Oriental Cockroach

Introduction

Contrary to its common name, the Oriental cockroach is thought to be of North African origin. It also is commonly called a "black beetle" or "waterbug" or "shad roach." This species has worldwide distribution.

Recognition

Adult males are about 1 inch long, whereas females are about 1 1/4 inch long. Color usually shiny black but may vary to dark reddish brown. Male's wings cover about 75 percent of abdomen, leaving three to five abdominal segments exposed. Female with much reduced wings, which resemble nymphal wing pads but have veins. Adults do not fly.

Nymphal early instars are shiny reddish brown, cerci rounded laterally and broadly tapering to tip, widest near center. Later instars dark reddish brown to black, cerci rounded laterally and broadly tapering to tip, widest near center with middle segments about three times as wide as long, and length about three times greatest width.

Ootheca or egg capsule reddish brown when deposited, then changing to black; about 3/8 inch long, with length about one and a half times width; subdivisional furrows extending from less than midwidth to beyond midwidth but are not entire; prominent terminal point; and usually with eight eggs on each side.

Habits

In many areas, the oriental cockroach survives quite well outdoors and spends considerable time here. It typically is found under debris, stones, and leaf liter, but also in wall and porch voids. It has been observed to survive outdoors during 13 weeks of almost continuous freezing weather.

They usually enter buildings via door thresholds, under sliding glass doors, along utility pipes and air ducts, through unscreened ventilators, and from floor drains. Indoors, they typically are found in crawl spaces, cellars, basements, and on the first floor but at times on higher floors, especially around water pipes, which they climb.