Oriental Cockroaches

Oriental cockroaches are pests that have a shiny black color to a reddish brown one. Gaps beneath sidings, open doors and beneath door thresholds offer entry points for the cockroaches in your home. They do not fly, but they can be relatively fast and they can also gain entry into your home using pipes, open drains and utility lines.

The oriental cockroaches are primarily outdoor species and they do pretty well in the natural environment beneath mulch, under debris, stones and in leaf litter. If they gain access, they can also thrive beneath porches, voids, crawlspaces, and wall voids. Sewers and storm drains also host large populations of the cockroaches especially in metropolitan areas.
These cockroaches prefer feeding on filth, decaying materials and garbage and are dependent on water. Whereas they can go for up to a month without food, they really cannot survive past two weeks without water. A good way to get rid of them would therefore be to eliminate all potential water sources on your property.

Adult male oriental cockroaches can live up to 160 days, but the female adults can have as few as 35 days and go for as long as 180 days. A female cockroach produces at least 8 egg cases with each carrying at least 16 eggs. She drops the eggs in safe areas a few hours after producing them and the eggs stay there till they hatch. The season impacts on the development time of oriental cockroaches in warmer months favoring them taking 200 days from the egg stage to adult stage, but colder months could take them up to 800 days to move from the egg stage to the adult stage.

Infestations

Oriental cockroaches are very common in rooms that are dark, undisturbed and moist especially in warmer months. During the same warm months, you will find them outside congregated beneath moist gutters, landscaping beds, sewer and storm drain grates. They tend to be most active at night, but you can find them during the day when you disturb their areas. Sightings make the most obvious signs of an infestation on your property.

Egg capsules are the other very obvious signs when you have the cockroaches living in your home. The cases can be dark brown or somewhat reddish in appearance and can measure anything between 8 and 10mm long. They could be hatched or still waiting to hatch by the time you see them.

A musty odor in your home can also tell you of an infestation, especially when you have large populations present. It results from chemicals that these insects secret to communicate within the population.

Control recommendations

The best ways to get rid of the cockroaches and to prevent an infestation in your home include:

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