Not only owners of private houses and farmsteads, but also residents of comfortable apartments face the problem of insects. A frequent guest of apartment buildings is the Russian cockroach or the red cockroach, familiar to almost everyone.
However, we cannot exclude the appearance of even more unpleasant visitors, namely black or oriental cockroaches.
These insects are large in size, their body length can be three centimeters or more, they have a specific unpleasant odor, and can cause damage to both the home and its owners.
Black sewer cockroaches can damage electrical wiring and other communications, in addition, they are carriers of infectious diseases dangerous to humans. How to get rid of uninvited guests at home, how to poison black cockroaches and how to prevent their reappearance? Let's talk about this in more detail.
Features of black cockroaches
Cockroaches are classified as household pests. They are easy to distinguish from other types of insects that can also appear in a person’s home.
Black cockroaches, compared to red ones, are more impressive in size. Adults can grow up to almost 5 cm in length, while red pests are almost 2 times smaller. The body of the black cockroach is protected from external negative influences by a shiny chitinous coating. The upper part of the insect's body seems to be shifted forward, which is why, if you look at the cockroach from above, part of its head is hidden. Males have 2 pairs of wings, although the insect cannot fly. Females do not have wings at all, or even their rudiments.
A cockroach has whiskers on its head, with the help of which the insect orients itself in space and perceives odors. Moreover, the mustaches of males are much longer than those of females. Small and rather sparse hairs grow on the limbs of the insect.
Interesting to know! Cockroaches have a rather interesting structure of their digestive organs. They also have a fairly powerful oral apparatus, with the help of which cockroaches crush even hard food objects. Food, after entering the intestines, is broken down with the help of special enzymes. At the same time, it is crushed by a special type of bacteria in the chewing ventricle. This type of operation of the insect’s digestive tract allows cockroaches to eat a wide variety of foods, sometimes quite solid.
Males can live without a source of food for about 10 days, and females - almost 2 months.
Insect development stages
A sexually mature female black cockroach can lay eggs for further reproduction. This process is carried out regularly (about 22 times) until the insect becomes an imago (about 7 months).
The female carries the capsules for 2 weeks, and then leaves it in a warm and protected place to reproduce on its own. It contains from 8 to 20 eggs. At the moment of opening, no more than 65% of the nymphs hatch, which quickly spread throughout the living space of the room.
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Given favorable conditions, cockroaches quickly go through their life cycle until the onset of the adult stage (about 7–12 months). If there is a sharp drop in temperature, then the larvae can wait in the wings for several years.
Reproduction process
After mating, the female places her eggs in a special cocoon, the length of which can reach about 10 mm. In this case, up to 16 eggs can develop in a cocoon at once. The capsule is distinguished by the fact that it has a fairly strong structure, so future offspring have reliable protection.
As the eggs grow and develop, the cocoon also increases in size. At a certain stage of development, the female discards this capsule in a secluded place. About a month or a month and a half later, small transparent larvae appear in the white light, similar in appearance to cockroaches. As the larvae grow and develop, they begin to acquire a dark, rich hue. Before the juveniles develop into adults, they go through 10 molting stages. During her life, the female manages to lay a maximum of 3 cocoons.
Curious facts
Those who like to kill cockroaches in a sudden way should be aware of the extreme resistance of such insects to physical damage. Therefore, swatting it down is not enough; you also need to either grind it thoroughly, or sprinkle it with boric acid while still half-dead and release it to its relatives.
Interesting information: thanks to a specific gene, called “knockdown” by scientists, cockroaches can imitate their own death. Smelling the smell of poison, the insect loses consciousness, falls with its paws up and stops breathing.
After lying down for a certain period, he comes to his senses and calmly continues his sabotage activities.
How cockroaches get into an apartment
Not so long ago, our ancestors treated black cockroaches with respect and believed that their presence in the home meant wealth and prosperity. Therefore, the insects were constantly fed, and if they had to move to another place of residence, they were taken with them. As for red cockroaches, they symbolized misfortune and tears, so they tried to get rid of them everywhere.
Nowadays, black cockroaches are not symbols of wealth and prosperity, so owners begin to fight them at the first opportunity. In any case, first of all, you should decide on the ways of penetration of these insects into your home. Cockroaches may appear in an apartment:
- By moving away from neighbors, which is one of the most common ways these insects appear in an apartment and especially after they begin to fight them.
- Rising from the basement or cellar.
- Through the sewer system, since black cockroaches are able to stay in water for a long time and not drown. It is not difficult to imagine the danger they pose to apartment residents.
- Together with old or new household appliances, as well as furniture, especially purchased at the market.
- As a result of returning from vacation, when visiting warm countries, or from work, in a suitcase or simply in the folds of clothing.
Huge cockroaches in my apartment. How to get them out?
Mechanical and thermal methods
Mechanical effects on cockroaches are not very effective. It involves the cold-blooded killing of every insect found with one of the available objects. This is how you can fight if the number of arthropods is not large.
The method of freezing the entire house to remove cockroaches has been practiced since ancient times. To do this, choose one of the frosty winter days. In the morning, they turn off the heating in the house and open all the windows and doors wide. Sewer black cockroaches will die in the cold.
Preventive actions
If black cockroaches are found in an apartment, a question arises regarding the method of getting rid of these pests. First of all, you need to analyze the reasons for the appearance of insects, then the outcome of the fight will be positive.
Cockroaches are heat-loving insects that prefer damp places. Therefore, it is not difficult to determine that their favorite places to live are the kitchen and bathroom. At the same time, they can hide in various places, such as ventilation shafts, air ducts, behind pipes that are leaking or condensation accumulates on them. A prerequisite is that there must be a source of food nearby, in the form of a trash can or leftover food left by the owners on the dining table.
If you find black cockroaches in your apartment, you will have to:
- Repair the sewerage and water supply systems, eliminating leaks in the pipes.
- Regularly clean the ventilation and sewage system.
- Carry out regular cleaning of premises, both residential and non-residential. Do not leave leftover food on the table and wash dishes promptly after eating.
- The bathtub and sink should be wiped dry so that there is no moisture left on them, which is so necessary for cockroaches.
If you block the insects' access to food debris and water, this will provoke the insects to go in search of more comfortable living conditions. As a result, after some time, the colony itself will leave the home.
Favorite Habitats
Habitat of black cockroaches Most often, cockroaches are found in warm, damp rooms, where there is always an abundance of food for them:
- kitchens and utility rooms of catering establishments;
- basements of apartment buildings;
- residential garbage chutes and public landfills;
- sewer compartments;
- grocery stores and markets;
- residential apartments and houses;
- production premises and offices.
How to get rid of black cockroaches
There are several ways to get rid of cockroaches in an apartment. For example:
- Using folk remedies.
- Using chemicals.
Any of the methods has both pros and cons, which must be taken into account based on the specific conditions of the struggle. It is very important to choose a remedy and develop combat tactics.
Folk remedies
Folk remedies are distinguished by the fact that they are safe both in relation to humans and in relation to pets. Chemical control agents, although much more effective, can be harmful to human health. The best option is the use of folk remedies as preventive measures.
- Natural plants such as bay leaves, elderberries, citrus zest, and pyrethrum are used as folk remedies. They all have a bright aroma that repels cockroaches and other insects.
- The most effective folk remedy is boric acid. It is added to special baits prepared on the basis of egg yolk and sugar. Balls up to one and a half centimeters in size are rolled out of this mixture and placed in places where pests accumulate.
Calling specialists
To exterminate basement or sewer black cockroaches, calling a pest control service is considered a reliable option. This service has special equipment and proven insecticides. They have at their disposal cold and hot fog generators, gas guns, with which they process the entire multi-storey building, including attics and basements, in a matter of hours. This work is carried out with a guarantee for several years.
Chemicals
Chemical control agents are made on the basis of insecticides, which act much faster and more effectively. The action of such components can be both immediate and prolonged. The drugs are available in various forms such as gels, sprays, powders, etc.
Gels for cockroaches
Preparations in the form of gels are considered the most effective means of combating cockroaches. Gels do not emit toxic components, so there is no need to take special safety measures. These preparations consist of active toxic substances, as well as flavoring agents that attract mustachioed pests with their aroma. After the cockroaches try the bait, they become poisoned and die. You can use gels “Combat”, “Raptor”, “Fas”, “Global”, “Storm”, etc.
Sprays
Sprays are also very popular because using such preparations is simple and convenient. To do this, the product is simply sprayed into the home and after a certain time the insects are massively destroyed. Unfortunately, such spraying of toxic components requires that there be no people or animals in the home. To combat cockroaches, sprays such as “Combat”, “Raptor”, “Get”, “Raid”, etc. are suitable.
Powders and crayons
Powders and crayons are not used as often. This is especially true for powders, the use of which requires certain technology and attention. Crayons are used more often, but their effectiveness is low, so if there are a large number of cockroaches, chalks will not be of much help.
Special traps
A trap is a plastic or cardboard box with several entrances for insects. Inside this box there is a fragrant bait that attracts insects. The principle of operation of traps can be different. There are simple traps with bait, and there are traps with an adhesive base. Once caught in such a trap, the cockroach simply sticks to the base and cannot get back out. There are also electrical traps. Once inside the trap, insects die from electric current.
There is another option for effectively getting rid of black (red) cockroaches. To do this, you will have to use the services of exterminators. They will not only help you get rid of such an unpleasant neighborhood in your apartment, but will also tell you what needs to be done to prevent pests from appearing again. As a rule, insects appear again and again in a person’s home because the fight against them was not carried out professionally or partially. This approach entails a lot of trouble. The main trouble is that you will have to spend your entire life fighting cockroaches.
Lifehacks: HOW TO GET RID OF COCKROACHS!
Why are they dangerous?
Any type of cockroach can be a mechanical carrier of infection. But the black cockroach is more dangerous than the usual red cockroach. In urban dwellings, the oriental cockroach prefers sewer lines. It's warm, dark, humid, and there's always food. Climbing out of the sewer into an apartment, an insect can carry any infection on its legs, including dysentery and worm eggs.
In villages, this type of pest often lives in cesspools in the summer, and moves into the house in the winter. The danger from the rural population is no less than from the urban one.
Do pet cockroaches bite?
In rare cases, domestic cockroaches can inflict minor bites on the mucous membranes of a person's eyes and lips.
