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GERMAN ROACHES

Blattella germanica

German cochroaches are about 5/8" in length, light-to-medium brown in color, with two dark length-wise streaks on their thorax. Although they have fully developed wings, they rarely fly. Young roaches are smaller, wingless and nearly black in color. Egg capsules are tan in color and less than 1/4" in length.

German cockroaches are mainly noctural and infest areas close to food, moisture and warmth. They are the most common cockroach species found in Ohio apartments, homes, supermarkets, and restaurants. In apartments and homes, they are normally found in kitchens near sinks, dishwashers and stoves, and in bathrooms near any plumbing fixtures.

Unlike most other roaches, German cockroach females carry their egg capsules around until the eggs are ready to hatch - about 28 days. The capsule is then dropped into crevices or other protected areas, and the nymphs emerge within one day. At "room temperature," females can produce one egg capsule every six weeks. Six-to-seven nymphal stages occur over the next 6-to-31 weeks depending on temperature and availability of food and water. Adult females can live 20-to-30 weeks, total lifespan of about one year. Male lifespan is slightly shorter.

From one breeding female, as many as 10,000 descendents can result within one year. As such, extremely heavy infestations are not uncommon.

Cockroaches are present in the fossil record dating back as far as 300 million years. True to their adaptive form, German cockroaches have developed resistance to many products, and that now presents control problems. Sanitation is critical to roach control. If one is using publicly available products and they are not working when applied according to the directions, never increase the dosage as they can pose health hazards to humans and pet companions. A professional pest expert should be consulted to determine what method or combination of methods for control will be most effective for the size of infestation, type of building, issues with neighbors who may not be so vigilant against pests, etc., and they have access to a wide arsenal of products available only to licensed professionals.

Controlling German cockroaches is extremely important because they can pose numerous health hazards to humans and their pet companions. They can contaminate foods with odiferous secretions that affect the flavors of foods. Their bodies are also known to be host to numerous disease-causing bacteria, protozoans, and virii. A number of forms of gastroenteritis seem to be the most frequently carried diseases on roaches: food poisoning, dysentery, diarrhea, and other illnesses. The microbes that cause these diseases live on the legs of roaches, and are thus deposited as they forage for food, crawl across dishes and silverware, etc.

In addition to being carriers of diseases, the dust created by cast-off cockroach skins, dead bodies, and cockroach excrement contain numerous allergens which can cause skin rashes, watery eyes and sneezing, congestion of nasal passages, and even asthma in highly sensitive people. These issues make the removal of cockroach detritis and debris equally as important as cockroach control.

[photo: David Monnniaux - GFDL1.2]

This page is intended as a quick reference. Pest experts should be contacted for case-by-case evaluation if you believe that you have a pest problem that requires professional assistance.

Some information found in this overview has been compiled from household pest information sheets published by the Ohio State University Extension Office: HYG-2099-97, and by the Penn State University Extension Office: German Cockroaches Fact Sheet. This information is included on this web site strictly to help in the identification of various pests, and no profit is directly derived there from. To read the complete fact sheets, which also include helpful tips on how to avoid attracting these pests, what types of elimination can be handled in the home vs. what types of elimination require the assistance of a professional, visit the respective links.