August 1996
SIZE: About 5/8 inch long (17mm)
COLOR: Light brown to glossy dark brown
DESCRIPTION: Adult brownbanded cockroaches have wings. Males are capable of flight. Nymphs and females are broad when viewed from above, while the male is slender. The male's wings cover the abdomen, whereas the female's wings are short, exposing the abdomen. Most cockroaches have a flattened, oval shape, spiny legs, and long, filamentous antennae. Immature stages are smaller, have undeveloped wings and resemble adults. These roaches have two light, transverse bands across the base of the wings and abdomen. These bands may appear irregular or broken but are usually quite apparent on the nymphs and females. These insects feed on starchy materials and even non-food materials such as nylon stockings. These roaches are active at night, and nymphs and adults jump rapidly when disturbed. These pests do not require as much moisture as German cockroaches and tend to avoid light.
HABITAT: They prefer to hide in warm, elevated areas near the ceiling, behind wall decorations and loose wallpaper, in closets, beneath or inside upholstered furniture, and in electrical appliances such as TV sets, stereos, radios, and toasters. They develop and live throughout the building, making control difficult. No room or furniture is immune to infestations, and one may find tiny, dark droppings and cast skins on cabinets and shelves. The roaches are commonly transported in furniture, luggage, and other items in houses and soon develop into annoying infestations under warm, humid conditions.
LIFE CYCLE: Egg capsules are about 1/4 inch long and reddish-brown. Brownbanded cockroach females deposit egg cases in clusters on furniture, draperies, wall decorations, shelving and ceilings. The egg capsule contains 14 to 16 eggs; a female produces 10 to 20 cases in her lifetime. Eggs hatch in 50 to 75 days and nymphs develop in 90 to 270 days, with adults living 150 to 200 days.
TYPE OF DAMAGE: Roaches can foul food, damage wallpaper and books, eat glue from furniture and produce an unpleasant odor. Some homeowners are allergic to roaches. The pests can contaminate food with certain bacterial diseases that result in food poisoning, dysentery, or diarrhea.
CONTROL: Control is difficult-treatments must be extensive or directed at population sources determined by bait trapping. Traps can determine infestation severity and monitor chemical controls, especially with brownbanded and German cockroaches.
Brownbanded cockroaches can be detected by examining the premises after dark with a flashlight. During the day, probing hiding places with a wire will expose roaches. Household sprays of 1.0 percent pyrethrins applied to hiding places will flush out roaches, sometimes killing them if they contact the spray.
Because brownbanded roaches commonly hitchhike into the house, it is important to inspect sacks, cartons and boxes, etc., brought into the house and destroy any roaches. Sanitation is critical in roach control. Clean up spilled foods and liquids, avoid leaving scraps of food on unwashed dishes and counter tops, keep food in tightly sealed containers, rinse cans and bottles before putting them in the trash, and transfer garbage outdoors into roach-proof receptacles.
Apply chemicals at roach hiding places. Enter a dark room quietly, turn on the light and watch where the roaches run. Spot treat these hiding places and known pathways, especially under and behind loose baseboards or molding strips and around pipes or conduits along the walls. Do not treat entire floors, walls or ceilings. Roaches may hide around the kitchen sink or drain board, in cracks underneath cupboards and cabinets, inside the motor compartment of refrigerators, behind window and door frames, in radio and TV cabinets, and around closet and bookcase shelves. Surfaces where food is prepared should not be treated with insecticides. Buildings with multiple dwellings usually require the treatment of each unit.
There are numerous cockroach insecticide formulations. Some are labeled "general use" for homeowner application, and others are labeled "restricted use" for professional pest control or licensed, certified applicators only. Before using any insecticide, read the label and follow directions.
INTERESTING FACTS: Feed on starchy materials and even non-food items like nylon stockings.