Cockroach Types

Let me share a secret with you. If you are looking for means to scare your sister, then you do not need to think a lot. Just catch hold of a cockroach and put it on her. Then just sit back and enjoy the way she hops, skips, runs and screams, trying to get away from that thing. Girls and cockroaches can never be best friends (although there are some exceptions). Sorry girls! But that's the truth. But you know what, given below are some facts about cockroaches which you can read through. The article also talks about the cockroach types, and after reading this, I assure you, (love might be an exaggerated word) that you will at least not scream when you see one of these wonderful insects.

Types of Cockroaches

Did you know that there are about 4500 species of cockroaches in the world today. And do you know that they have walked this earth since the time of the dinosaurs. Yes, the species are that old. They belong to the class of 'Insecta' and the phylum 'Arthropoda'. They are among the hardiest insects living in the world today. One of the interesting facts about cockroach is that they can survive without air for 45 minutes straight. They can also survive without food for days. Sometimes they just survive on the glue behind the stamp that we use (next time you lick the stamp, remember this fact). Some say when humans pass away due to nuclear wars, it's these cockroaches who will rule this world.

American Cockroaches
Largest among all the various types of cockroaches. On its head you will notice a yellow band. Some of these species have wings and they usually feed on grains or sweets. They sometimes also feed on plants. Changes in temperature usually force them to enter people's homes. They prefer a warmer temperature to survive. These cockroaches are also known as water bugs. It's simple to eliminate American cockroaches.

German Cockroaches
It is the most persistent cockroach, as this cockroaches multiplies pretty fast. They carry their eggs with them and only release them when the nymphs are ready to emerge. This process further increases the life cycle of German cockroaches. They are considered to be a pest (so are all cockroaches) and unlike the American cockroaches, they do not live outside homes of people. Unfortunately, these cockroaches are resistant to most of the pesticides, hence it's very difficult to get rid of them.

Oriental Cockroaches
Like the American cockroaches, these cockroaches are also called the water bug, but unlike them, they do have wings, which they do not use. In fact, these cockroaches cannot fly. They are usually found beneath leaves, or crawl into flower beds. They can also be found underground in people's homes. Droughts and winters force these cockroaches to becomes pests in people's homes. These cockroaches are dark brown in color and they are at least 1.25 inches in length.

Asian Cockroaches
They are almost similar to German cockroaches. These cockroaches prefer to stay in shaded and damp areas. They are active at night, that means they are nocturnal insects. They have wings to fly and they can cover a long distance. Keep this in mind that these cockroaches are attracted to bright lights. If you do not want these pests to bother you, then you should turn off any bright lights at night.

Madagascar Hissing Cockroaches
The Madagascar hissing cockroaches are wingless and they are shiny brown and oval shaped insects. They come from the island of Madagascar. Unlike the other members of their family, hissing cockroaches are quite clean, odorless and pretty harmless. They also walk slower than the other cockroaches. Some other interesting hissing cockroach facts are that they can grow up to a length of 2-3 inches and they are also excellent climbers. They derived the name 'hissing cockroach' because of the fact that the sound that this type of cockroach produces, sounds more like the hissing of a snake.

Australian Cockroaches
Although these cockroaches have been named 'Australian Cockroaches', they mainly originate in Asia. They prefer warm conditions and during winters, when the temperature is cooler outside, they enter people's homes, as pests. They have yellow colored markings on their thorax regions and also near the base of their wings. They grow up to a size of at least 30 mm to 35 mm. They have a hard covering around their head which is called the pronotum. Their antennae are larger than their body.

Brown Banded Cockroaches
This is the smallest of all the cockroaches, though they can grow up to one and a half inches long. But do not go by their size. they are the biggest pests of all the cockroaches. They are glossy dark brown in color with two light colored bands which run horizontally down their bodies. Unlike other cockroaches, they do not go looking for moist places to hide. They can thrive anywhere.

Phew! That was a lot of information about the various cockroaches, right? And to think that the moment we (mainly girls) see this insect, we go screaming and shouting and jumping, not resting till our slippers comes in contact with it. But, hopefully now things are going to be different, now that we know several facts about the different cockroaches.