Description

The adult German cockroach is small, ½ to 5/8 inch long. It is tan to light brown with two dark parallel lines running from the back of the head to the wings. Although German cockroaches have fully formed wings, they don’t fly. Sometimes they use their wings to glide off counters to the ground. Nymphs look like adults but don’t have wings. German cockroach bodies are flat and wide so they can fit in very small cracks. 

German Cockroach Lifecycle

It helps to know the lifecycle of the German cockroach in order to know what you are dealing with. Female German cockroaches create a purse-like, light brown, egg case with two rows of eggs in it. This usually has 30-48 eggs. The females carry this egg case until just before the eggs hatch. The females then secrete the egg case someplace dark and safe. Females can produce four to eight egg capsules during their lifetime. From beginning to form the egg capsule to hatching usually takes 28 days. When the eggs hatch, the nymphs molt six to seven times over the next 6-31 weeks before becoming adults. Each adult lives 20-30 weeks. In one year, two cockroaches can become 10,000 cockroaches, assuming they have two generations a year.

Where They Hide

German cockroaches are nocturnal. They hide in small cracks during the day. German cockroaches need humidity and warmth. They are most often found in bathrooms and kitchens. They love starches, sweets, grease, and meat products. They get most of these from food spills, pet food, and garbage cans, but will get into foodstuffs if possible. 

German Cockroaches Are Dangerous

Aside from the gross factor of having German cockroaches, they are dangerous to you and your family. Cockroaches spend a fair amount of time in sewers and crawling over spoiled food. As a result, they can contaminate food, food-preparation areas, and food utensils with salmonellosis, typhoid fever, cholera, gastroenteritis, dysentery, listeriosis, giardia, and E. coli infection. In addition, their dried urine, feces, egg cases, and molted skins form a dust in the air and can cause allergies and make asthma worse. Asthmatic children from homes with cockroaches are sicker and more likely to be hospitalized than asthmatic children without cockroaches in their homes. 

Preventing German Cockroaches

German cockroaches are much easier to prevent than to eliminate. Prevention relies on sanitation and exclusion. Here are some ways you can keep them out.

• Seal all cracks in the foundation and walls. 
• Seal the openings where pipes, electrical wires, and cables come into the house. 
• Clean up all food spills promptly. 
• Put food in plastic or metal roach-proof containers. 
• Pick up pet food and water at night. 
• Clear clutter as it gives cockroaches places to hide and nesting materials. 
• Put food waste in a trashcan with a tight-fitting lid. 
• Take trash to outside trashcans promptly. 

Get Professional Help

German cockroaches have developed some pesticide resistance. They also hide in cracks so small and plug them so completely, that pesticides have a hard time reaching them. Alliance Pest Services has the experience and treatments to get rid of German cockroaches for you, safely and effectively. We use the least toxic alternatives to treat your house so you do not have to worry about dangerous chemicals making your family and pets sick. Call Alliance Pest Services today for your free quote and a pest-free tomorrow.