The German cockroach is the UK’s most common type of cockroach – it will eat almost anything, including leather, books, packaging and plastic. A pair of German cockroaches can produce 10,000 offspring in a year and infestations are often at their worst in the summer months.
The German cockroach loves a hot and humid environment, such as a kitchen. German cockroaches are fully-winged but rarely fly, and are mostly active at night, so unless you know the danger signs, you may not even know you have them! If you suspect you may have cockroaches in your house take a peek inside a warm, dark crevice… if you dare! Here are some more facts about the German cockroach.
10 Things You Didn’t Know About German Cockroaches
1. German Cockroaches have incomplete metamorphosis.
2. German cockroaches can carry salmonella and other diseases.
3. The pronotum (protective plate behind the head) on the German cockroach has two longitudinal dark stripes.
4. The ootheca (egg case) of the German cockroach contains between 35-40 eggs.
5. The eggs take 1 month to hatch.
6. The female holds onto the egg case for a month and releases it just before it is about to hatch.
7. A German Cockroach takes from six weeks to six months to reach maturity.
8. German cockroaches prefer areas of high temperatures and high humidity.
9. German cockroaches are able to climb on smooth surfaces because they have a sticky pad on their feet; this sticky pad is called an arolium.
10. German cockroach nymphs have a pale patch in the middle of their thorax.
Cockroaches aren’t well known for their practice of good personal hygiene. While they may seem harmless, cockroaches are known carriers of diseases such as Salmonella, Dysentery and Gastroenteritis. Cockroach droppings have even been linked to increases in eczema and asthma. If you think you have a cockroach infestation then you would be a wise not to ignore it.
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