Insects similar to cockroaches. Types of cockroaches (varieties) and exotic domestic cockroaches, photos, videos. The most terrible and beautiful species of cockroaches

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 the most comfortable conditions for their living are created.

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 males are also distinguished by 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 color, which resembles the color of a predatory ground beetle, which helps it not to become prey for 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 most... major representative your squad. 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 mass 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 that 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 and get used to new conditions environment and again they settle in our houses. Some as exotic pets, others as pests.

Cockroaches - small, unpleasant apartment dwellers - always cause a feeling of disgust, rejection and hostility, since their appearance causes a lot of problems for the owner of the living space. For a long time, the mustachioed insect manages to remain unnoticed (since it is nocturnal), lives quietly in comfortable conditions and slowly reproduces. If the mustachioed creature had the temerity to catch the eye of the apartment owner, it means that there are quite a lot of insects, so you need to get rid of them urgently. Why is it not recommended for a person to calmly, so to speak, coexist like a neighbor with cockroaches?

What do small cockroaches look like?

A well-known saying says: “You need to know your enemy by sight.” What do small cockroaches look like? Such insects are characterized by a wide abdomen, short wings and a flat body shape. The most important organ of the body is the tactile antennae, which provide the insect with orientation in space. Three pairs of legs are equipped with suction cups and claws that help them move on any surface. The high speed and agility inherent in small cockroaches determine their penetration into the narrowest cracks, moving not only in the space of the apartment, but also in basements, sewers, attic spaces, garbage chutes.

Cockroaches are carriers of disease

From walks on their chitinous coverings, cockroaches bring a lot of different pathogenic bacteria, helminth eggs and fungal spores that come across along their intricate route. In just a few hours this entire set may be on the kitchen table, products and utensils. In addition, cockroaches - small pests - are omnivorous and equipped with a mouthparts capable of grinding any food. A considerable range of pathogenic microorganisms is also present in digestive system cockroaches and can cause diseases such as pneumonia, meningitis, gastroenteritis, dysentery, salmonellosis, mycobacteriosis.

The danger comes from the chitinous coverings remaining after molting, the remains of dead individuals, and dry excrement. When mixed with house dust, such substances enter the human skin, digestive tract, and respiratory tract and can cause a number of serious diseases, including allergic rhinitis, bronchial asthma, dermatitis.

The presence of baleen insects can be determined by unpleasant smell in the apartment, which most often comes from black cockroaches. This is especially noticeable when there is a significant accumulation of them. How to get rid of domestic cockroaches in an apartment?

About little black cockroaches

The black cockroach is a prominent representative of their compatriots, enters apartments mainly from sewers, basements and garbage cans. It has been observed that this individual does not rise above the 5th floor, so it causes the greatest trouble to residents of the lower levels. Little ones in the apartment, whose presence indicates poor sanitary conditions in the room, do not disdain any food; in its absence, they feed on scraps from the trash can.

In terms of reproduction speed, they are superior to their red counterparts, who also prefer to live close to humans.

The red cockroach (colloquially “Prusak”), characterized by an elongated body and light red color, has become so firmly established in living quarters that getting rid of it and its brethren is a rather tedious and time-consuming task.

By the way, such insects regulate the number of their numerous colonies independently.

If small cockroaches appear: what to do?

An effective preparation is the Dichlorvos aerosol, which ensures the rapid death of insects provided that they are outside their burrows at the time of treatment. After the chemical wears off, the surviving individuals will calmly return to their previous way of life. The disadvantage of using this method is the danger of poisoning pets with toxic chemical vapors, for which such treatment can sometimes even lead to death.

Small cockroaches in the bathroom, kitchen and apartment in general can be destroyed with gels (“Dohlox”, “Liquidator”, “Killer”, “Raptor”), sold in large syringes and ready for immediate use. The product should be applied along the baseboard around the perimeter of the room in small drops at a distance of about 10 cm from each other. In just a week, cockroaches will not come to stay in the apartment they have lived in and will leave it forever.

Traps against cockroaches

Safer and more effective in the fight against cockroaches are traps (for example, Raid or Raptor), which are small round boxes with poison inside and several entrances.

Such devices are equipped with special Velcro, so they can be attached almost anywhere. A long period of exposure, safety, absence of fumes and harmful odor are the advantages of using such products. A red cockroach that has been trapped becomes infected and infects the rest of its relatives.

Against cockroaches - boric acid

You can “treat” cockroaches with the most terrible poison for them, causing death - boric acid. It is recommended to sprinkle this powder on the area where the trash can is, baseboards, sinks, ventilation holes, bathrooms, and toilets. For humans, such a drug, inexpensive in cost, is completely harmless, so you can safely sprinkle it on suspicious surfaces. It is worth considering that insects are very sensitive to powder that is harmful to them and most of them sense it a mile away. In this case, you can play specific feature cockroaches: curiosity.

Whiskered insects are very curious. If, for example, you put a bright candy wrapper on the windowsill and watch it for a while, then a cockroach or even several will definitely appear and approach an unfamiliar object in order to examine it.

Therefore, boric acid can be disguised as an attractive ball. To prepare the poison, you need to mix 30-50 grams of the drug powder with raw egg yolk (or grated potatoes) until it becomes mushy. Then you need to stick small balls (about 1 cm in diameter) and place them in places where a massive accumulation of cockroaches is expected to occur. It is advisable to perform this operation at night. Small cockroaches will not feel the disguised boric acid, but they will definitely begin to explore the ball itself and, touching it with their antennae, will doom themselves to death.

Since insects do not transmit a signal of danger to their relatives, new individuals will approach the cunning bait, become infected and crawl away mortally ill. Using this method, you can completely get rid of cockroaches in 3-4 weeks, depending on their number. There is a probability reappearance cockroaches; it may be the hatched offspring left in the eggs by the female insect. Therefore, it is recommended to repeat the method with boric acid, and the cockroaches - small and large - will disappear forever.

Killer composition: flour + alabaster

An effective remedy for cockroaches - red, rather unpleasant insects - is a combination of alabaster and flour in equal proportions. The resulting mixture should be sprinkled on the areas where insects are most concentrated. When alabaster enters the body, it hardens and turns into plaster, which causes the death of mustachioed individuals.

Cockroaches are small, brown and black insects that do not tolerate smell. ammonia, so a washed floor with the addition of this substance will scare them away for a while.

Beer against cockroaches

You can insidiously take advantage of the love of cockroaches for beer by pouring a small amount into the bottom of a jar, greasing the inner edges of the glass container with Vaseline and leaving it in the place where the insects are supposed to live. The next morning the jar will be filled with cockroaches. At this method Only those specimens that crawl out of their holes will die. Females engaged in laying eggs and packing them into the ooteca - a special chamber at the end of the abdomen - will remain inside and are guaranteed to ensure the appearance of new offspring instead of the destroyed ones.

Chilling and scaring method

They don't like cockroaches low temperatures: at -5 o C they fall into suspended animation, at -50 o C they live only 30 minutes, at -70 o C they die in a minute. Therefore in old times in the villages they were driven out by the cold, so to speak, beaten out: in winter they did not heat the hut for two or three days, they went to spend the night with their neighbors.

In order to prevent cockroaches from entering your own territory, it is recommended to use substances that repel them. These are fresh cucumber peelings or green bay leaves.

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.

Preventive measures

As preventive measures It is recommended to use the following recommendations against the spread of cockroaches in the home:

How many species of cockroaches are known to scientists? This question can be answered in just two words: a lot. The order of cockroaches (Blattoptera) is very extensive and numbers this moment not one or two thousand species, but as many as 7570.

In the territory former USSR, including Russia, there are about 55 species of these insects. Cockroaches are widespread and live in close proximity to humans, and often even in their homes. Although a significant decline in the number of cockroaches has been recorded, these insects are still a fairly serious household problem.

Types of these insects

Varieties of domestic cockroaches are represented in much smaller numbers than there are in the world. If we consider some of the most famous types of cockroaches in the apartment, we can highlight a couple of the most remarkable. Photos and descriptions of household pests are presented below:

1. Red cockroach (Blattella germanica)

Perhaps the most famous synanthropic species of arthropods. People call these pests “Prussians” or “stasics.” This red-haired, mustachioed creature feeds on waste, paper, fabrics, even soap. Adapts perfectly to any changing environmental conditions and reproduces with incredible speed. It is nocturnal, but can also be found during the daytime. The color of these pests varies from mustard-red to brown; two dark stripes on the front chest are notable. The size of adult individuals reaches 16-18 mm.

2. Black cockroach (Blatta orientalis)

The black barbel is a direct competitor of its red counterpart in human homes. These arthropods are jet black in color with a metallic or glossy sheen on the abdomen. The sizes are larger compared to the red ones - the imago of such a pest reaches a length of up to 8 cm. They do not fly, but they crawl very quickly. In spring and summer they can live in wildlife, on outdoors, but very close to human habitation.

3. American cockroach (Periplaneta americana)

Despite its name, this insect is a cosmopolitan synanthrope, i.e. distributed anywhere in the world where people live. Similar to Prussians, but the body length can reach 5 cm. These are flying insects. Distinctive feature American longhorned beetles have shiny brown wings, as well as a white or light stripe on the prothorax.

4. Furniture cockroach (Supella longipalpa)

This species began to be found in Russian houses from the late 70s of the last century. A distinctive feature of furniture longhorned beetles is their amazing jumping ability and unusual coloring with light fuzzy spots on the back, although in appearance they are also similar to their red “relatives”. Based on the name, it is not difficult to guess where they prefer to make shelters.

What types of cockroaches are there in the world?

The colossal species diversity of this order of arthropods makes it impossible to describe all the species of cockroaches found in nature in at least two words, so it is much more advisable to focus on the most famous species of these insects, which are clearly presented in the photo.

Some popular exotic varieties of cockroaches are bred at home by amateur entomologists or as “live food”:

All types of the above cockroaches, with the exception of the last one, do not live in the natural environment in Russia and neighboring countries. Photos with descriptions of Russian endemics can be read a little higher.

Malicious species

If we consider these insects from the point of view of harm, then any domestic cockroaches that you do not breed yourself are potential pests and carry many dangers. For example, the most common varieties of these creatures in our latitudes are potentially dangerous because they are carriers of dangerous human diseases and pathogens of a bacterial or viral nature.

The photo below shows each species of potentially dangerous disease carriers from the cockroach order:

• red (Blattella germanica);
• black (Blatta orientalis);
• American (Periplaneta americana);
• furniture (Supella longipalpa);

The whole danger lies in the feeding behavior of these pests. A cockroach's food source can be anything - they are omnivores and absolutely unpretentious in food. Enjoy fresh vegetables and fruits, bakery products, putrid leftovers from a trash can or other, sometimes inedible, things.

The type of mouthparts of any representative is gnawing; the pest will be able to eat anything. That is why, when digging in food scraps, places with poor sanitary conditions or habitats with the presence of pathogenic pathogens, longhorned beetles unwittingly become reservoirs for infections, although they themselves do not suffer from it.

Useful varieties

If we talk about benefits, then for the average person there is no such thing. The decorative functions of some species can be considered as beneficial. For insect lovers, keeping such cockroaches in an apartment brings considerable pleasure.

The food species mentioned above are also useful:

• Madagascar hissing cockroach (Gromphadorhina portentosa);
• turtle cockroach (Therea petiveriana);
• Central Asian cockroach (Shelfordella tartara).

Pest Control

More recently, “stasiks” were a real scourge for most residents of multi-storey buildings, and in private ones they were quite common. The modern situation is somewhat simpler, but many still do not know how to get rid of this scourge. Indeed, thanks to the excellent adaptive qualities, as well as high speed It is very difficult to breed barbels to reproduce their own kind.

Insects can live in attics, basements, occasionally appearing in the apartment, or live directly in it. The important thing is that these insects simply love unsanitary conditions, so the first step to expelling them from your home is to get into the habit of “generalizing” as often as possible.

But there is universal means control of insects such as cockroaches. They are called insecticides. They come in the form of aerosols, powders, emulsion concentrates, traps, baits, etc. The latest developments in chemical composition Such substances make it possible to fight Prussians very effectively.

It’s good to know that you can combine several varieties for a special effect. insecticides or supplement the set of measures with some proven folk remedies, for example, baits with boric acid.

What you will need:

• aerosol;
• respirator;
• gloves.

How to use:

1. Take precautions: wear a respirator to protect your respiratory tract and gloves on your hands.
2. Spray around the perimeter of the room, as well as in all areas of the apartment or house, focusing Special attention and several times applying the aerosol to those places where pests are most often found. If there are food products nearby, they should be removed to a safe place.
3. Run along baseboards, near trash cans, in floor crevices or walls; insects can hide behind furniture.
4. After the treatment is completed, close all windows and doors tightly, leave the room for several hours, and ventilate thoroughly upon arrival. If necessary (rarely), the treatment is repeated.

Where to buy funds

Name of shop	Address	Product name	Price
My convenient store	Moscow, Luchnikov lane, 4, building 2	Cockroach repellent COMBAT GOLDEN SUPER 500 ML	430
Anti-rodent	St. Petersburg, Narvsky pr., 18, office 208 (2 floors)	Get cockroach repellent	790
Ecoservice	Nalchik, Shogentsukova Ave., 13C	Raptor aerosol against crawling insects, 350 ML	350
Online trade	Samara, Novo-Sadovaya, 7, separate entrance, 1st floor	Aerosol RAID against cockroaches and ants 300 ml	265
Zone Sale	Minsk, st. Pesochnaya, 9	Remedy for bedbugs, cockroaches, flies, wasps GET® (GET)	42.92 bel r
Online store 27.ua	Kyiv, st. Polyarnaya, 20-D	Anti-cockroach gel Lethal Force 75 ml.	38 UAH

There are more than 4 thousand species of cockroaches, but only a few of them have adapted to life at home and moved into inhabited dwellings. The most common types of domestic cockroaches are red and black.

What types of domestic cockroaches are there and what do they look like?

Prusak
The most common type of cockroaches, in everyday life they are called red cockroaches. It looks like a typical insect, 10-15 mm long, with developed wings that are larger than the body of the animal. The color is brown-red, with small dark stripes on the body. The peculiarity of the Prussian is its long mustache, with the help of which they navigate in space and communicate with other individuals. Red cockroaches have very well developed mouthparts and paws, which make it possible to move quickly. It is quite difficult to fight representatives of this species. They live in warm conditions.

Black beetle
They reach from 2 to 5 centimeters in length, have a black or dark gray color with a slight metallic sheen. The wings are larger in males, and the length matches the size of the abdomen; in females they are half as long. Also, females are much larger in size: they reach 5 cm, while males are 2–3 cm. They live in moderate temperatures and humid conditions.

American cockroach
Outwardly they resemble Prussians because they have a similar color: red, brown, reddish-orange. It is a fairly large insect, reaching 5 cm in length. Females are slightly larger than males. Home distinctive feature This type is the pattern on the back: clear horizontal lines of dark brown color.

Madagascar cockroach
These cockroaches differ from their counterparts in many ways: they have a large body (up to 9 cm), a large shield on their back and the ability to hiss loudly. Distributed in the Amazon forests, they live in the bark of trees. Despite their frightening appearance, they are harmless and quite shy to humans. The Madagascar cockroach enters our latitudes along with exports and parcels from exotic countries. Since the climate does not allow them to live outside, they live in residential buildings. Destruction is easier due to its size: the Madagascar cockroach is not able to penetrate thin crevices.

How long do cockroaches live and how do they reproduce?

Like most insects, cockroaches reproduce sexually. A fertilized female lays larvae 4 to 6 times during her entire life cycle. Cockroaches reproduce in any conditions all year round, and their life expectancy: from 3 months to several years.

The environment favorable for the appearance of cockroaches is warm dark rooms, in which food and garbage are stored. Most of all, cockroaches love carbohydrate-rich foods:

• Sugar and sweets;
• Beer;
• Bread crumbs, flour products and dry preparations;

• Napkins and toilet paper;
• Meat;
• Glue and wallpaper;
• Spoiled and decomposing products;
• Items of clothing: stockings, socks and underwear;
• Books, newspapers and magazines;
• Soap.

Insects are omnivores and are able to survive for a long time without food, sometimes they can even go as far as cannibalism or eat their companions, but they are unable to live for a long time without water, so cutting off access to liquid can kill these animals.

Most often, cockroaches can be found in the following places:

• Warehouses;
• Storerooms;
• Kitchen and catering;
• Grocery stores;
• Hospitals.

Cockroaches live and breed in a warm place, protected from people and light; to remove them, light the room:

• Behind the baseboards;
• Under the refrigerator;
• In the kitchen cabinets;
• On the shelves next to the bread bin and cereals;
• Under the wallpaper;
• In the parquet;
• In the closet and under furniture;
• Near the garbage;
• Under carpets and linoleum.

Advice!If you live in apartment building, put a thin mesh on the ventilation so that cockroaches do not return from neighbors, this way you can get them out faster.

Why are domestic cockroaches dangerous?

Regardless of the variety, cockroaches pose the following danger to those who live in an apartment:

• They carry dangerous bacteria;
• They create unsanitary conditions in the apartment and contaminate food;
• They spoil things and food;
• I cause allergies;
• Have an unaesthetic appearance;
• I cause allergies;
• They get into close proximity to people.

Destruction of cockroaches at home: how and how much to poison them

The issue of hatching unexpected insects should be approached with the utmost seriousness and acted upon immediately. To remove them, you need to make their existence as inconvenient as possible:

• Ventilate the premises;
• Clean and take out trash regularly;

• Seal all small cracks and holes in the apartment;
• Treat rooms with ultraviolet light;
• Hide food in protected containers;
• Always cover pots and food bags;
• Place geranium in your apartment - its smell repels insects;
• Repair taps and plumbing;
• Carefully close the air vents in the apartment and treat them with boric acid.

At the next stage, you can resort to withdrawal and fight against the appearance of new individuals, as well as begin exterminating insects.

Dilute water with a small amount of ammonia and wipe the floor in the apartment and animal habitats.

Cockroaches die at temperatures below +5, so they can be frozen: leave the house for several days at severe frost without heating it. At low temperatures, the death of a cockroach occurs instantly.

Killing cockroaches physically, dispose of them immediately as they are extremely resistant to injury.

Place small ones around the apartment cardboard houses with a sticky coating, inside which place bait: sweet food or beer.

Set up cockroach traps that are sold in hardware stores.

Sprinkle water sources for cockroaches with boric acid. Scatter bay leaves and cucumber peels everywhere, this will help remove pests faster. Make a trap: place it in different places in the apartment there are small bottles of beer, and grease the edges of the neck. After some time, the bottle will be filled with cockroaches.

Advice! Always wipe the sink dry after use: even a small drop is enough to maintain cockroaches and prevent them from being removed.

Homemade cockroach bait recipes

Boil an egg and remove the yolk from it. Add to it boric acid and mix thoroughly. Roll the resulting mass into balls and scatter them over all the places where cockroaches are found. Even if the insect does not eat, but only touches the balls with its antennae, it will die.

Mix flour with borax, sugar and starch. Sprinkle the powder over surfaces.

Mix flour with alabaster and sprinkle on the areas where cockroaches most often appear. After eating the bait, the cockroach will harden from the inside and die.

Take kerosene or turpentine and apply a brush to the areas where cockroaches appear. Insects cannot stand this smell, so they leave the house without delay.

You can also poison using puree: boil the potatoes and prepare the mixture by adding a spoonful of borax. This product is not only effective, but also safe for home residents.

Grind chamomile flowers into a tablespoon of powder and knead the dough with the addition of flour and yolk. Chamomile acts as an immobilizing agent on the cockroach, so you can even poison it with powder pure form, or cook a decoction.

Although the disgust caused by cockroaches is a very subjective thing. There are people who keep them as pets.

Why do cockroaches like to live with humans? Yes, because in our houses and apartments these insects always find food and are also protected from low temperatures (and in winter there is no need to fall into torpor, like “street” insects).

This is interesting! How colder climate, the more cockroaches there are in human housing. So, in middle lane In Russia, the situation with domestic cockroaches is quite tolerable, but somewhere in Novy Urengoy it is simply a disaster.

Of course, most of us find these “neighbors” unpleasant. However, their original ecological purpose is very good - the destruction of organic residues (leftovers, garbage), cleansing the environment.

How cockroaches behave in apartments

All varieties of cockroaches, including “residents” of apartments or private houses, exhibit characteristics reproduction and development, as well as “habits” in lifestyle:

• go through three stages of development: the insect is born in an egg, then becomes a larva (nymph), which over time turns into an adult - imago;
• the female lays (and carries for some time) eggs in an ooteca (special “bag”, capsule);
• larvae and adults (adults) differ little in appearance, except perhaps in size;
• the main “navigator” for a cockroach is the tactile antennae;
• the oral apparatus is of the gnawing type, and cockroaches are also omnivores;
• They love water and dampness, high humidity;
• lifestyle - nocturnal.

Interesting! The term “ootheca” is made up of two words: “oo-” - egg, “theka” - storage, box. The words “library” (a repository of books), a music library (a repository of sound recordings), and a card index (a box of cards) are formed using the same principle.

Common types

Usually two species inhabit human dwellings (you can read about the reasons and methods of penetration) - red and black cockroaches. To the south there are American, Central Asian, and Egyptian species of these insects.

Red cockroach

Red cockroaches (common name - Prussians) are found in apartments and houses more often than all other types. And getting these tenants to move out is very difficult.

They feel great in barns, bathhouses, cottages, hospitals, catering outlets, private homes and high-rise buildings.

Red cockroaches eat all foods, both fresh and spoiled. Magically seeping into bread bins, wall cabinets, fridge. They are found even in food containers that are tightly closed!

Reproduce these individuals are very intense. Once mated with a male, a cockroach can lay eggs every two weeks for the rest of its life. That's about 15 times 20 eggs. To ruin the life of the apartment owners, one such female and her offspring are enough.

If cockroaches accidentally look into your home and suddenly find it comfortable, it will be difficult to get rid of the uninvited guests. Warmth, dampness, darkness, as well as accessible food are excellent conditions for cockroach comfort and vital activity.

Red cockroach (Prusak)

The main mistake housewives make is trying to starve cockroaches and themselves by endlessly cleaning up the slightest crumb.

Important! Cockroaches can live without food for 20 days or more. In addition, they are able to satisfy their hunger with anything, for example, soap, ficus in a pot, wallpaper, books.

Much more effective would be male intervention - fixing all leaking taps, pipes, replacing plumbing, in a word, completely destroying available sources of moisture. After all, water is much more important than food for cockroaches. They cannot live in dry places.

Black

Another frequent visitor to our house is the black cockroach. It can reach 3 centimeters in length and color ranges from black to dark gray. These individuals emit their own special and very unpleasant odor.

This is interesting! The black cockroach is not able to climb to the upper floors (starting from the sixth). For this reason, apartments on the first floors suffer from its invasion.

Black cockroaches are omnivores, especially respecting the contents of the trash can. They are very similar to their red-haired counterparts in lifestyle, but, fortunately, they do not reproduce so quickly.

Fact! The colonization of a living space by black cockroaches is a signal of unsatisfactory sanitary conditions.

The black cockroach is a frequent guest in residential areas

It is important! According to scientists, causative agents of dangerous diseases, such as Vibrio cholerae, coli, can be carried by black cockroaches.

However, for residents of the southern regions, black cockroaches pose virtually no danger. After all, there they do not enter the home, but live “on the street,” under stones and in other natural shelters.

White (after molting)

The opinion that white cockroaches are independent species, has long been established among ordinary people. In fact, such a species does not exist. It's just that cockroaches molt several times during their lives. At the same time, they shed the old, cramped shell, and the new chitin is light, almost transparent. Over time, its shade darkens and the cockroach becomes red (or black).

Despite the name of the species, its homeland is tropical Africa. This “nomad” entered Europe and America with merchant ships carrying food.

It is very easy to distinguish it from the Prussians: it is larger, its body is oval, its shell looks like folded wings, its color is brown. Important Feature American - absolute intolerance to cold. Even zero temperature completely kills these arthropods.

It is important! Unlike other species, the American cockroach can be aggressive - attacking and biting pets and even people.

Egyptian

This species is common in the southern regions of Russia and the Central Asian republics. It can inhabit both residential premises and outbuildings for livestock (cowsheds, sheepfolds, stables, pigsties). In general, he is not picky about his surroundings. Eats dry leaves, animal droppings, and other organic debris.

Egyptian cockroaches are easily recognizable by their appearance. They are black, shiny, and reach several centimeters in length.

There is no danger. Trouble can only be caused by its numbers. These cockroaches are often bred as food for lizards and other terrarium inhabitants.

White cockroach

Furniture (brown striped)

These cockroaches were first discovered in central Russia. This was about half a century ago. And to this day, furniture cockroaches remain indestructible.

Their chitin is bright red in color. The wings of furniture cockroaches are transparent and have dark stripes.

Apartments are often shared with red cockroaches. The Prussians are left with the kitchens, and they themselves live in offices, bedrooms and other rooms, living up to their name.

Central Asian

In the southern regions of our country there is a Central Asian species of cockroach. It is easy to recognize by its appearance - a yellow head and an almost black belly.

In addition, these pests are excellent jumpers. Where the length of their jump is not enough, they spread their wings and take off.

Pets

Some cockroach species are happily kept as exotic pets.

• Madagascar cockroach. Very large species, body up to 10 centimeters. In addition, the Madagascan is capable of hissing. It's not a threat, just a noisy exhalation. Giants eat vegetables, fruits, and any greens very well. You can keep them in any container. However, it must be hermetically sealed, because cockroaches are able to walk vertically even on glass. Interesting feature This species is viviparous. The cockroach does not lay eggs, but immediately gives birth to live, active larvae.
• Chess cockroach. Very interesting in appearance. Painted as Chess board(black and white checkered). Like other cockroaches, it hides during the daytime and actively seeks food at night.
• Megaloblatta longipennis. This species is of Latin American origin and has a black, purple-tinged coloration. Capable of long flight. When it spreads its wings (span 24 centimeters), it becomes the largest cockroach.
• Cockroach "Death's Head". On the back there is a design that looks like a dead grinning head. Can fly.
• Rhinoceros cockroach. Some representatives reach a weight of 39–40 grams. Almost like a sparrow. Insects of this species live for about ten years. These are the record holders for longevity among cockroaches.

Furniture cockroach

Let's not forget about cockroaches-athletes . Some people keep these insects for speed racing. For racing you need a 1.5 meter table with special glass tracks. The race consists of 6 qualifying distances and one final. The athletes are madagascar cockroaches. They are large, they are clearly visible to the audience. Both males and females compete.

When cockroaches are not racing, they eat and reproduce. There is no need for them to train; insects already move quickly.

Cockroaches run along glass paths just like that, without bait. But to make it more interesting for the audience, the organizers came up with help for the chosen leader. You can urge the runner on by tapping the table with a stick; you can also use it to gently push the insect if it has stopped for some reason. It is also not prohibited to shout, whistle and blow at a cockroach.

Of course, this type of “sport” violates the green rules regarding animals. But the organizers of the races treat cockroaches with care and do not maim them.

Live food

Cockroaches are often raised as food. The owners of terrariums do this, and in industrial scale Cockroach feed is consumed by pig and fish farms, mainly in China.

Common stern view - marble cockroach s. This is the favorite food of the inhabitants of terrariums: tarantulas, amphibians, lizards, some turtles and snakes. Such insects reproduce and grow quickly. The adult size is 2–3 cm. Future food should be fed in sufficient quantity and varied. Be sure to give them fruits and some vegetables. Cockroaches cannot become nutritious food if they only ate sawdust.

How to treat the inhabitants of a terrarium to cockroaches? Before serving, it is better to tear off a couple of their legs or hand the food to your favorite snake using tweezers. Otherwise, nimble comrades can escape even along a glass wall.

The Chinese, as always, are at the forefront of science and practice. There are more than 400 cockroach farms in the country. Insects are raised to feed poultry, fish, pigs, and even humans. The object of breeding is most often the American cockroach. It is dried and it acquires pleasant taste, reminiscent of the taste of fish. The business is very profitable, because cockroaches are omnivores. They can be kept on a diet of even rotten wood.

Egyptian cockroaches

In one province of this country, cockroaches are used as a waste treatment plant. Imagine: hordes of these insects quickly destroy all the organic waste coming to them through the pipes. Then the fat, well-fed arthropods themselves go to feed pigs and fish. They also serve as raw materials for the production of cosmetic and pharmaceutical products.

Every year, a mass of articles by Chinese scientists in scientific journals confirms medicinal properties cockroach products. For example, products prepared on their basis activate the process of regeneration of organs and tissues, provide a rejuvenating effect, and cure stomach ulcers and gastritis.

Chinese cuisine contains many recipes for cockroach dishes. After all, these insects contain three times more protein than poultry meat.

As we see, cockroaches lived together with people and live now in very different capacities. Someone destroys them, someone breeds them, and some peoples eat them.
How do you feel about cockroaches? Write in the comments.