Sacramento Pest Control, Cockroaches and Cockroach Pest Control

Oriental Cockroaches
Oriental Cockroaches are large very dark (almost black, but sometimes dark reddish-brown), shiny cockroaches which live in sewers and similar wet, decaying organic matter. They are sometimes called “water bugs” because they come out of drains, and “black beetle cockroaches” because of their smooth, dark bodies. Males are about 1 inch long, with wings that cover only about 3/4 of their abdomen; females are about 1 1/4 inch long, and have only short stubs of wing pads.

Sacramento Cockroach Pest Control
Hydrex works on keeping those roaches away. Hydrex cockroach pest control is safer then most companies because it reduces exposure to bug spray poison. The best pest control service in Sacramento is Hydrex cockroach control.

The Sacramento cockroach control process

• Deny roaches food, water, shelter and entry
• Use roach baits
• Do not use roach bug sprays, foggers or bombs
• Use borate powders

Life stages of the German cockroach

Life History: The German cockroach has three developmental stages: egg, nymph, and adult. Females produce a light brown, purse-shaped egg capsule that is less than 1/4 inch long and contains two rows of eggs. Each capsule contains up to 48 eggs (usually 30 to 48), and adult females usually produce from four to eight egg capsules during their lifetime. At room temperature, one capsule is produced about every 6 weeks. Egg capsules are carried, protruding from the abdomen, until hatching time when they are deposited into crevices and other sheltered locations. It usually takes 28 days for the capsule to hatch from the time it begins to form. Formation of the next egg capsule usually begins within a couple of weeks. The length of the egg stage varies from 14 to 35 days, with six to seven nymphal stages (instars) occurring over a period of 6 to 31 weeks. The life span of the adult female varies from 20 to 30 weeks. In one year over 10,000 descendants can be produced, assuming two generations per ye

Medical and Economic Significance
German cockroaches adulterate food or food products with their feces and defensive secretions, physically transport and often harbor pathogenic organisms, may cause severe allergic responses, and in extremely heavy infestations have been reported to bite humans and feed on food residues on the faces of sleeping humans. In addition, some scientists suggest that German cockroach infestations may cause human psychological stress and that the stigma associated with infestations alters human behavior. For example, people with infested houses do less entertaining, and avoid the kitchen at night for fear of encountering a cockroach.

American Cockroach

Rachael C. Perrott, Graduate Student, Entomology, Virginia Tech; Dini M. Miller, Associate Professor and Extension Specialist, Entomology, Virginia Tech

Adult American cockroach

• Order: Blattaria
• Family: Blattidae
• Species: Periplaneta americana (Linnaeus)
• AKA: Palmetto bug or water bug

Cockroach Size
The American cockroach is a large cockroach. The adult body length is approximately 1-1/2 inches long (38mm).  The antennae extending from the head are equally as long as the body if they are intact.

Cockroach Color
The adult is a shiny reddish brown to dark brown and has a yellow margin on the pronotum (region directly behind the head). Immature American cockroaches (nymphs) are also reddish brown to dark brown in color.  Large nymphs often have yellow markings on the abdomen.

Cockroach Description
Adult American cockroaches have wings and will occasionally fly. However, they are awkward fliers and prefer to run when disturbed. Male and female American cockroaches are about the same size and look very similar. Both have a pair of cerci, finger-like appendages, at the tips of their abdomens. The cerci are used to detect air movement in the cockroach’s surroundings. Male cockroaches have an additional set of appendages called styli on their abdomens. The styli are located between the cerci but are smaller and more delicate. The presence of styli is the easiest way to distinguish male from female cockroaches. Immature American cockroaches resemble adults, except they are smaller and wingless. The American cockroach egg capsules are mahogany brown and about 1/3 inch long. The egg capsules resemble small ridged purses (Figure 2) and are often stuck to the outside of boxes, or along baseboards in locations where the cockroaches are infesting.

Habitat
American cockroaches are a “peridomestic species.” This means that they generally live outdoors. However, populations can also move indoors and live in human structures. American cockroaches usually live in warm, moist, humid environments but can survive in drier areas if they have access to water. The cockroaches prefer temperatures between 70°F and 85°F and will not survive if temperatures drop below 15°F. In structures, American cockroaches are common in areas where food is prepared or stored and moisture is plentiful. They are frequently found in restaurants, grocery stores, and bakeries. They are also associated with commercial kitchens, boiler rooms, sewers, and steam tunnels. In and around residential or commercial buildings, American cockroaches usually infest basements, crawl spaces, bathrooms, and decorative landscaping. Indoor populations tend to forage outdoors during warm weather. Similarly, during the winter months, outdoor populations may move inside seeking warmth and moisture.

Cockroach Life Cycle
After becoming an adult, a female American cockroach will mate and produce an egg case in 3 to 7 days. She will carry the egg case protruding from the tip of her abdomen for another two days. The egg case will then be deposited in a hidden location and glued to a surface with the female’s saliva. Hiding the egg case helps to protect it from predators, parasites, and pest technicians. Each egg case contains an average of 14 embryos. The immature cockroaches will emerge in 24 to 38 days in warm conditions. The juvenile cockroaches will go through 7 to 8 molts before they become mature.  Molting involves the periodic shedding of the exoskeleton in order to grow larger.  Recently molted cockroaches will be completely white in appearance, causing some people to believe that there are albino cockroaches.  However, the bodies of these recently molted individuals will harden and darken within a few hours.  American cockroaches will complete their development and become reproductive in six to 12 months. Adult American cockroaches can live approximately a year to a year and a half. An adult female American cockroach will produce a new egg capsule about every 9 days, resulting in the production of between 25-30 egg cases during her adult life.

Type of Damage a cockroach can cause
American cockroaches feed on a wide variety of materials, including cosmetics, beer, potted plants, wallpaper paste, soap, postage stamps, fermenting fruit, pet food, and human food. They contaminate human food, clothing, paper goods, and surfaces with their feces and body parts. American cockroaches also produce a strong unpleasant odor. This characteristic odor is not only detectable in infested buildings but is also transferred to items that the cockroaches crawl across when foraging. A pest management professional can often detect an American cockroach infestation by smell before he has actually seen any cockroaches.

Health Risks that may come from a cockroach infestation
When American cockroaches aggregate (Figure 3), their presence is primarily an aesthetic nuisance. However, members of this species are also known to carry infectious bacteria on their bodies and in their gut. These bacteria may be transferred to food and other items that the cockroaches contact. Several bacteria commonly associated with American cockroaches are known to cause food poisoning, dysentery, and diarrhea in humans. However, it should be noted that American cockroaches have never been implicated as the cause of any disease outbreak, so while American cockroaches are known to carry disease organisms, they are not a major disease health threat.  Yet, American cockroaches also produce allergens on their bodies and in their fecal material. While American cockroaches are not considered to be major culprits of human allergies or respiratory problems like some other cockroach species, they have been implicated as a potential cause of allergic dermatitis and childhood asthma.