when stretched out straight up from it.

In addition:

• The wings are nearly transparent with a smoky gray or black tint; they can’t fly but use them for balance while walking on walls or ceilings—the result looks like someone is wearing dark sunglasses indoors!

Cockroaches are not noisy insects, unlike crickets and other house pests.

Crickets are an extremely noisy species of insect, and they can be a nuisance if you’re trying to sleep or want a quiet house. Cockroaches do not make noise, although they do make sounds when they are disturbed. They will scurry away quickly when you approach them.

Cockroaches are also quieter than crickets because they don’t have wings, which means that there is no need for them to chirp as loudly as crickets do in order for other cockroaches nearby to hear them. This is great news for those who live in apartments with shared walls or anyone else who wants their home to be quieter at night!

They prefer food scraps, but they can survive on the glue from postage stamps if they had to.

Cockroaches are omnivores and will eat anything. However, their preference is for food scraps and grease. They can survive for a month without food but only a week without water. Cockroaches prefer cardboard and paper over woody plants (potted plants) as sources of cellulose on which to feed; however, if presented with no other option, they’ll eat plant material too.

They will even eat glue from postage stamps if necessary—and this may surprise you: an adult cockroach has enough energy stored in its body fat that it can survive for several days without eating at all!

German cockroaches can be carried into your home in used furniture or grocery bags and cardboard boxes.

You have to be careful when you bring home a new piece of furniture, or cardboard boxes that may have cockroaches. Don’t buy used furniture unless you know it is clean and dry. Be sure to wash your hands after moving in any cardboard boxes into your home. They can contain nasty pests!

You can get cockroaches out of your house by thoroughly cleaning all areas where food is prepared and stored, and getting rid of clutter as much as possible around your house and especially beneath sinks where pipes may leak.

You can get cockroaches out of your house by thoroughly cleaning all areas where food is prepared and stored, and getting rid of clutter as much as possible around your house and especially beneath sinks where pipes may leak.

• Keeping sinks clean, dry, and free from food scraps is one way to keep cockroaches away from your home.
• Don’t leave dirty dishes in the sink overnight—clean them up immediately so that there’s no water for roaches to drink or stand on.
• Don’t leave any food scraps in the sink either—make sure there’s nothing left behind after you’ve finished preparing/eating meals.

Where you find one cockroach you will most likely find more so don’t ignore them – deal with them promptly.

If you see one cockroach, there are probably more hiding in your home. Cockroaches are communal and will congregate together for warmth and protection, so seeing one is a sign that there could be many more hiding out somewhere in your home.

Since cockroaches prefer to live in dark places, it can be hard to locate the source of an infestation. However, if you see signs of an infestation or have an overwhelming sense that something just isn’t right with your kitchen or basement after having guests over for dinner, then it may be time to start looking around for these pests before they multiply into a full-blown problem!

If you’re dealing with roaches on your property we recommend contacting us immediately at (888) 492-1092 so we can help get rid of them ASAP! We’ll come out right away and inspect all areas where roaches might be hiding out so they don’t become even larger problems later down the road.”

If you have one cockroach problem it is likely you have many more that you can’t see

There are many reasons why cockroaches are so difficult to control. They are small, extremely fast-moving and can fit into tiny places. Cockroaches also breed quickly and lay a lot of eggs that resemble grains of rice; one female can produce almost 40 eggs in her life cycle. These hardy creatures hide in dark places during the day, only coming out when it’s dark outside so you don’t notice them as much. Due to their nocturnal nature, finding where they’re hiding can be challenging unless you use the proper equipment such as UV lights and traps.

Conclusion

That’s it! We’ve covered what makes a cockroach a cockroach, how they came to be, and why they’re so successful. They might not be our favorite animals—but hey, we have to commend them for sticking around all these years!