Cockroach

A cockroach is an insect of the order Blattodea (or Blattaria). The American Cockroach (Periplaneta americana) is about 3 cm long. The German cockroach (Blattella germanica) is about 1.5 cm long. Tropical cockroaches are much bigger. When infesting buildings, cockroaches are considered pests.

Biology

Cockroaches are often found around garbage and in the kitchen. Female cockroaches, or henroaches, are sometimes seen carrying egg cases on the end of their abdomen; the egg case of the German Cockroach holds about 30–40 long, thin eggs, packed like frankfurters in the case called an ootheca.

The eggs hatch from the combined pressure of the hatchlings gulping air and are initially bright white nymphs that continue inflating themselves with air and harden and darken within about 4 hours. Their transient white stage while hatching and later while molting has led to many individuals claiming to have seen albino cockroaches.

A female German cockroach carries an egg capsule containing around 40 eggs. She drops the capsule prior to hatching. Development from eggs to adults takes 3–4 months. Cockroaches live up to a year. The female may produce up to 8 egg cases in lifetime. In other words, in favorable condition it can produce 300–400 offspring.

A regular cockroach, however, can produce an unlimited amount of eggs in her lifetime. She lays up to 100 eggs in each egg sac. She only needs to be inpregnated once to be able to lay eggs for the rest of her life, allowing one single cockroach to lay over 1 million eggs in her lifetime.

The world's largest cockroach is the Australian giant burrowing cockroach, which can grow to 9 cm in length and weigh more than 30 grams. Comparable in size is the giant cockroach Blaberus giganteus, which grows to a similar length but is not as massive. Flying winged roaches are native to Palm Springs, California.

Cockroaches are mainly nocturnal, as they run away when the kitchen light is turned on. Roaches are actually very clean insects, even though they eat garbage. They are called the custodians of nature. They only live in houses where there are crumbs to eat or the garbage can is uncovered. They lay eggs inside the house's hollow walls. For every one roach seen, there are at least a hundred more hidden.

Cockroaches are known for their ability to resist radiation. If a nuclear war was to break out, the only surviving living creatures on the Earth would be the cockroaches. They can live a month without a head, and only then, die of thirst. They can squeeze their bodies through thin spaces and eat their way out of a plastic bag. Sprays, roach 'bombs', pesticides, roach motels, poison peanut butter, beer can traps, and many other methods are used to kill cockroaches. Roaches outlived the dinosaurs, survived the cold of the Ice Age, and will outlive the human race. Roaches have not changed much in hundreds of millions of years because they have reached a state of near natural perfection; in other words, they have every biological element that they need to survive, no matter how environments change in geological world history.

Madagascan Hissing Cockroach

The Madagascan Hissing Cockroach is a large flightless insect from the forests of Madagascar. It lives under the bark of trees or in leaf litter, feeding on plant matter including leaves and fallen fruit.

Any predator that catches one of these cockroaches is in for a double shock. The legs of this insect are covered in needle-sharp spines and the cockroach can make a loud hissing sound. It does this by forcing air out of the breathing holes that run along the side of its body.

This is one of the largest cockroaches in the world and can reach 8 cm (3 inches).

Although they live in the forest, they are attracted by house lights, and will sometimes creep through open windows. However, they are harmless and will soon leave when disturbed.

The Madagascan Hissing Cockroach is often used in television programmes and films where a large scary-looking insect is required.

External link

• cockroach pictures shares pictures and facts on cockroaches and their behavior, feeding habits and life cycle.