HOW ROACHES DEVELOP 
The female roach lays her eggs in a leathery capsule which she 
forms at the end of her body. The German cockroach carries the egg 
capsule for about a month and drops it a day or so before the eggs are 
ready to hatch. An average of 30 nymphs hatch from a capsule, 
although some capsules may contain as many as 48 eggs. The other 
kinds of roaches found in homes carry their egg capsules only a day 
or two and then glue them to some object in a protected place. These 
capsules generally produce from 12 to 14 nymphs, after an incubation 
period of 2 or 3 months. 
All roaches are very small when first hatched. The broad and 
flattened shape of the young makes them easily recognized as roaches. 
Wings do not develop until the roaches reach maturity. 
When food, temperature, and moisture are unfavorable, roaches 
develop rather slowly, but live a long time. In the home conditions 
are not usually ideal for the most rapid growth. The German and 
brown-banded cockroaches may have two or three generations a year. 
but the other kinds require about a year to become mature. When 
conditions are more favorable, the roaches may develop two or three 
times as fast. Roaches in all stages of development may be present at 
the same time. | 
ROACHY ODOR 
The offensive, sickening odor associated with roaches is due largely 
to an oily liquid secreted by their scent glands. Food may be ruined 
by it. Dishes over which roaches run, although apparently clean, 
may give off the odor when warmed unless they are thoroughly washed 
with hot water and soap. The ink-lke liquid and pellets of excrement 
also contribute to this nauseating odor. 
AIDS IN PREVENTING INFESTATIONS 
One way to help prevent roaches from becoming established in a 
home is to watch carefully all baskets, bags, or boxes of food and 
laundry brought into the house. Roaches hide in such things. Kill 
these stray roaches and trade at roach-free stores. 
All cracks about pipes passing through floors or walls, as well as 
cracks leading to spaces behind baseboards and door frames, should 
be filled with putty or plastic wood, particularly if roaches are com- 
ing in from adjoining apartments, or from outside. 
Some housewives feel disgraced when they find roaches in their 
homes. The disgrace is not in finding them, but in allowing them to 
remain. Dirt and filth help the roaches to develop in large numbers, 
and make it more difficult for an insecticide to be effective. Some- 
times a thorough cleaning would be more effective than an application 
of insecticide. Sanitation is very important in roach control, espe- 
cially where food is being handled or processed. 
