COCKROACH EGGS - The cockroach is a kind of dangerous insect that we can find in any houses. Even though you have a good house, cockroaches may still live inside your house. Cockroaches breed by laying eggs. Cockroaches experience an imperfect metamorphosis and can produce many baby cockroach in one egg capsule. Baby cockroaches will grow up slowly from the first phase to the last phase.
Now, let us find out the deep explanation about cockroach eggs and how the eggs hatch to produce baby cockroaches.
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Cockroach Metamorphosis
Female cockroaches or cockroaches lay eggs in large quantities placed on the surface of the soil or on a rubbish heap. Cockroach eggs hatch into baby cockroaches called nymphs. The nymphs have a shape similar to the parent. Then, the nymphs become adult cockroaches. Since the shape changes do not experience the cocoon stage, the cockroach is called imperfect metamorphosis. How is the process of imperfect metamorphosis of cockroach eggs?
Cockroaches in the breeding experience imperfect metamorphosis where there are three phases of life cycle, namely eggs, nymphs, and imago.
1. Egg Phase
Cockroach eggs are protected by a type of capsule called ootheca. Each capsule contains 32 eggs (German cockroaches) and 16 eggs (American cockroaches). The eggs hatch after 28 days (German cockroaches) and 2 months (American cockroaches). A cockroach can produce offspring as many as 35,000 baby cockroaches per year.
2. Nymph Phase
After the egg phase, the egg will hatch to produce baby cockroaches or nymphs. The nymph period is about 60 days with 5-7 times changing skin (German cockroach) and 6-12 months with 13 times changing skin (American cockroach). After two months, the nymphs are growing up and they will have wings with body color changes. The next phase will be the adult phase or imago.
3. Imago Phase
German cockroach length measures 12 mm and 4 mm wide while American cockroaches are 35 mm and 13 mm wide. The age of adult cockroaches is about 200 days (German cockroaches) and 1-2 years (American cockroaches), but they must be close to food sources (kitchen, water source, warm and humid place, in the cracks of tables, piles of paper and cracks in the walls). It is not easy to spread from one building to another unless it is carried away on goods.
Anyway, those are a few phases of cockroaches to breed that starts from the eggs until the baby cockroaches become adult cockroaches with wings and brown color.
The Facts about Cockroaches
After knowing the metamorphosis of cockroaches, it is also important to understand some facts about cockroaches that you may not know before. Here are a few facts about cockroaches that you have to know.
1. Cockroaches can fly
The longipennis megaloblatta is a kind of cockroach that can stretch its wings up to 185 mm. Fortunately, this cockroach is only found in Central and South America. In general, cockroaches rarely fly because if they fly, their bodies will heat up.
2. Cockroaches can cause global warming
Studies show that cockroaches fart on average every 15 minutes. Even after death, they will continue to release methane for up to 18 hours. On a global scale, insect gases are estimated to contribute 20% of all methane emissions. This fact puts cockroaches as one of the biggest contributors to global warming. Other major contributors are termites and cows.
3. Dead with supine position
Wild cockroaches die (in most cases), in the stomach of birds or other small animals that eat them. In our homes, they die because they cannot correct their position after falling. In the wild, where there are a lot of leaves and dry woods, cockroaches have something that they can hold, but in our house, with slippery floors, cockroaches can only be ‘stranded’.
In addition, some insecticides work by causing muscle spasms and lack of muscle coordination, which causes the insect to reverse its position. Without the ability to control their muscles, cockroaches die in a supine state.
4. They don’t need a head
Cockroaches don’t need a head to survive. As a comparison, humans need heads for 3 functions, including breathing through the nose and mouth, and breathing controlled by the brain, loss of head causes drastic blood loss, and the human eats by mouth.
But, cockroaches are not similar to human because they breathe through ventilators all over their body and the brain does not control this function, they do not have blood pressure as in mammals and will not “bleed out”, as a cold-blooded animal, a little food can last a whole month while headless cockroaches can survive long enough.
5. Cockroaches cause asthma
Cockroach allergy was first reported about 50 years ago and is very dangerous. Cockroach allergens are dirt and debris from the carcass of a cockroach that becomes dust and enters the bronchial tube. This sensitivity to dust triggers a bronchial allergic reaction known as asthma.
Tips on Eradicating Cockroaches from Your House
This insect is considered as a disturbing animal for many homeowners. They also say that cockroaches are disgusting, ridiculous, annoying and much more. Somehow, this insect is also one of the carrier animals (carrier of disease) which is the same as a fly that carries bacteria on its legs and spreads it in food that is not covered.
This insect is difficult to eradicate because it is a rapid breeding cycle. But there are several ways that we will discuss below to get rid of cockroaches naturally.
Killing Cockroaches Directly
By killing the cockroach directly upon seeing it is expected to break the life cycle of the cockroach. Step on or use a tool if you feel disgusted or sick. But if you are afraid to approach it, you can use soapy water or detergent water that you can spray in places with lots of cockroaches.
Breaking the Cockroach Life Cycle
Cockroaches cannot survive without food and water. Make sure that you clean anything that cockroaches like to eat. A clean and tidy home will help minimize cockroach populations. Also, make sure to put trash or leftovers outside the house so that they do not become a source of cockroach food.
Store food in a closed container and do not leave it open for too long. In addition to eliminating food sources, another way to eradicate cockroaches is to ensure there is no water supply that cockroaches may drink.
According to a report published by the University of Florida, cockroaches can live for two weeks without food and water, but they can last up to 42 days by drinking water only. Water from leaking pipes is commonly used by cockroaches as a source of water.
The place under the sink is another favorite place for cockroaches. So, make sure these places are dry so that the water supply for cockroaches is not provided. Keep clean in places where there are often lots of cockroaches, with a clean environment the cockroaches will not come into your house.
Cockroach traps and natural predators
In addition to the above methods, another method for killing cockroaches is by installing non-toxic traps around the house. One type of trap that works like an adhesive that will trap cockroaches so they don’t get into the house. Cockroaches also have a large number of natural predators.
Lizards, birds, rats, and frogs will make cockroaches as a meal. Therefore, you have to make sure that you do not disturb the habitat of natural predators so the cockroach population remains controlled.
Destroy any cockroaches eggs
Cockroaches eggs will hatch and there will be so many baby cockroaches that will spread around your house. So, if you do not want to let the cockroaches live in your house, it is necessary to destroy the cockroaches eggs whenever you see them. You just step on the eggs and let it die. You can also use fire to burn this insect.
Use natural ways to eradicate cockroaches
Jasmine
Another way is to use jasmine and salt flowers, just place them beside cabinets or corners of the room, or you can put beside your toilet. The smell of jasmine can repel cockroaches and make the room fragrant. In addition to jasmine, we can replace it with flower seeds lavender.
Pepper leaves
With pepper leaves, we can also eradicate cockroaches, the use is the same as bay leaves. Thinly sliced and then sown in a room where cockroaches often pass. And if the leaves have dried and changed color, simply replace them with new leaves so the cockroaches will never get into your house anymore.
Pepper
Besides being able to expel cockroaches naturally, it can also be used to repel ants. Take the pepper according to your needs, then mash it until you get a fine powder. After that, you can add water to make a paste. Next, you can take a brush and then apply the mixture to areas where you usually see the cockroaches and ants.
This method is suitable for eradicating cockroaches that you can find in the cupboard and dining table, simply just rub it on the legs of your dining table or cupboard.
Camphor
Cockroaches don’t like fragrant or fresh smells. Thus, camphor is the effective way to get rid of cockroaches from home. Simply, you can put camphor in places that are usually passed by cockroaches. Usually, this camphor is used in a cabinet or closet because cockroaches may also eat your clothes.
Lavender
Lavender is also a good method to eradicate cockroaches. Simply, you only need to place some pieces of lavender seeds in a container and place it in the bathroom or drawer. The smell will repel cockroaches and refresh the room.
The Dangers of Cockroaches for Human Health
1. Cockroaches can contaminate food
Did you know that cockroaches can consume any food? If we carelessly put food and do not cover it, the cockroaches that have passed through various dirty places and carry various kinds of dirt, bacteria, or germs will contaminate the food we will consume. This certainly can trigger health problems like diarrhea.
2. Cockroaches can spread diseases
When cockroaches eat, they will release a kind of liquid from the digestive tract which contains bacteria called Pseudomonas aeruginosa. If this liquid enters our body, then we can experience digestive problems or urinary tract infections.
3. Cockroaches can enter our body
Cockroaches are not only walking around and spreading various germs or bacteria, but cockroaches can actually bite or even enter the ear hole or nose. When a cockroach enters your ear, it can be very painful. In addition, it is also possible that bacteria on the cockroach can cause various health problems when they get inside our body.
4. Cockroaches can cause allergy
It is not impossible that an allergy you are currently experiencing is due to cockroaches in your house. Cockroaches contain hundreds of allergens on their saliva and can trigger an unwanted reaction. When this happens to you, your body will be swollen and you will also get influenza.
5. Cockroaches can cause asthma
Asthma may happen to you when you have a lot of cockroaches in your house. It can even make your asthma become worse just in case you already suffer from this condition. The cause factor of asthma comes from the allergen in the body of the cockroaches. You will get difficult to breathe and it can put you to death if you do not get away from the cockroaches allergens.
Finally, that’s all you need to know about cockroach eggs, the facts about cockroaches, and how it can be dangerous for our health. Never let cockroaches live in your house. Eradicating cockroaches is not an option, but it is a must.
It means that you have to get rid of them whenever you see them around before they multiply because the egg can produce so many baby cockroaches. You can use some natural ways for the safest way. You can use some ingredients that you usually use in the kitchen or you can also use camphor as the most effective way.