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Periplaneta americana (American cockroach)
Life
> Eukaryotes >
Opisthokonta >
Metazoa (animals) > Bilateria > Ecdysozoa
> Panarthropoda > Tritocerebra > Phylum:
Arthopoda > Mandibulata >
Atelocerata > Panhexapoda >
Hexapoda
> Insecta (insects) > Dicondyla > Pterygota >
Metapterygota > Neoptera > Polyneoptera >
Dictyoptera (cockroaches, mantises and termites) > Family: Blattidae
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Adult (c 30 mm
long). Adults often live more than a year, so with the younger life stages
included, the life span can total near two years.
(photo HG Robertson, SA Museum) |
| Eggs. Like
almost all cockroaches, eggs are laid in an egg case called an ootheca.
Each egg case contains about 14 eggs. The egg case is usually hidden in a
crevice and egg development lasts 1-2 months. A single female can produce
about 12-24 egg cases over the warm summer months. |
Nymphs.
The nymphs undergo 13 moults over a period of 6-12 months before they
reach maturity. |
The American Cockroach is the most common of the cockroaches found in
people's homes in coastal areas of South Africa (e.g. in Cape Town). It likes
warm, moist cavities such as those found behind paneling beneath the kitchen
sink. It is also found in large numbers in sewers and some homes are
particularly vulnerable to repeated infestation by cockroaches from nearby
sewerage systems.
American cockroaches can be difficult to control adequately if they are
living in cavities that cannot be removed. For instance, kitchen cupboards are
often constructed with a back panel so that there is a cavity between the panel
and the wall. If such a cavity is not sealed, cockroaches are likely to find it
and breed in it, particularly if the wall is damp or the panel is beneath a sink
or basin. Cockroaches like hiding under fridges and stoves or in
horizontal or vertical cavities at ground level. Spraying a surface spray type
of insecticide in these cavities can be effective in killing some of them.
Natural enemies
The
evaniid wasp Evania sp. parasitises the
egg cases of the American cockroach. In cockroach prone areas, this wasp can
often be seen flying and strutting around on the window sill. It is black with a
funny, small triangular abdomen. It does not sting, it is not dangerous, and you
should regard it as friend, not foe.
Adult American Cockroach on
the prowl. [photo HG Robertson, Iziko ©] References
Text by Hamish G. Robertson
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