American Cockroaches, Waterbugs, Palmetto Bugs, Big Roaches, Roaches, Cockroaches, and Big Wood Roaches
Description
American cockroaches are one to two inches long when mature, red-brown with
fully developed wings that completely cover the abdomen. The pronotum
(a shield-like area behind the head) has a yellow "halo-like" band
around its edge. The nymphs are 1/4-inch long when they emerge from the egg capsule and are initially gray-brown. As they develop they become more red-brown and the yellow "halo" becomes more prominent.
Biology
American cockroaches are NOT common pests in most
homes, however; they may enter homes through plumbing traps and are
found near bathtubs, clothes hampers and basements. They are very
abundant in sewers and are often found in large numbers in groceries,
prisons, restaurants, hospitals, office buildings, housing authorities
and apartment buildings. The American cockroaches like to inhabit
warm, damp locations and are often found by the thousands in steam
tunnels and boiler rooms. They are excellent fliers and can migrate
from building to building on the wing. The American cockroach feeds
on many substances but seems to prefer decaying organic matter.
Each female American cockroach can produce an
average of 60 egg capsules during her lifetime, each one being about
1/4-inch long, brown to black and containing an average of 14 eggs.
The females like to deposit their egg capsules in damp, protected
locations within a day after they are formed. The nymphs develop and
emerge in about 60 days. They molt 13 times before becoming adults,
which takes 280-600 days. The adults live an average of 400 days.
American cockroaches can become very abundant in secluded locations
despite their long life cycle because they are very long-lived and the
females produce so many.
Control of Roaches
Just like other types of cockroach control,
sanitation is very important in American cockroach control. It is
very helpful to eliminate food materials as much as possible as well
as harborage areas to reduce the population. Large existing
populations can be reduced or eliminated with careful application of
residual sprays, dusts and baits.
Outside Spraying
Spray a six-foot swath around the entire house
foundation and one-foot up the foundation wall. Spray all the
potential entry points the windows, doors, vents, fireplaces,
plumbing, etc. Spraying harborage areas such as retainer walls or
hollow trees will also help eliminate them. ALWAYS SPRAY MONTHLY.
Inside Spraying
Spray the areas where you have noticed the roaches.
Pay special attention to any areas of your home where there is a
moisture problem. Spray along the baseboards throughout the entire
house. ALWAYS SPRAY MONTHLY.
A good residual spray that you can use is
Demon WP
Demon WP is a wettable powder, has an excellent residual effect and no
odor. Some liquid concentrates that can be used are Suspend SC which
has a longer residual and no order versus Viper, Demon EC and Cynoff EC which have a small odor.
All of these products will require a Chapin pump-up type
sprayer.
An excellent dust to use in areas where spraying
would not be feasible would be Delta Dust. You will need a Hand Duster
to apply the dust. Maxforce Fine Granule Insect
Bait is an excellent bait to use if you prefer not to spray any
concentrated insecticides or use a dust.
Some aerosols that can be used are Orthene
Aerosol which has a light residual or Cessco 5E if you prefer a
quick kill.
Always wear Safety Gloves and a Dust Mask when
using any type of insecticides.
1-800-226-8370
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