The largest cockroach is an animal of a certain species that is about 8 centimeters long. The insect is found throughout the world, mainly in European countries. Pests also live in some regions of Africa and Asia. The cockroach of this species prefers to live close to humans.

At the same time, cockroaches use ventilation as their path. It is easy to bring pests into your home on your own clothes or belongings after you have visited where they live. Longhorned beetles may also end up in an apartment with vegetables and fruits brought from the store.

Appearance

In addition to their huge size, black cockroaches have some other features. appearance. Thus, the body color of the pest is not red, but pitch-black or black-brown, giving off a metallic sheen. On the head of an insect, in addition to the mustache, there are hairs. The animal is not capable of flying, but it runs very fast.

The main difference between individuals of different sexes is the size of their elytra. In males this organ is shorter than the abdomen, but in females it covers the body completely.

The cockroach usually eats garbage and food waste. If there is a shortage of these products, the pest can consume fabric, soap, paper, and even fellow insects. Cannibalism is a common occurrence among this species of animal. The creature usually does not bite humans. However, those with delicate skin, in particular children, may experience bite marks around the lips and on the fingers in the morning.

Video “Big black cockroach Blatta orientalis in Turkey”

A short video featuring a specimen of the large black cockroach Blatta orientalis, which also sometimes lives in our apartments.

Lifestyle

Reproduction

For the whole life cycle the female black cockroach lays two or three capsules of 16 eggs each. After 40 days, young individuals emerge from them.

Harm

As you know, cockroaches spoil food and things. However, in addition to this, all of them, and especially black ones, are distributors of typhoid fever, diphtheria, dysentery and worms. They carry pathogenic bacteria and helminth eggs on their paws and belly and easily leave them on dishes, food, and the table. This usually happens during their nightly “walks” around the apartment. Therefore, sloppy people can easily catch all these ailments.

How to fight

Since ancient times, our ancestors have fought insects traditional methods: laid out bay leaves, elderberry color, boric acid with egg yolk. The use of these methods is based on cockroaches’ dislike of strong, pungent odors. However, practice confirms the low effectiveness of these control methods.

Other means of war against pests: traps, labyrinths, dusts and crayons that destroy enemies with toxic fumes.

Most effective method pest control – gels. The substance is squeezed out of special plastic syringes onto paper or a special stand. The smell and taste of the gel attracts cockroaches and eats it. And then they die in large numbers. The most popular means of such action are “Dohloks”, “FAS”, “Komabat”, “Storm”, “Global”, “Raptor”, “Clean House”, “Clean House”. Such products are safe for humans.

So, black cockroaches usually pose a greater danger to humans than black cockroaches.

Video “Dohlox - an excellent remedy for cockroaches”

The largest cockroaches from known species are the Madagascar hissing species, Gromphadorhina portentosa. The homeland of this insect is the island of Madagascar. Here it is, in the photo - the largest cockroach in the world.

Appearance

There are 20 species of Madagascar cockroaches. Their characteristic feature– absence of wings at all stages of development.

The body length of the insect can reach up to 9 cm: on average, the size of a female is approximately 6 cm, a male is 5.5 cm.

The Madagascar hissing cockroach has a very strong chitinous shield on its cephalothorax. They also have a wide, thick abdomen.

The color of the insect can vary from light red to black. Most often, the nymphs of these insects have a denser body and more dark color than adults.

An adult male has “horns” on the upper part of the chest shell.

Another distinctive feature of the Madagascar cockroach is that it makes hissing sounds when breathing: the abdomen contracts, air escapes through the spiracles and hissing occurs. According to some entomologists, this is how Madagascar cockroaches scare off enemies or rivals when they fight with a male for a female during the mating period. Other scientists believe that hissing is simply a feature of insect breathing.

You can distinguish males from females by the following characteristics:

The sexes of nymphs (larvae) are difficult to distinguish. They are similar in appearance to adults, but their cephalothorax is not as developed.

Lifestyle

The largest cockroach in the world lives up to 1-1.5 years, in captivity - up to three. Rarely, adults can live up to 5 years.

Their diet consists of rotting remains of fruits, berries and green plant particles. Most often, these insects live under logs in the forest, on tree branches and in rotten stumps.

Reproduction

These cockroaches are viviparous insects. After the female is fertilized, she does not lay eggs, but carries the offspring in her stomach. After 50 - 70 days, 20-40 small cockroaches appear white with black eyes. Their size is only a few millimeters. After a few hours, the outer cover hardens and the larvae become brown.

The most big cockroaches They take care of the larvae that have just emerged. They stay near their mother for a couple of days, then spread out. Until the larvae scatter in different directions, the female, protecting them, hisses angrily at other insects and animals.

The chitinous covering of the larva does not grow, so the cockroach grows in it. Periodically, the nymph molts: the old shell cracks, and a light, grown larva emerges from it. She has a soft new shell and begins to eat her former shell.

While the nymph does this, her integument hardens and becomes Brown color. Young insects molt 6 times, the last time 5-6 months after birth.

While not everyone agrees that redheads began to fade into oblivion with the advent of cell phones and microwaves, the number of large black cockroaches has actually decreased in recent years. If this black cockroach were not a domestic pest, it would probably already be included in the Red Book of Russia. Despite this, it is still occasionally found in garbage chutes and basements of one-story houses.

Large black cockroach in the apartment - photo

Large black cockroaches have an unpleasant appearance and exude bad smell. Their habitats are garbage cans, warehouses, basements, and wet rooms. The insect is capable of running at incredible speed. The Prusak and the big black cockroach practically do not get along with each other, in interspecies struggle the latter clearly loses.

The black cockroach matures slowly, until it reaches sexual maturity, the Prussian has time not only to grow, but also. In addition, females carelessly treat their offspring; eggs often end up eaten by their own relatives. But there is no need to relax. One day, seeing this huge insect in the kitchen or in their bed, everyone will wonder how to deal with black cockroaches.

Are there large black cockroaches at home? Any living creature in the home (if it is not your favorite pet) damages electrical appliances and wiring, pollutes the room with the products of its vital activity, and spreads pathogens. Unsanitary conditions in a home are a direct threat to human health, especially if there are small children in the apartment.

How to get rid of big black cockroaches

Nobody wants to risk their health because of unattractive insects (and even cute ones). Therefore, for several years a person has been figuring out how to remove black cockroaches. Effective methods exist and with some effort, getting rid of insects is guaranteed.

Prevention of black cockroaches

Finally, the black cockroaches left the apartment. Final victory? Alas, this is not true. IN multi-storey buildings insects scurry in search of food from apartment to apartment, through garbage chutes and basements. It is best to carry out simultaneous treatment of all apartments, this is the only way to achieve a 100% result.

And as a preventive measures you need to adopt a few simple rules.

• Lost food must be disposed of in a timely manner, because it is a real delicacy for a cockroach.
• Under no circumstances should garbage be left overnight; in extreme cases, the bin should be tightly closed with a lid.
• Products located in open access- a real feast for insects.
• In general, they prefer to live in the kitchen and bathroom, since water and food are available here. Black cockroaches in the bathroom quench your thirst, so the floor needs to be wiped as often as possible. In addition, regular cleaning of the sink and toilet is recommended.;

Pest control specialists will make the work of removing insects easier and will allow you not to think about where big black cockroaches come from. Professionals use only modern equipment And effective means. In this case, there is hope that cockroaches will not appear for a long time, and maybe never.

A cockroach is an arthropod insect from the superorder Cockroach-like, order Cockroach (lat. Blattoptera, Blattodea).

None of the versions of the origin of the Russian word “cockroach” has been precisely confirmed. According to some etymologists, cockroaches got their name from the Chuvash word “tar-aqan”, which means “running away”, or the Turkic “taz” (“to run away”).

Cockroach: description, characteristics, structure

Cockroaches are distinguished by a flattened, oval-shaped body, ranging from 1 to 10 cm or more in length. The elongated abdomen of the cockroach consists of 8-10 tergites (dorsal sclerotized segments) and 7-9 sternites (abdominal sclerotized segments), 7 in females, 8-9 in males. At the end of the abdomen there are long, usually segmented cerci. In males, there are 1-2 styli located on the last sternite. Typically, cockroaches have a light body color with yellowish-brown elytra; dark or black coloring is less common.

The elytra of the cockroach are dense, horny or leathery, with pronounced venation. The hind wings are equipped with membranes and, when folded, are hidden under the elytra.

In some species, the front and rear wings are shortened, and there are also wingless species of cockroaches. Some species of cockroaches can fly, although their flight does not last long.

A cockroach has a total of 6 legs. The thighs and shins are equipped with spines. The legs of these insects with five-segmented tarsi are well developed and adapted for running.

The speed of a cockroach is quite high: for example, the American cockroach covers a distance of 75 cm in a second. In addition, it is almost impossible to catch a cockroach with your bare hands, because the nimble insect changes direction approximately 25 times per second.

The flat head of a cockroach can be triangular or heart-shaped.

The pronotum is almost flat, shield-shaped, quite large, with transparent edges in many species.

The jaws of insects are very strong, gnawing type, with many chitinous teeth.

The mouth is turned downwards.

The eyes of the cockroach are large, there are 2 simple ocelli; in wingless cockroaches they are often atrophied, and in cave species they are completely absent.

The sensitive antennae of insects are quite long, sometimes exceeding the length of the body, bristle-like, multi-segmented, covered with many microscopic bristles.

The external reproductive organs of the male cockroach are represented by the genital plate formed by the ninth sternite.

Females are endowed with a hidden ovipositor and an ootheca - a special protein capsule designed for bearing offspring.

A cockroach lives from 4 months to 4 years, the lifespan of a cockroach depends on the species.

The cockroach is one of the hardiest insects, capable of starving for a whole month without harm to health. But when favorable conditions and thanks to the features oral apparatus Cockroaches feed on everything that is poorly hidden. A female cockroach eats from 30 to 50 g of various foods per day; males are not so gluttonous and eat 2 times less.

The cockroach is a nocturnal insect, and goes out in search of food after dark, and the “feast” continues until dawn, largely because cockroaches do not so much eat as they bite into various foods, finding the most delicious for themselves by sampling.

The favorite food of cockroaches is any baked goods, sugar and all kinds of sweets, in third place are meat products and cereals, and the list of preferences is completed by various vegetables and fruits, of any freshness. With absence food products cockroaches are content with paper, carpentry and shoe glue, book bindings, fabrics, various garbage and any organic matter.

Where do cockroaches live?

Cockroaches are distributed almost everywhere and inhabit almost all parts of the world, with the exception of icy Antarctica and other polar regions. The most numerous populations live in the tropics and subtropical latitudes, although these insects feel no less comfortable in the temperate zone. Cockroaches live in North and South America, Europe, Russia, Africa and Asia, and Australia. Countries with a fairly cool climate and frosty winters are mainly inhabited by synanthropic species that live in heated human dwellings.

In nature, cockroaches prefer to settle in shady places with constant high humidity: they hide in the thickness of fallen leaves, under half-decomposed wood, “feast” where there is an accumulation of rotting fruits or vegetables, and often live in rotten vegetation along shallow water bodies. Sinanthropus cockroaches often make their nests in ventilation shafts and sewer lines multi-storey buildings, V basements, in cracks in walls and behind baseboards, they are popular in city landfills and garbage chutes.

How to distinguish a female cockroach from a male?

Below are photos that will help determine the sex of a cockroach.

Argentine cockroach (Blaptika dubia) - male on the left and female on the right

Marbled cockroach Nauphoeta cinerea – male below, female above

Does the white cockroach exist?

Sometimes in ordinary apartment Among the typical cockroaches you can see rather unusual albino cockroaches. Many people wonder: is the white cockroach a separate species? Not at all. An insect can have this color during the molting period, when the old shell has already been shed, and the new chitinous shell has not yet acquired pigmentation. Another reason for the “whitening” of a cockroach may be disinfestation using toxic chlorine, which destroys the coloring pigment.

What animals eat cockroaches?

Although the cockroach is an almost indestructible insect due to its amazing fertility and adaptability to the most uncomfortable living conditions, they also have enemies. Some species enjoy eating cockroaches (for example, Centruroides gracilis, Euscorpius germanus And Hadrurus arizonensis), will not refuse to taste the cockroach centipede Scutigera coleoptrata, house spiders and. Cockroaches are hunted by the crested anole lizard, tree frog, northern leopard frog, and coastal toad. Cockroaches are a favorite treat for households, and dead cockroaches are eaten. Eulophid insects lay eggs in the ootecae of cockroaches, and the hatched eulophid larvae eat everything inside the cockroach capsule.

Types of cockroaches, names and photos

The modern classification includes 500 genera, including more than 4640 species of cockroaches. Below is a description of some varieties:

• (Prussian) (lat. Blattella germanica)

It got its name due to the erroneous assumption that the insect was brought to Russia from Prussia. The Prussian cockroach is one of the most common synanthropic species, whose life is spent in close interaction with humans. The body length of an adult cockroach is from 1 to 1.6 cm. Individuals of both sexes have developed wings, thanks to which they can plan, but cockroaches cannot fly for a long time. Males are distinguished by a narrower body, females have a fairly wide body with a rounded abdomen, covered with wings. The color of a red cockroach suggests different shades Brown color. There are 2 characteristic dark stripes on the dorsal part of the prothorax.

The red cockroach is omnivorous, and in addition to its traditional food - the remains of human food, the cockroach can eat paper, shoe leather, textiles, and in extreme cases, even ordinary soap.

In fact, the Prussian came to Europe and North America from southern Asia, so the heat-loving insect in harsh climates survives only in rooms heated all year round.

• (lat. Blatta orientalis)

In the past, it was a fairly common species, significantly displaced from its usual habitats by the red cockroach. The length of an adult is from 2 to 8 cm. The color of the cockroach is black-brown or tar-brown with a metallic tint. Males are distinguished by longer elytra than females, but neither one nor the other can fly, but they run very fast.

Black cockroaches live throughout Europe, Asia and Africa. They prefer to settle in heated rooms, sewers, adits, greenhouses, as well as in the wild, not far from the main source of food - food waste.

• (lat. Periplaneta americana)

In appearance it looks like a red cockroach, but has a large body size: from 3.5 to 5 cm. Like the Prussians, American cockroaches can fly. The wings of males extend beyond the abdomen by 4-8 mm, due to which males appear longer than females. The shiny body of the American cockroach can be red or chocolate brown. A light brown or yellow stripe runs along the edge of the pronotum. In the wild, American cockroaches live in wooden piles, rotten wood, the bark of palm trees, sewers and ventilation tunnels. Thanks to their flattened body shape, they easily penetrate people’s homes through the smallest cracks and gaps, where they hide in attics and basements during daylight hours.

Cockroaches eat absolutely everything: any organic matter, garbage, hair and dead insects, fruits and vegetables, meat, fish, nuts, sweets, cereals, paper, pieces of shoes and clothing. In the 17th century, they were brought from Africa to North America, and later to Europe, where they successfully took root and spread everywhere.

• Madagascar hissing cockroach(lat. Gromphadorrhina portentosa)

A very large tropical cockroach, growing in length up to 55 mm (males) - 60 mm (females). Some individuals can reach a length of 10 cm. The weight of the cockroach is about 60 g. The back of the body is brown, the pronotum is brown-black. Madagascar cockroaches do not have wings. In times of danger and during mating games, they are capable of making loud sounds reminiscent of hissing. What’s interesting: the female cockroach hisses only to scare away enemies, and the louder the male cockroach hisses, the more chances he has for the female’s favor. Some individuals, in addition to hissing, can whistle.

The Madagascar cockroach is an endemic species whose range is limited to the island of Madagascar. Hissing cockroaches live in the branches of trees and shrubs, feeding on fruits and other vegetation. They are actively used for breeding at home, as live food and in cockroach races.

• Marbled cockroach (ash cockroach, naufete, neofeta)(lat. Nauphoeta cinerea)

It is of African origin, but due to its unpretentiousness and fertility, it is widespread throughout the globe. The insect is also called naufet. Females are larger than males and grow up to 3 cm in length, males - up to 2.5 cm.

Marbled cockroaches eat raw vegetables and fruits, cereals and sprouted grains, bread, protein feeds, grass, paper, can easily chew through thin plastic. In the absence of protein feed, cases of cannibalism are observed. The ash cockroach is a universal and most popular food insect for domestic hedgehogs, amphibians (and) and tarantulas.

• Turtle cockroaches(lat. Corydiidae)

This is a family of cockroaches with pronounced sexual dimorphism: females are wingless, large, massive, grow up to 3-4 cm in length. Males have wings and grow up to 2.5-3 cm in length. Due to their structural features, they are somewhat reminiscent of woodlice.

Cockroaches live in dry areas North America, Central Asia and Africa.

Chess cockroach (lat. Therea petiveriana). Photo by: noexcuse4you

• Sarawak cockroach (lat. Rhicnoda natatrix)

Lives on the island of Kalimantan.

An amazing feature of this species is the ability of cockroach larvae to swim well. IN normal conditions The larvae prefer to hide in litter of fallen leaves located near small streams, puddles or shallow tropical forest lakes. However, at the first hint of danger, the larvae bravely rush into the reservoir, rushing to the bottom and waiting there for a calm situation on land.

The heaviest cockroach in the world is the Australian one rhinoceros cockroach or giant burrowing cockroach (lat. Macropanesthia rhinoceros) , the length of which is about 9 cm, and the weight reaches more than 30 g. It reaches the same dimensions cockroach Blaberus giganteus . These 2 species are very popular among lovers of pet cockroaches.

The longest cockroach in the world is found in Latin America. cockroach Megaloblatta longipennis , the length of which reaches 9.7 cm with a width of 4.5 cm. And the cockroach has the largest wingspan of 18.5 cm Megaloblattablaberoides .

Flying cockroaches, names and photos

Despite having wings, not all cockroaches can fly. And even representatives of flying species do not know how to glide in the air, but only make small and short flights. Flying cockroaches:

• (Prussian) (lat. Blattella germanica)

It has a brown-red color and a body length of 1-1.6 cm.

• Lapland cockroach (lat. Ectobius lapponicus)

A species that lives in Europe and the USA. Males are 1.3-1.4 cm long, females are 9-10 mm long. Individuals are colored gray-yellow and brown-yellow.

• Asian cockroach (lat. Blattella asahinai)

It lives in the tropics and subtropics of hot Asia, as well as in the southern states of the USA.

• (lat. Periplaneta americana)

It is similar to the Prussian, but differs in longer length - from 35 to 50 mm.

• Megaloblatta longipennis And Megaloblattablaberoides

They live in the countries of Central and South America. The length of the insects reaches 9 cm, width - 4.5 cm. The wingspan is 18-20 cm.

• Blaberus giganteus

A species native to South and Central America. Males grow up to 6.5-7 cm, females - up to 7-8.5 cm.

How do cockroaches reproduce?

Cockroaches are characterized by an incomplete development cycle, consisting of 3 periods:

• egg;
• larva (nymph);
• imago (adult).

Cockroaches are distinguished by sexual and parthenogenetic reproduction, but, in any case, in order to reproduce offspring, the female still needs to mate at least once. Male gametes are capable long time persist in the female's body, and subsequent clutches occur without prior copulation.

There is no specific breeding season for cockroaches, but mating displays vary somewhat among individual species. Female cockroaches invite males to mate by lightly flapping their wings and secreting an odorous substance - a special secretion produced by glands located in the back of the body. In some species, mating is preceded by a lengthy courtship process.

The male cockroach fertilizes the female using the genital plate, and then the partners separate. After some time, the female lays 30-40 eggs and bears them in the ooteca, which is located at the end of the abdomen.

Female and cubs

Most species of cockroaches are ovoviviparous; some are viviparous.

The incubation period lasts from 2 to 5 weeks, at the end of which the female sheds the ootheca in a secluded corner, after which fully developed nymphs hatch from the eggs, differing from mature individuals in their smaller size, lack of wings and darker color.

Nymph (larva) of the Australian cockroach

The development of nymphs can last from several months, like the Prussian, to 4 years, like the black cockroach.

Cockroach larvae molt 5-9 times during their growth process, increasing in size after each molt.

After the last molt, the cockroach acquires a hard shell. Depending on the species, a female cockroach is capable of producing from 20 to 90 ootheca during her life.

Cockroaches are a large group that includes many different genera with their own characteristics. And among them there are many record holders. If we talk about species, the largest cockroach is the Madagascar hissing cockroach. In Latin this species is called Gromphadorhina portentosa. He comes from, as the name suggests, from the island of Madagascar.

Appearance and structural features

Scientists identify as many as twenty subspecies of Madagascar. And they all differ in large sizes. Another feature of this species: the absence of wings. Many cockroaches have wings either as adults or as nymphs. Madagascar cockroaches are completely devoid of them.

Externally, Madagascar cockroaches are distinguished by durable chitinous growths in the cephalothorax area, as well as a wide abdomen. Body length averages 6 cm for females and 5.5 for males. Record-breaking individuals can reach 10 cm.

In this species, males and females differ in several characteristics. At first glance, they can only be distinguished by their size. But if you look closely, you will notice:

• Males have broken antennae. This is due to the fact that males fight for females all the time, actively using their whiskers in battle.
• In females, the last two segments on the abdomen are very dark, almost black. In males, only one segment is black.
• A wide abdomen is characteristic of females.

Life activity

Madagascar cockroaches can live up to 5 years, but this is a record. Usually in nature they live up to 1.5 years, and in captivity up to good conditions can live 2 - 3 years. They feed on almost any organic matter, but prefer fruits, berries, leaves, and plant remains. In nature, nests are organized in secluded places, under old stumps, in large tree branches. In captivity, they need to build a similar shelter.

Madagascar cockroaches- the only viviparous species in the world. Apparently, this is precisely why they are larger than other species. After fertilization, pregnancy occurs, which lasts up to two months. Cockroaches are born white in the larval stage, and then gradually acquire brighter colors and features characteristic of an adult insect. One female can bear and give birth to up to fifty individuals. The size of a newborn is up to 5 mm.

Cockroaches take care of their offspring. This is rare in the insect world. For the first few days, the adults teach the newborns and follow them relentlessly. Scientists have noticed that a female protecting her offspring hisses more often. However, they cannot say whether this is due to protecting the offspring from predators or increased breathing.

It is customary in the world to breed Madagascar cockroaches as food for the inhabitants of terrariums. They multiply quickly, are not very expensive to maintain, and leave virtually no odor behind. But every year there are more and more hobbyists in the world who breed cockroaches as pets.

Absolute record holder

According to some reports, the largest cockroach in the world weighed more than 30 grams and turned out to be not a Madagascan cockroach, but a rhinoceros cockroach. This record holder was 11 cm in length. His homeland is North Queensland. Rhinoceros cockroaches are not as famous in the world as the Madagascar cockroaches. They are practically unremarkable, are not pests and are less often used for breeding at home.

Adults lack wings. Rhinoceros cockroaches live in bushes and tall grass. They rarely travel long distances. They live in one place, forming large colonies. They are distinguished by a record high life expectancy; individuals have been recorded living up to 10 years.

Rhinoceros cockroaches feed on the leaves of the eucalyptus tree. Distinctive feature This species has the ability to dig deep tunnels. Thanks to this feature, the population is still alive, because cockroaches make their home underground, thereby escaping from predators. This is the only insect in its order that can live in the soil.