Photos of different types of cockroaches. Cockroaches, insects: reproduction, causes of appearance and ways to combat them. Who is a cockroach?

There are more than 4 thousand species of cockroaches in nature, but only a few have adapted to live near humans. In ancient times, insects were considered a symbol of wealth and meant an improvement in material condition, but today they are a sign of unsanitary conditions. Indeed, in addition to the fact that pests cause a lot of trouble with their presence, they also... You will learn which types of cockroaches are the most common in this article.

Red cockroach

This is one of the most common inhabitants of human habitation, which was brought to Europe and North America from South Asia. That is why the heat-loving pest prefers to live in residential areas.

The people gave this species of insects another name - Prussians. Adults grow up to 1-1.5 cm. They have developed wings, which allows them to glide when jumping. However, not for long.

On a note!

A distinctive feature of the female is a wide body with a rounded abdomen, which is covered with wings. Active males have a much narrower and slimmer body.

On a note!

The presence of black pests in the house indicates bad smell, which is caused by pheromones. Insects use them to attract their fellows.

This representative of the cockroach family lives in natural conditions. However, it easily adapts to life next to a person by changing its diet. Moreover, sweets are the pest’s favorite treat.

On a note!

In the territory Russian Federation The American cockroach is much less common than its red and black counterparts.

This is perhaps the largest variant of insects living near humans. Such cockroaches can be up to 10 cm. Many people keep them in the house instead of pets. Insects are also bred as food for reptiles, since they reproduce quickly enough and do not require special conditions care They are kept in a terrarium, so these cockroaches do not have nests. Wood sawdust and leftover food is all that is needed to breed insects.

On a note!

Despite their impressive size, insects are distinguished by a very peaceful character and even increased timidity. During the day they prefer to hide in the plant litter, coming out only when dark time days. Giants react to emerging danger with a strong hiss. This sound is produced by the insect with spiracles located throughout the body.

Interesting!

- another type of viviparous insect. Small larvae emerge from the eggs directly in the female’s abdomen, after which they crawl out along with fragments of the ootheca. At one time, the female is able to “give birth” to 25 larvae.

Egyptian

This synanthropic insect causes no less harm to humans and animals with its presence. The Egyptian cockroach contaminates food and feed with waste products. In addition, insects carry various pathogenic bacteria and viruses.

Insects eat:

• organic residues;
• dry leaves;
• fecal matter.

Cockroaches can inhabit residential and livestock premises, as well as rodent burrows.

This type insects have a flat, oval-shaped body, the length of which does not exceed 2.5 cm. Males have dense, well-developed wings. Body color is dark or reddish-brown. Wingless black-brown females are very similar to small turtles. Their body length reaches up to 4-4.5 cm. A photo of cockroaches of this species is presented below.

Eggs white and up to 0.5 mm in size, the females of this insect species after fertilization are deposited in a special capsule - the ootheca. In total, there can be up to 18 of them in one capsule.

Small cockroaches that appear over time are distinguished from adult individuals only by small sizes(up to 0.7 mm) and absence of wings. The young insects become sexually mature after 4 molts.

From time immemorial, various types of cockroaches have lived in human homes; once the insect was considered a symbol of wealth, but now it is an unpleasant guest, causing a lot of trouble and spreading infection. What attracts them to our apartments? The answer is obvious. This is warmth and a lot of food, they cannot survive in winter natural conditions, and finding food is problematic.

Any cockroach living near a person has a whole set of features characteristic of any of the species:

• The cockroach goes through three stages of development; a larva emerges from the egg and turns into adult insect- imago;
• Externally, the imago and larvae are similar;
• Female cockroaches have edema to brood eggs;
• The cockroach's mustache helps it not to get lost in space;
• The insect is capable of chewing and digesting any food;
• For a long time you can simply not notice them, thanks to high speed movement, the ability to hide in cracks and crevices and high activity mainly at night.

How to recognize a cockroach

There are a great variety of insects in nature, and a person encountering a cockroach for the first time may not recognize the enemy by sight. How do you know that it is a cockroach? So, character traits insect:

• The length of the oblong or oval body is 4mm -10 cm;
• The head is not round, but flat, in the shape of a heart or triangle;
• The mouthparts of the gnawing type are covered with a shield.

The photo shows the types of cockroaches that may end up in an apartment.

Where do cockroaches come from?

Of the five thousand varieties of cockroaches, only a few of them live in houses and apartments in Russia. Why do they choose your apartment to live in? In each case the reason is individual:

• Dishes periodically left overnight in the sink;
• Migrating individuals from neighbors;
• Accumulated trash and food waste;
• A cockroach brought from the street or from guests and much more.

Once at least one cockroach has entered the room, there is a high probability that their numbers will soon increase significantly. Often pests are found in clean rooms, do not forget that cockroaches are omnivores and can even feed on paper.

How to find out if there are cockroaches in your house

It may not be possible to detect pests immediately if there are still a few of them. The neighborhood will become noticeable when they begin to manage your kitchen as if they were at home. There are signs by which you can determine the presence of cockroaches in a room:

• Black dots are visible on the tiles, in the corners of the walls, on the furniture - these are insect feces;
• Look in cracks, tiny crevices and all corners for cockroach eggs;
• Cockroaches are sometimes accompanied by a specific smell.

Find out which cockroach has settled in your apartment

Cockroaches are the most common synatropic insects. But among several thousand species, not all live at home. The most common cockroach in our homes is the red cockroach, less often the black and American cockroaches. In the south and in the tropics, other species wander into houses, but they cannot be called synatropic; rather, they are random guests. Since the domestic cockroach looks different, depending on the variety, here is short description and photos of each of the common types.

Types of cockroaches in the apartment (photo)

Prusak - red cockroach

We looked at common types of cockroaches living in apartments, but it is possible that you may come across a specimen that is not on this list.

Watch a video about the Madagascar hissing cockroach

Considering cockroaches not out of entomological interest, but in the context of fighting them as uninvited guests in our homes, it is worth omitting the description of several thousand species living on the planet.

Information about the types of cockroaches is structured as follows:

There remain relatively few of those who have been annoying people with their intrusive proximity for centuries. Living conditions in close contact with people turned out to be more attractive than in wildlife. And now people are forced to protect their homes from annoying and very tenacious representatives of the fauna.

What do domestic cockroaches have in common?

The main thing common to all is secrecy, which gives time to insects that have chosen a new place to breed in sufficient numbers. Then local losses of individuals will not have catastrophic consequences for the entire population. The speed of reproduction also contributes to this.

The nocturnal lifestyle also helps cockroaches survive in conditions of constant danger posed by those at whose expense they feed, so it is much easier to avoid unnecessary encounters. A narrow, flat body and great agility make it possible to quickly hide in various cracks and voids.

• elongated oval body up to 13 millimeters long;
• mustache exceeding body length;
• pronounced Brown color, with variations from light to dark.

The Prussian, as it is also called, feeds on almost everything that lies poorly. The freshness of the products does not play a special role. Living in human habitation, it goes out hunting at night, picking up leftover dinner, cleaning dirty dishes and anything that can hold a certain amount of food. nutrients. It can sneak into places that the owners thought were inaccessible, such as bread bins, closed containers, and even refrigerators.

And by putting food out of reach and carefully wiping all the crumbs off the table, a person will not leave the red cockroach hungry. He will find something to profit from in the trash can or inside kitchen stove. Omnivorousness allows them to survive even on flowers on the windowsill or soap on the washbasin. In addition, they know how to starve, going without food for up to a month, but what they cannot live without for so long is water.

Acceptable room temperature - from 15 to 30 degrees Celsius and constant access to sources of water, not to mention affordable food, make our kitchens ideal place for the red barbel. And the presence of all kinds of shelters, which abound in furniture, baseboards, wallpaper, heating radiators and water supply pipes, allow them to reproduce at the speed of which they are only capable.

The closest relative of the Prussian, and almost not inferior to it in terms of the degree of dependence on humans. This species, however, is more wild, and settles in dwellings, driven by cold and hunger from garbage containers, basements and sewers. This may be why it is almost never found in apartments located above the fifth floor.

Distinctive features:

• oval flat body up to 3 centimeters long in the imago;
• relatively short limbs with suckers;
• shiny black or dark brown color.

• sewer drains and water supply pipes;
• air ducts and ventilation;
• cracks along baseboards, window and door openings.

Due to the degree of danger infectious diseases, transmitted by black cockroaches, they are more dangerous to humans than the Prussians, despite the wider population of the latter.

No, these are not albinos, like some animals, and not even a separate group. This is a cockroach that has lost its chitinous shell and has not had time to acquire a new one. The molting process in these insects occurs about 8 times in their life, and at this time the cockroach is extremely vulnerable.

As never before, it goes particularly deep into hiding until its chitinous layer is restored and it gradually darkens, its usual color. All types of cockroaches that live in people's homes are subject to this metamorphosis.
It also happens that this is a surviving victim of exposure to chemical reagents, as a result of a person’s own insecticidal treatment of your home. In such cases, the color of the insect is not restored. Photo white cockroach:

American cockroach

Contrary to its name, it is a native of Africa, brought to the American continent, and then to Europe, thanks to the rapidly developing maritime trade. Traveling in bales and boxes of goods, they settled almost all over the world.
Initially a wild species, the American cockroach quickly adapted to new development conditions and became no less dependent on humans than the rest synanthropic species. In cohabitation with people, they are attracted by the same easily accessible water, food and acceptable temperature limits. But the American's are still much lower than those of red Prussians or black omnivores. It cannot withstand the slightest negative temperatures.
Even larger than the black one, it surpasses even the red one in speed of movement, and has a very aggressive disposition.

Furniture cockroaches

Recently open view, it has a red color and wings with brown stripes. He is distinguished by complete indifference to the food of a person with whom he is connected by a love of books. In bindings, as well as in wallpaper glue, he finds his favorite starch, which he mainly feeds on.

Turkmen and Egyptian cockroaches

Residents of the southern regions of Russia and Central Asia are probably familiar with this species of cockroach, which is quite rare in the cooler latitudes of our country.
At home, they live in livestock pens and poultry houses, but they can also migrate to human homes.

Every person wants to live in a beautiful and cozy home, because cockroaches are not neighbors that people are willing to put up with. These insects are not only a nuisance, but also harmful. Therefore, you need to get rid of cockroaches as soon as they appear.

What do cockroaches look like?

Cockroaches are insects that sometimes reach 7-10 cm in length. The largest among the cockroaches that can be seen at home are the Prussians. But scientists studying them claim that Prussians are not the worst enemies of apartment owners. Some scientists are sure that we have become the last generation to see the Prussians in person. Very soon these insects will become extinct. And the reason for this will be precisely their size. Prussians are very clumsy and cannot quickly escape when they realize that people have seen them. That's why it's so easy to kill him. In addition, due to their size, they cannot occupy a small safe crevice in which they can hide from people. They are constantly in sight.

Cockroaches that are found in apartments are most often red in color. But in some areas of the country you can also find

The most important thing for this insect was and remains the mustache. This is the organ that helps him survive and find food. Cockroaches carefully groom their whiskers. If he has lost his sense of smell, he will soon die.

To the horror of many impressionable people, some cockroaches can fly. For example, the same Prussians can boast of such a skill. But they fly very rarely.

Why are cockroaches dangerous?

Cockroaches are inhabitants of the dark. They leave their shelters and go in search of food as soon as people turn off the lights. Some especially emotional people cockroaches are terrifying. They start screaming and repeating that cockroaches are incredibly disgusting. But the danger of insects is not only that they frighten household members and guests. These little pests can cause large quantity diseases.

Very often, cockroaches find food for themselves among waste. They rummage through the trash and then leave the trash can to go searching elsewhere. And this place happens dinner table, where the whole family will have breakfast the next morning. Cockroaches can get into the bread bin and spoil the supplies. On their limbs they bring worm eggs, which are found in sufficient quantities in the trash can.

Cockroaches can spoil more than just food. They sometimes destroy the pages of books and damage the covers. They often damage clothes and leather goods. For example, gloves and belts are affected by pests.

Cockroaches bring illness to humans and spoil things. Therefore, you need to start fighting them when they appear in the apartment. This needs to be done as early as possible, because they multiply very quickly.

Why did cockroaches appear in the house?

Cockroaches often appear in homes. Insects cause a lot of inconvenience, and everyone who has these inhabitants wonders why this happened. There can be many reasons.

Cockroaches appear much more often in apartments than in private houses. The reason for this is the remoteness of one frequent home from another. Apartments are located closer, and therefore cockroaches can easily migrate from one to another. Insects, which are difficult to control, multiply very quickly.

One of the reasons why houses could appear unexpected guests, may become their migration in a person's bag from another building. Maybe the cockroaches got in at work and arrived in the apartment on a person’s clothes or in a bag. They can even be brought from another city or from a friends apartment.

IN big cities cockroaches can infest without difficulty. For example, they can appear due to sewerage. Water also cannot pass from neighboring high-rise buildings.

Maybe an order was placed for home delivery from a store or restaurant. Some establishments are not famous for their cleanliness, and therefore cockroaches enjoy complete permissiveness there.

Some tenants receive unpleasant guests from neighboring apartments. Perhaps unscrupulous citizens have settled in the neighborhood and are too lazy to clean the apartment or take out the trash. Or they also accidentally acquired cockroaches somewhere and now cannot overcome them.

Life of cockroaches

In order to get a huge “army” of domestic cockroaches, it is enough to purchase only one or two. Cockroaches will quickly show themselves. Insects, which reproduce very quickly, will come out for food as soon as the light is turned off.

The rate of reproduction of cockroaches depends on the conditions provided to them. If there is a lot of food, then the “army” will be larger. Cockroaches thrive in areas where it is easy to get to the trash can. It will be especially good for them if the trash can does not have a lid. Insects will happily live where there is a lot of dirty dishes, and there is a greasy residue in the sink. They love it when crumbs remain on the table after eating. In addition, cockroaches will happily settle in places where food is not stored in airtight conditions. But this does not mean that the owners have clean and cozy apartments cockroaches will not settle in. Black and red insects will also live with them, but they will not reproduce so quickly.

What do cockroaches eat?

Cockroaches are very tenacious. Insects easily find food for themselves. In order to provide yourself comfortable life, they most often settle in the kitchen. There they will be able to create a whole colony.

Cockroaches can eat both sugar and fruit. They won't even disdain meat. Insects love bread and rolls, so crumbs on the table or an uncovered bread bin will become heaven for them. But cockroaches do not feed on humans. Therefore, there is no need to be afraid that a large “army” will attack a person one night and eat him. But this does not mean that the pest cannot bite. He may want to try what smells so tempting, or just to protect himself.

How difficult is it to remove cockroaches?

Cockroaches show a huge thirst for life. Insects, the species of which are numerous, are very difficult to breed. To do this, you will even have to change your life in some way, because you will need to give up some habits.

In order to remove cockroaches, you will need to be patient. They are so tenacious that they can even do without a head. A cockroach that has lost a major part of its body can live 10 days and not even realize that anything is wrong. Additionally, cockroaches can survive a wide variety of chemicals. They can even survive a radiation blast.

Insects can live for a very long time without food. Some are able to survive for 40 days. Every day they will become hungrier. And if after this period of days he does not find food, he will become dangerous to humans. After all, then the cockroaches can bite. As mentioned above, they cannot eat anyone, but their bites are very painful.

Cockroaches can even tolerate poisons. They fall into a trance-like state. People who see a cockroach in this condition may think it has died. But don't delude yourself. Apartment owners throw cockroaches into trash cans, and then wonder why their number does not decrease, but, on the contrary, increases. After several days in the trash, the cockroaches come to their senses and continue their normal lives.

How to remove cockroaches

People are very tired of them, every apartment owner wants to know. But this is not easy to do, because over time insects develop immunity to various poisons.

In order to remove cockroaches, you need to use the most modern means. It is necessary to treat all those places where pests can live: these are all the cracks and corners where they find shelter during the day. It is worth paying maximum attention.

After all the cracks have been processed, you will need to seal them. We must take away the opportunity for cockroaches to find a new home.

Insect corpses should be burned or flushed down the toilet. Maybe they're not as dead as they seem, so they shouldn't be left in the trash.

Help from specialists

Getting rid of cockroaches is very difficult. This is especially difficult in cases where a person knows almost nothing about them and has no idea where they can live or how to remove them. Specialists come to help people and carry out disinfection. After this, you can not only get rid of the pests, but also protect yourself from them returning after some time. The services of a specialist are inexpensive, but bring great benefits.

Cockroaches cause a lot of inconvenience. The insects, photos of which can be seen in the article, are very tenacious, but they can be removed. You need to protect yourself from cockroaches starting to multiply at high speed. You need to carefully ensure that the apartment is clean, and then the insects will not be able to find food for themselves and their offspring. In this case, they will look for a more favorable place to live.

The roots come from the warm African latitudes and were transported by man to all continents. Almost all types of cockroaches feel great in our homes, despite numerous attempts to get rid of the pests. Cockroaches are very tenacious creatures; they can withstand radioactive radiation ten times higher than the lethal dose for humans.

The insect's body is designed in such a way that it can digest leather, paper and even wood, thanks to the plates located in the stomach and helping to process food.

The insect can survive most low-toxic poisons if there is access to water. Even in the absence of food, insects can live up to two months, thanks to their ability to slow down their metabolism. The only thing about all types of cockroaches is frost, they are cold-blooded, so when sub-zero temperature freeze to death.

Cockroaches not only disgust apartment owners, but can cause serious trouble; cockroaches can carry the following diseases: typhus, tuberculosis, dysentery, hepatitis and many other diseases; pests can also carry worm larvae and other unpleasant things on their paws.

Furniture cockroach

Furniture cockroaches were discovered in Russia about 100 years ago. From the name it is clear that these insects like to hide in furniture. These cockroaches can often be found in city libraries, furniture workshops and bedrooms.

A characteristic feature of these cockroaches is their light color, as can be seen in the photo below.

American cockroach

Its homeland is Africa, but it was brought to America and it has taken root remarkably well in human homes, where the optimum air temperature is constantly maintained and food is abundant.

The size of the insect does not exceed 3 cm and the reproduction rate is inferior to the Prussians familiar to us. The American cockroach was able to move to Europe and even took root in many countries with a relatively warm climate.

Vietnamese cockroach (Shelfordella tartara)

This species lives in southern regions Russia and is known under the names “Turkestan cockroach” and “Central Asian cockroach”. This cockroach is quite rare and lives mainly on the street. Adults reach 2.5 cm and are able to jump far, assisted by their wings. The cockroach has a dark abdomen and a yellow cephalothorax, which is clearly visible in the photo.

Exotic cockroaches

These cockroaches are specially bred by lovers of exotic animals. Some exotic species of cockroaches reach 10 cm in length. Some keep cockroaches in the house as pet, but many breed large cockroaches to feed various pets (snakes, frogs, lizards, fish), and do not require special care, so many prefer not to buy dubious food, but to grow it themselves and be sure of its freshness.

Death's head cockroach (Blaberus craniifer)

This species lives in the tropics of South and Central America. It got its name from a pattern that resembled an ugly mask located on the insect’s head. It is also called the Cuban cockroach. Cockroaches grow up to 8 cm, the chitinous shell is matte black, the cephalothorax is light with a black pattern in the middle, as seen in the photo.

The Cuban cockroach can fly well, and its wingspan reaches 10 cm. When in danger, the cockroach releases a pungent odor that does not disappear for a long time. Life expectancy is about one and a half years.

Rhinoceros cockroach (Macropanesthia rhinoceros)

The Australian cockroach spends most of its time underground and is often called the giant burrowing rhinoceros cockroach for its ability to dig deep holes. At night, the cockroach crawls to the surface in search of food; they feed on fruits, leaves and do not disdain carrion.

An adult grows up to 9 cm in length and weighs up to 40 grams; the photo shows a female and a male rhinoceros cockroach. The Australian cockroach is often found among hobbyists exotic species cockroaches

Chess cockroach (Therea bernhardti)

This species lives in India; during the day, insects hide in fallen leaves, and at night they come out in search of food, like most representatives of the species. Cockroaches are black in color, but have white spots on their backs arranged in a checkerboard pattern. Chess cockroaches are long-lived and can live in good conditions up to 5 years.

These cockroaches love high humidity around 70-80% and warm air 25-30°c.

Madagascar hissing cockroach

The most common representative of cockroaches found in insectariums. It is this species that appeals to lovers of exotic animals. Unpretentious, quiet and does not require skills to maintain. The size of this giant reaches 10 cm, and their main trump card is hissing in case of danger, which is created when the insect suddenly releases air from special spiracles.

The optimal conditions for keeping are 23-30° degrees, and the humidity should be around 60%.

Egyptian turtle cockroach (Polyphaga aegyptiaca)

The cockroach has a rounded body shape, reminiscent of a turtle shell, maximum size 4.5 cm. The carapace is shiny black, covered with transverse plates.

Habitat: Central Asia, Caucasus, feeds on leaves, animal remains, feces. Lifespan Egyptian cockroach 4 years.

Green banana cockroach (Panchlora nivea)

A striking species of cockroaches that fly well. They have taken root in banana plantations and feed on leaves. This species was discovered quite recently and has not yet gained popularity among cockroach lovers.

The cockroach is native to the Florida forests and Cuba. Optimal temperature for this species 27 degrees Celsius. The cockroach is small in size and reaches 2.5 cm.

Forest cockroach (Ectobius lapponicus)

Lives in wooded areas, feeds on tree leaves, carrion, and plants. Hides in tree roots and under leaves.

There are a huge number of species of cockroaches, there are even Japanese pest. Almost all types of cockroaches are harmless to humans and cannot bite through the skin.