Types of cockroaches. Types of cockroaches, lifestyle, habitat and behavior. Types of domestic cockroaches, their appearance and description

Cockroaches are insects belonging to the type Arthropods, squad Cockroaches. They love damp and warm places. Domestic cockroaches are most active at night, and during the day they hide in secluded places. Their diet includes the remains of plants and animals.

Albinos

Some individuals may acquire a white color due to exposure to chemical reagents. Many people believe that these insects become light-colored because they live in pitch darkness, but this opinion is incorrect. Scientists have proven that there is no separate species of “albino”.

American look

This species is native to Africa. It came to America and other countries with goods that were transported by sea.

They quickly adapted to new living conditions and settled in human habitations.

Representatives of this species are very active and can even bite.

They reproduce quickly and feed on any food, however cannot tolerate low temperatures.

There are a huge number of representatives of arthropods in nature, but a select few live together with humans, capable of adapting to life in confined space and eating not larvae, but food waste. Not everyone knows what types of cockroaches live in residential and warehouses, what is the distinctive feature.

Did you know that the sewer cockroach is similar to a beetle? The dark color and shell practically do not distinguish insects from each other.

Dark brown, light and black cockroaches are just some of the varieties that live in the same area as humans.

Below is a short overview: what a person should know about insects and distinguish one variety from another.

Often, red cockroaches live together with people. The high survival rate and adaptability of the arthropod allows it to settle next to humans and feed on the same food.

Red long-horned beetles live:

• At catering establishments;
• In apartments;
• Private houses;
• In medical institutions.

The Prusak differs from its relatives in its elongated body and unique color - from red to brown.

Insects do not disdain food left by humans after eating. Move in kitchen cabinets, prefer to live behind heating radiators and bread containers.

• Basement;
• Garbage chute;
• Sewer hatches.

Scientists were unable to explain the fact that arthropods do not live in apartments located above the 5th floor. The residents below are under massive attack.

Insects, in summer period They move freely along the street, but prefer to spend the winter next to humans.

Pests are not averse to feasting on human food. They need constant access to water. If there are no food residues, food waste, or crumbs on the floor, the insect will not disdain and fill its belly from a garbage can.

The size of individuals depends on living conditions. If water and food are in excess, the length of the body adult reaches 3 cm.

The color of barbels is not always black. Crawlers are dark red, brown, dark gray.

Sometimes it is impossible to determine the true species of cockroaches in an apartment. , but different in size.

Red females are superior to black females. Red ones reproduce faster and produce more offspring than dark ones.

A characteristic difference between black sliders and their relatives is the exuded specific smell, similar to mold.

The massive settlement and lightning-fast reproduction of black sliders indicates unsanitary conditions in the room.

Untimely disposal of garbage, crumbs on the table, unwashed dishes are a favorable environment for the development of pests. Individuals live where there is a lot of food, hence the name - kitchen.

Where to look for pests? While processing, look at:

• Bin;
• Kitchen Cabinet;
• Oven;
• Fridge;
• Under the table and baseboard in the kitchen.

Black domestic cockroaches can infect the inhabitants of the house with dangerous pathologies. Crawling through the trash can, moving through the bowls of four-legged pets and tasting food from the table, which subsequently enters the human digestive tract, the sewer reptile provokes the development of dysentery and helminthiasis.

Pests carry pathogenic bacteria and eggs by microorganisms on their paws. In the absence of timely measures, a person automatically becomes a carrier of E. coli.

In warm regions, the black longhorned beetle is not domestic. Individuals grow and reproduce on outdoors, settling under stones and in wall cracks.

White Prussians

Among domestic cockroaches, there are also those that differ from their relatives in color and lack of chitinous cover. These are white cockroaches.

Opinion about mutation or appearance in the apartment special type pests are a myth. In fact this is not separate species, but ordinary Prussians going through a period of molting.

Change of chitinous cover in arthropods during life cycle happens several times.

Feature– transparent body and lack of shell.

Molting lasts several weeks. During this time, the larvae will change their status as a larva to a sexually mature individual, ready for fertilization.

The whitish color may be a consequence of exposure to insecticides that did not destroy the individual, but changed the genetic program. This is an example of pests getting used to a certain chemical.

An individual with two tails

Large cockroaches with two tails are settlers in private homes. Another name is two-tails. They crawl out of genital crevices in the spring, when the level of humidity in the underground increases.

A distinctive feature is the antennae bent inward and the forked tail. Color - from light to dark brown.

Two-tailed insects bite people, crawl into beds, shoes, and clothes. Crazy individuals crawl into the ear and nose of the sleeping person.

Having escaped from the underground to freedom, the tailed creatures settle in floor rags and wet linen. Residents of the private sector often bring tailed animals from the street, with clean laundry removed from the dryer.

They get rid of bivostok by sealing the genital cracks and drying the underground. In the summer, vents are opened in the house.

American arthropod

These are not all types of cockroaches in the apartment. The American pest arrived with food transported by water.

American arthropods are very mobile. When they see a sleeping victim, they become aggressive and attack.

They have a detrimental effect on American arthropods low temperatures. At 0 C, individuals die.

Furniture pest

Unlike its relatives, the furniture cockroach does not feed on food waste and food.

Furniture pests are characterized by:

• Bright red color;
• Transparent wings with brown stripes;
• Heightened olfactory receptors.

The main diet of individuals is starch, contained in wallpaper glue and the binding of Soviet books.

The usual habitat is archives, bedrooms, libraries, card files.

Central Asian arthropod

There are Central Asian individuals in Russia that live together with humans. If white cockroaches have a transparent body, then Central Asian cockroaches have a dark belly. The head of the Prussian is yellowish.

Lives in regions with warm climates. Exotic plants are destroyed using conventional insecticides.

It doesn’t matter whether sewer cockroaches live in the apartment or kitchen ones, you need to get rid of the pests immediately.

Stock up on a variety of insecticidal preparations and repellents.

The more measures are taken, the hurry up apartment will be freed from unexpected settlers.

Important rule! Before disinfestation, the apartment is cleaned, food and household waste, free the house from deposits of rubbish.

After a large-scale spring cleaning apply insecticide. Only with complex measures will bullying be effective.

One moment! ? Block access to the home.

Seal the cracks in the floor, seal entrance doors, change the grille to vent to fine mesh.

Proper preparation for pest control is a guarantee of successful bullying without the risk of relapse.

Greetings dear readers of my blog. In today's article we will look at the structure of a cockroach and the physiological characteristics of this insect. Just imagine - on globe There are more than 7,000 species of cockroaches, and the most common in our latitudes are the red and black cockroaches. These are the ones that will be discussed in this article.

External structure of a cockroach

Despite the huge number of species, all insects of the cockroach order have a similar structure. The main differences are usually the size and color of the insect, but the internal anatomy is almost the same between black and red cockroaches.

Nature has given these creatures excellent help in order to crawl into the crack under the densest plinth - an elongated and flat body. It is divided into the abdomen, thorax (which consists of prothorax, mesothorax and metathorax) and head. In addition, each insect has a pair of wings. Did you know that cockroaches can fly? Below I will tell you how the wings of this creature are structured, what importance the wings have for the reproduction of offspring, and why only males can fly.

Head

I propose to start studying cockroach anatomy from the head, which in most individuals is quite large and has the shape of an oval or rounded triangle. From above it is covered by a shield-shaped anterior segment of the chest, from under which only the back of the head is visible, and the rest of the head is turned downwards.

Eyes

On the sides of the head there are paired compound eyes, and on top there are two simple eyes, which are poorly developed in most species. By the way, thanks to the structural features of their eyes, cockroaches see the world like a mosaic assembled from thousands of small multi-colored pieces. And although such vision does not allow one to distinguish the details of an object, the so-called perception of light flickers in a cockroach is 5 times higher than that of a human.

This is why it is so difficult to overtake an insect with a slipper or newspaper - even the most fast man For cockroaches it’s like a fly stuck in jam. In short, if you've ever asked yourself why these creatures almost always manage to escape punishment, now you know the answer.

Mustache

In children's horror stories, the cockroach is always depicted as a mustachioed monster, and it is not for nothing that so much attention is given to the mustache. It is the antennae that are the organ of thermal sensitivity, touch and smell. They are also used as a means of communication between individuals: by touching their whiskers, cockroaches exchange information. The whiskers are of considerable length and covered with bristles, the number of which increases with each molt and reaches 80 by the age of maturity.

Mouth

Despite their small size, the bites of the red and black cockroach can be noticeable and even painful. The fact is that the oral apparatus of these creatures is of the gnawing type and has sufficient complex structure, and each part has its own special purpose:

• labrum, or upper lip - articulated with the head in a movable manner, covered from the inside with receptors that analyze the composition of food;
• mandibles, or lower jaw - curved, fairly massive plates, covered with sharp teeth, their purpose is to hold a piece of food;
• maxillae, or upper jaws - located above the lower jaws, necessary for grinding food and chewing;
• labium, or lower lip - surrounds the oral apparatus from below, prevents food from falling.

Reading on the topic: Who is the black cockroach and where did it come from in your home?

On the outside of the lower lip there are special receptors (tactile and taste), which are necessary for searching, detecting and analyzing food.

In addition to the complex jaw, the insect’s mouth contains a salivary gland and a tongue-like organ that helps absorb liquid. As you can see, the mouthparts of a cockroach are an ideal tool for searching for and destroying bread crumbs even on the most clean kitchen. No wonder this type insects are considered the most tenacious.

Breast

On the chest of cockroaches there are wings, elytra and three pairs of legs. The chest consists of three segments, the largest of which is the first - the so-called pronotum. On the sides of this convex hexagonal segment there are depressions where the elytra are placed. Most often the pronotum has more light color compared to the rest of the body, and in some species this part is even transparent.

Legs

As for the insect’s legs, they are located on different segments of the thorax, consist of five parts and are called “pentamerous.” On the four upper segments of the legs there are pads, and on the lower one there are claws, between which there is also a suction cup.

This structure of the paws helps the insect to easily move on any surface - both horizontal and vertical. Moreover, on the paws of this creature there are tiny hairs that catch even the slightest vibrations in the air, thanks to which the cockroach reacts with lightning speed to a moving object.

Strong legs allow you to develop high for such small size speed - a cockroach is capable of running at a speed of 3-4 km/h. If this figure is not surprising, imagine this: if a cockroach were the size of a cheetah, it could easily catch up with a member of the cat family.

• the prothoracic tarsi are shorter than all the others; they serve as a kind of brake when high speed cockroach;
• the mid-thoracic legs are responsible for high maneuverability, as they are able to move in different directions;
• The metathoracic tarsi are longer than the other two pairs, move the cockroach’s body forward and are the main walking limbs.

Wings

Two pairs of wings are attached to the cockroach's chest. On top there are hard elytra, designed to cover the abdomen and thinner wings. Interestingly, the length of the male's wings is significantly greater than the length of the female's wings. Cockroaches use their wings to accelerate while moving and also to slow down their fall.

Reading on the topic: White cockroaches or a scary mutant

Fortunately, only one species of cockroaches can fly, but for all the others, their wings are useful for mating games. This is why the male’s wings are longer: during mating, the spread wings form a convenient platform for the larger female.

Abdomen

The abdomen of a cockroach has 11 so-called tergites (segments), but only 8-9 can be distinguished. The tenth segment forms a plate that covers the anus. In females, the abdomen continues with the ootheca - eggs (about 12-16) are stored in this segment. This part of the body has the shape of an oval, and due to its impressive size it is always noticeable and is an obvious difference between a female and a male. It is noteworthy that with sufficient nutrition, the female is capable of producing ootheca every two to three days.

Internal structure of a cockroach

You've probably heard that cockroaches can live without a head for a whole week, or even a month. But you hardly know what physiological features make this possible. Below I will talk about how these work amazing insects from the inside, and why cockroaches feel great even after they have been decapitated.

Digestive system

We already know how the jaws of the black and red cockroach are structured, but what happens to the food next? As I said, the mouth contains salivary glands that secrete saliva to soften and moisten food before swallowing. It is noteworthy that what is eaten will be partially digested in the insect’s crop, and the stomach will do the rest.

Thanks to its muscular structure, it seems to “grind” food, sending it then to the midgut, then to the hindgut and to the excretory system. The intestines of cockroaches are populated by bacteria and fungi, thanks to which the insect is able to digest even inorganic compounds.

Interestingly, the cockroach does not need to chew its food too thoroughly - in the part of the foregut located immediately behind the mouth, there is a row of teeth that will certainly thoroughly crush what it swallows in a hurry.
Cockroaches do not have a urethra, so both feces and urine are excreted through the anus.

Circulatory system

The circulatory system of cockroaches belongs to open type, and the blood of these creatures is white and is called “hemolymph”. Blood circulates freely inside the body, washing everything internal organs. The movement of hemolymph is due to the work of the heart, and the speed of blood circulation is very slow, making the cockroach very sensitive to temperature environment.

Respiratory system

The cockroach breathes using spiracles - these are 10 pairs of small holes that are located on the sides of the abdomen. The spiracles continue with tracheoles - tubes that form a system and connect into six large tracheal trunks. Such a structure respiratory system allows you to diffusely supply oxygen to all internal organs.

As a rule, a cockroach is an unwelcome guest. It brings with it a lot of problems, since it is a carrier of infections, and getting rid of numerous colonies is quite problematic. But if you know what types of cockroaches exist, you will quickly find the most suitable means to combat the individuals operating in your kitchen. Or, perhaps, you would like to get an exotic pet from the same order of insects, which can become a winner in cockroach races, serve as food for your pet, or itself will play the role of a pet for the whole family.

Why do these insects live in apartments and houses? The answer is very simple - because in the conditions of the Russian winter under open air they are simply not able to survive, and finding a source of food in cold weather is quite problematic. That is why they rush to warm buildings, where food is abundant and created to the maximum extent possible. comfortable conditions for their habitat.

The main signs of apartment cockroaches

All representatives of cockroaches living in residential premises have whole line characteristic features:

• their life consists of three stages of development: egg, larva, adult;
• The female bears the eggs in a special capsule - ooteca;
• larvae and adults are very similar in appearance;
• the domestic cockroach navigates with the help of tactile antennae;
• the insect is omnivorous and has a gnawing mouthpart that is capable of grinding any food.

• The car cockroach looks more than original. Its characteristic features are short elytra of a light shade and a light stripe along the perimeter of the body, and the males still stand out and bright spots on the pronotum.
• The chess cockroach is the cutest, so to speak, representative of his squad. It has a bright black and white colors, which resembles the color of a predatory ground beetle, which helps it avoid becoming prey to some predators. Like representatives of other species, the chess cockroach prefers to hide during the day and go out at night in search of food.
• The next type received the catchy name “Death's Head”, as it has a pattern on the back that resembles a scary mask.
• The Madagascar hissing cockroach is the largest representative of its order. Adults can reach 10 cm in length and surprise with their behavior - they hiss. It may seem that in this way they are trying to scare you away, but this is not entirely true. Undoubtedly, they use this sound to scare away enemies, but often the hissing emitted is just a sharp exhalation. Read more about this type in the article:.
• The rhinoceros cockroach is distinguished by its impressive weight - some individuals can reach a weight of 37 g. Almost like an ordinary sparrow. These insects are long-lived - they can live about 10 years.
• Megaloblatta longipennis is a cockroach native to Latin America who can fly. His wingspan is 20 cm, and when he unfolds them, he becomes truly huge.

And these are not all representatives of the cockroach order. After all, every year there are new individuals that have not been studied before. Insects adapt to poisons, get used to new environmental conditions and again settle in our homes. Some as exotic pets, others as pests.

One of the most unpleasant “pets” is the cockroach. Of course, some lovers of the animal world may specifically have an exotic pet, but most often insects settle in apartment buildings and terrify the residents. If pests appear in the house, without proper treatment they will eventually fill the entire room.

How do cockroaches get into the house, where do they hide and how long do they live?

How do cockroaches get into homes if people keep them clean? There are several ways of penetration:

1. You can bring them with you on your clothes or in your belongings. Pests can get into things and lay eggs there.
2. Receive with the parcel. About 70% of all cockroaches appear along with parcels delivered by the courier.
3. From the neighbors' apartment. This could be a natural group migration apartment cockroaches, when the concentration in the apartment behind the wall is so great that they look for new habitats.

In an apartment, cockroaches settle in dark damp places, most often in the kitchen, because there are food remains and moisture for reproduction. They make nests in ventilation shafts, corners behind cabinets, cracks between walls, sewer pipes.

Lifespan depends on the type of insect. Cockroaches are unusually tenacious; red cockroaches, so familiar to our latitudes, live without food for about a month, and Madagascar cockroaches live for more than 2 months.

Types of domestic cockroaches, their appearance and description

The cockroach is one of the oldest insects on earth. Exists a large number of varieties, and not all of them live in apartments. Some exotic species cockroaches reach tens of centimeters in length and live in tropical forests. The most common ones are red, black, white and furniture cockroaches.

Red cockroach

The red cockroach, or in common parlance the Prussian, is the most common house pest, which lives on all continents. Prussians are small, nimble insects with long antennae. Thanks to their whiskers, they navigate in space. The larva of the red cockroach also has a mustache.

The maximum size that adults reach is 1-1.5 cm. The body is elongated, covered on top with chitin from light red to dark brown. The cockroach larva is born white, but then it turns dark.

Prussians settle in dark, damp places. Cockroaches need water to reproduce, so they make a nest in the kitchen, bathroom or toilet, especially if the faucet is leaking in any of these rooms. Red cockroaches feed on leftover food.

It's difficult to get rid of Prussians. They adapt to very quickly unfavorable conditions life and adapt to poisons. In addition to disinfection with chemicals, it is necessary to constantly maintain cleanliness in the house.

Black beetle

Another variety is black pests. They enter residential buildings from garbage chutes and settle next to trash cans, sewers, and ventilation. They are very fond of places where food waste accumulates; their colonies can be seen behind gas stove, refrigerator, table, where leftover food falls and begins to rot.

The body of black cockroaches is covered with chitin, the color of which varies from dark gray to coal black. Like Prussians, they have wings, but only males use them to jump long distances. The reproduction rate is lower than that of Prussians. It takes about 2 weeks from the moment the pregnant queen lays her eggs for the larvae to hatch. During this time, the clutch may be discovered and eaten by other insects. Close-up eggs can only be seen under a microscope.

Black cockroaches prefer open spaces. IN southern regions they live on the streets, and only in temperate climates do they settle in residential buildings. Interesting feature- these insects do not rise above the 5th floor, so residents upper floors apartment buildings may not worry about their appearance.

Black cockroaches are carriers of many infections. They appear in rooms with very unfavorable sanitary conditions.

White cockroach

Sometimes apartment residents notice white insects indoors. What is this - new pest or an albino cockroach? Neither one nor the other. An ordinary domestic cockroach turns white:

1. In the process of molting. As the insect grows, it sheds its chitinous cover, under which a new one appears. During molting, they have a white, almost transparent body color. During their life span, cockroaches molt about 8 times.
2. Under the influence of poison. Some chemical substances, for example, chlorine-containing ones, destroy the chitin pigment, which is why it turns white.

Furniture cockroaches

If black and red pests are primarily interested in food waste, then furniture look cockroach is interested in books, wallpaper and wooden furniture. This variety appeared on the territory of our country quite recently - about 50 years ago.

In appearance, the furniture pest resembles a Prussian. It is small in size and has a bright red or light brown color. Bright stripes are visible on the chitin.

Pests feed on substances containing starch. They can rarely be found in residential buildings, but they frequent guests in libraries, archives, warehouses, where book spines and sheets soaked in book glue are devoured. If an insect gets into an apartment, then most likely it will settle in the bedroom, living room, office - where there are shelves with books. These pests nest under wallpaper and in dry wooden shelves.

Egyptian and Turkmen

In the south of the Russian Federation, in Central Asia and the Caucasus, you can find another representative of the southern species of cockroaches - the Egyptian. Sometimes it is also called a “turtle” because of the external resemblance of females to a reptile.

Males reach small size- about 2.5 cm. They have a flat oval body of dark brown color. Insects are flying - they have dense, well-developed wings. Females are larger than males and reach 4.5 cm in length. Their body is wingless and flat, similar to a turtle shell, and the color is almost black.

During her life, the female makes from 3 to 5 clutches. She lays about 20 eggs at a time, from which larvae hatch. Before becoming an adult insect, the larva needs to change its chitinous cover 2 times. The period of maturation is 2 years, life expectancy is 4 years.

Egyptian cockroaches feed on dry leaves and the remains of animal and human feces. They often settle in rodent burrows, livestock pens, and residential buildings. They are relatively harmless to humans because they do not spoil food.

Another type of insect living in Central Asia and the southern regions of Russia is Turkmen cockroach. He looks like an ordinary Prussian, only his belly is dark, and not white. Central Asian pests have wings, thanks to which they can jump long distances.

Like the Egyptian species, they live in pet areas. They are carriers of dangerous diseases that especially threaten livestock. Animals often eat them and become infected with the transmitted infection. You can see what the Turkmen species looks like in the photo.

American cockroaches

Despite the name, the American cockroach comes from Africa and came to Europe and America during active trade transport. Fortunately, in Russia it is found much less frequently than its red and black counterparts.

The body of the insect is elongated and narrow. The American pest is 4 cm in length. The color of chitin is black. It has wings and can move freely through the air from one place to another. The American cockroach can be seen in the photo.

When the insect senses danger, for example when a person or animal approaches, it releases a liquid with a pungent odor. In response to poison, many people develop allergic reaction. This is not the only way to protect yourself. Pests bite painfully and can attack an animal or even a person.

Good news for residents middle zone Russia - American cockroaches do not tolerate cold weather. If the temperature drops below 0°C, the insects die.

Exotic species of insects and their characteristics

How many groups of cockroaches are known to scientists? About 400, among them African, Turkmen, Crimean, rhinoceros, marbled, albino and many others. Fortunately, only a minority of them are found in our climate, and not all are household pests. Some exotic species are kept as pets, such as the Madagascar cockroach, marbled cockroach, or six-spotted cockroach.

The table provides a description of some common types of insects that are most often kept as pets:

Many species continue to be discovered and studied by entomologists. For example, the green banana cockroach was discovered not so long ago and has not yet gained much popularity among breeders. Rhinoceros cockroach, six-spotted, marble cockroach- rare guests as pets. The banana cockroach can be seen in the photo.

Harm from domestic cockroaches and ways to get rid of them

If there are cockroaches in the house, it is not easy to get rid of them. It is necessary to take comprehensive measures, and together with neighbors. You can’t let the situation take its course, even if the residents don’t feel disgusted by insects, because cockroaches cause great harm:

• are carriers of infections;
• spoil food;
• bite people and animals;
• worsen indoor sanitary conditions;
• unpleasant to look at.

There are several ways to deal with them. Some people prefer to buy chemicals in the store, while others use proven folk remedies. It is impossible to say which option will be more effective, because pests quickly adapt to unfavorable conditions.

There are different groups of pest control products:

One of the common folk remedies is the production of balls with boric acid. For this you will need:

• a bag of boric acid;
• boiled potatoes;
• boiled egg;
• flour;
• sunflower oil.

All ingredients are mixed with each other and balls are formed from the resulting mass. These baits are placed along the route of cockroaches and in places where they accumulate. As soon as the insect touches the ball, it dies.