The German cockroach, Croton bug or Steam fly
(Blattella germanica) is a small species of
cockroach,
measuring about 1.3 cm (0.51 in) to 1.6 cm (0.63 in) long.
It can be tan through brown to almost black, and has two dark parallel streaks
running from the head to the base of the wings. Although it has wings, it is
unable to sustain flight. The
German cockroach is one of the most common and prominent household cockroaches
in the world, and can be found throughout many human settlements. These insects
are particularly fond of inhabiting restaurants, food
processing facilities,
hotels, and
nursing homes. In colder climates, they are found only near human habitats,
since they are not very tolerant to cold. However German cockroaches have been
found as far north as Alert,
Nunavut. The German
cockroach is originally from Asia and
very common in Russia, not
in Germany. It is very closely related to the Asian cockroach, and to the casual observer they appear nearly identical and may
be mistaken for the other. This cockroach can be seen in the day occasionally,
especially if there is a large population or if they have been disturbed.
However, sightings are most commonly reported in the evening hours as they are
most active at night.
Pest
control
The German cockroach is very successful at establishing an ecological
niche in buildings, and is very hardy and resilient against
attempts at pest control. This is because of the large
number of nymphs produced from each egg case, the short period between birth and
sexual maturity, and their ability to easily hide due to their small size. The
mother also carries the egg case (called an ootheca) with her during
the germination period, rather than depositing it
like other species, a practice which would leave them vulnerable in a human
habitat to zealous attempts to wipe them out. This cockroach is also smaller
than many other species so it can more easily hide and fit into very small
cracks and crevices to evade humans. That is also the main reason they can most
effectively be controlled with bait in cracks and crevices near harborages.
These type of pest control methods should kill 95% of the overall population in
a property due to their fast reproductive cycles. The German cockroach,
discounting the presence of pets, has few natural predators inside a human habitat. The German
cockroach's thigmotactic nature compounds the difficulty of
pest control treatment. The immature cockroaches will live off excretions and
moults from the adult cockroaches and thus can remain hidden away from most
surface treatments....
Diet
The German cockroach is omnivorous and a
scavenger. They
particularly like starch, sugary foods, grease and meats. In certain situations where there is a
shortage of foodstuffs, they may eat household items such as soap, glue and
toothpaste or they may even turn cannibalistic, often chewing on the wings and
legs of each
other.
GERMAN
COCKROACH: