COCKROACHES
Number of species within Québec:
There’re at least 16 species of cockroaches in Québec (Oriental cockroach, American cockroach (with brown strips), German cockroach, etc.). Only six types are considered common. Cockroaches are insects with flat oval bodies which the colour may vary from light brown to black depending upon the type. The size may also differ depending upon the species. They have filiform antennas that are very mobile, flexible and often as long as their body. Youngsters resemble adults but lack wings when they are born.
COCKROACHES: FACTS AND INFORMATION
A few dozen eggs are regrouped in two rows inside a protective capsule. This egg case with rigid walls is called an Oothecal. Starting out as being whitish in colour, it soon becomes brown and often, four or five of these are made containing at least 30 embryos.
Young cockroaches are rapidly in search of food. Depending upon the species, the larvae will go through between four or five molts before becoming adults (German cockroaches will endure six to seven molts and the American cockroach will endure twelve). Female larvae will go through one additional molt.
Cockroaches that live inside a home can lay eggs throughout the entire year. The life expectancy of adults along with the life cycle can vary depending upon the species, the environmental conditions and more specifically the temperature. As an example, the German cockroach can live more than 200 days. For about 23 days, it will live as an egg and for about 27 to 103 days as a larva. Its life cycle can be completed within 60 days at a temperature of 27◦C and 40% humidity. The insect will produce three or four generations per year.
The domestic species live in houses, warehouses, businesses and any other building that is heated in the winter where they will find just enough humidity and food. Warm areas such as bathrooms are the ideal location for cockroach invasions in Québec.
In our homes, cockroaches feed from fruits, vegetables, meats, pet food, cheese, pasta, cereals, cookies, as well as leather, cloths, fur, glue (found on wallpaper, bindings of books and stamps) and all other sources of food.
In Québec, most of the cockroaches that live in houses are active during the night and will run from light. They will usually stay motionless during the day and will only leave their shelter at night for the quest of finding food. Seeing active cockroaches during the day is a sign that the population is very elevated.
Domestic cockroaches have a bad reputation mainly because of the bad smell that they transmit and the unpleasant taste they give food that they feed of. They also soil the food with their excrements. When infestations are severe, these insects leave a moldy scent on objects and in turn, pose a health risk.
Cockroaches are part of the group of insects that are the most unpleasant. They leave bad odors and contaminate food with their secretions and excrements. In addition to food, they can damage books and paper causing damages to libraries. They also possess a high ability to adapt.
The German cockroach is by far, the most found species in our homes. The following recommendations apply to these but also can be applied to other species of domestic cockroaches. However, there exists certain particularities depending upon the species, thus, the identification of the insects to be exterminate is useful. For example, the American cockroach (with brown strips) is able to support dry environments better than other species and can live in warm and dry spaces (behind a radio, a television or any other appliance that radiates heat).
You are ready to rid yourself of invading cockroaches? Sticky traps and boric acid no longer work? Respect the rules set by the Ministry of Sustainable Development and contact our experts in pest control right now for a response within 24 hours!
