Pest Information - Roaches
There are over 4,000 species of roaches but only 12-14 are associated with humans. This site will focus on the roaches most commonly found in Hawaii. Learn about their Appearance, Habitat, Diet, Health Risks, and Reproduction.
Select from the following choices:
American Roach
Scientific Name
Periplaneta americana
AKA: Palmetto bug or Water bug
Appearance
The largest structure-infesting species — an adult is from 1 to 2 inches long. The adult is a shiny reddish brown to dark brown. Adult American cockroaches have wings and will occasionally fly. However, they are awkward fliers and prefer to run when disturbed.
Habitat
American cockroaches generally live outdoors. However, populations can also move indoors and live in human structures. They prefer warm, damp areas such as basements, crawl spaces, decorative landscaping, and sewers.
Diet
American cockroaches eat anything humans will and many things humans will not.
Type of Damage
They can foul human food, clothing, paper goods, and surfaces with their feces and body parts. American cockroaches also produce a strong unpleasant odor.
Health Risks
Their presence is primarily an aesthetic nuisance, however, members of this species are known to carry infectious bacteria known to cause food poisoning, dysentery, and diarrhea in humans. They have been implicated as a cause of allergic dermatitis and childhood asthma (roach feces in particular).
Life Cycle
Adult American cockroaches can live approximately a year to a year and a half. An adult female will produce between 6 and 14 egg cases (ootheca) during her lifetime, and each ootheca contains about 16 eggs. Nymphs emerge within 38 days and complete their development within 6to 12 months.
Interesting Facts
The original home of the American cockroach is actually tropical Africa. Evidence indicates that the American cockroach was transported to the Americas on slave ships.
Australian Roach
Scientific Name
Periplaneta australasiae
Appearance
The Australian cockroach is a large species of cockroach, winged, and growing to a length of 1 1/4"-1 3/8". It is brown in color and a bit smaller than the American cockroach, has a yellow margin on the thorax, and yellow streaks at its sides at the wing base.
Habitat
This species has become established in the southern U.S. and in tropical climates including Hawaii, and can be found in many locations throughout the world due to its travels via shipping and commerce between locations. It lives outdoors around the perimeter of houses, in leaf litter, in and around shrubs, flowers and trees, tree holes, wood piles, garages, crawl spaces, attics, and greenhouses.
Diet
It appears to prefer eating plants more than its relatives do, but can feed off a wide array of organic (including decaying) matter. Like most cockroaches, it is a scavenger.
Type of Damage
The Australian roach becomes a pest when it enters homes, where it may eat holes in clothing and feed upon book covers.
Health Risks
Roaches contribute to health concerns such as asthma and the spread of bacteria.
Life Cycle
The Australian cockroach life cycle requires about one year from egg to adult. The ootheca (egg sack) takes 40 days to hatch. There are 24 eggs per egg capsule, 16 of which hatch. Each female produces 20 to 30 oothecae.
Interesting Facts
Despite its name, the Australian cockroach originated in Asia.
BrownBanded Roach
Scientific Name
Supella longipalpa
Appearance
The BrownBanded Cockroach grows to about 5/8 inch long and is light brown to glossy dark brown. Adult BrownBanded cockroaches have wings. Males are capable of flight. Nymphs and females are broad when viewed from above, while the male is slender.
Habitat
These pests do not require as much moisture as German cockroaches and tend to avoid light. BrownBanded cockroaches prefer warm and dry locations, such as near refrigerator motor housings, on the upper walls of cabinets, and inside pantries, closets, dressers, and furniture in general.
Diet
These insects feed on starchy materials and even non-food materials such as nylon stockings. Like members of other cockroach species, they may consume materials like glue or paste (especially from animal-based materials), and certain color dyes.
Type of Damage
Roaches can foul food, damage wallpaper and books, eat glue from furniture, and produce an unpleasant odor.
Health Risks
Some homeowners are allergic to roaches. The pests can contaminate food with certain bacterial diseases that result in food poisoning, dysentery, or diarrhea.
Life Cycle
During her adult life a female produces about 14 egg capsules, each containing an average of 13 eggs. A female adult has a life span of 13 to 45 weeks; each female produces about 600 descendants per year.
Interesting Facts
BrownBanded cockroaches can conceal themselves in many places that are inaccessible to larger species. Making structural modifications such as caulking (in cracks, crevices, around ducts, molding, etc.) are necessary in bedrooms, bathrooms, dining rooms, and other areas of the house.
German Roach
Scientific Name
Blattella germanica
AKA: Croton bug
Appearance
The German cockroach is a small species of cockroach, measuring about 1/2" to 3/4" long. It is tan to light brown. It is the hardest pest cockroach to get rid of, and is the most troublesome in Hawaii.
Habitat
German roaches can be found anywhere in the home but are most common in the kitchen, frequently inside cupboards, drawers, and electrical appliances. It is also the most sociable of the pest species and is often found in large groups. Like most cockroaches they are nocturnal, hiding during the day in cracks and crevices so small that they can easily be overlooked.
Diet
The German roach eats almost anything, is omnivorous, but they particularly like starchy foods like potatoes, rice and cereal, sugary foods, grease and meats.
Type of Damage
German roaches share the habit of other roach species of entering houses and contaminating food with excrement, regurgitated salivary fluid and spreading potentially harmful bacteria. In addition, many asthmatic individuals are allergic to cockroaches.
Health Risks
Their presence is primarily an aesthetic nuisance, however, members of this species are known to carry infectious bacteria known to cause food poisoning, dysentery, and diarrhea in humans. They have been implicated as a cause of allergic dermatitis and childhood asthma.
Life Cycle
From one female German cockroach there could be more than 100,000 cockroaches in your home by the end of one year!
Interesting Facts
Modern day German roaches came from Africa.
Oriental Roach
Scientific Name
Blatta orientalis
AKA: Water bug
Appearance
Adult Oriental cockroaches are shiny, dark brown or black, about 1 to 1-1/4-inch long and have nonfunctional wings incapable of flight. Females are about 1-1/4-inch long, broad and have only little pads for wings.
Habitat
Due to their large size and slow development, large infestations of these insects are not common within houses. However, during certain times of the year, they may move inside a house from outside sources.
Diet
They can live without food for a month if water is present, but die in two weeks without food and water.
Type of Damage
Roaches can foul food and produce an unpleasant odor.
Health Risks
Some homeowners are allergic to roaches, and the pests can contaminate food with certain bacterial diseases that result in food poisoning, dysentery or diarrhea. Cockroaches can cause childhood asthma.
Life Cycle
Adult females can live up to one year, during which they produce an average of 150 young.
Interesting Facts
Unlike other pest cockroaches, oriental cockroaches cannot climb up smooth surfaces (they lack sticky pads on their feet).
