DEVELOPMENT 
German and _ brown-banded 
cockroaches mature in 2 to 5 
months; other kinds mature in 
about a year. 
Cockroaches grow slowly when 
food, temperature, and moisture 
are unfavorable. Conditions are 
not usually ideal for rapid growth 
in buildings and homes where 
good sanitation is practiced. 
The female lays her eggs in a 
leathery capsule, which she forms 
at the end of her body. The Ger- 
man cockroach carries the egg 
capsule about a month, and drops 
it just before the eggs hatch; 
about 36 cockroaches hatch from 
the capsule. The other kinds 
carry the egg capsules a day or 
two, then glue them to some ob- 
ject in a protected place; about 
12 cockroaches hatch from each 
capsule after an incubation period 
of 1 to 3 months. 
PREVENTING ENTRY 
Cockroaches may enter the 
house from outdoors, in infested 
containers from other buildings, 
or from adjoining homes or apart- 
ments. To keep them out, fill all 
cracks passing through floors or 
walls, and cracks leading to 
spaces behind baseboards and 
door frames, with putty or plas- 
tic wood. Pay special attention 
to water and steam pipes entering 
rooms. 
Cockroaches develop in large 
numbers in dirt and filth. Thor- 
ough cleaning reduces the likeli- 
hood of heavy infestation. 
& 
When you bring baskets, bags, 
beverage cartons, or boxes of food 
and laundry into the house, look 
for cockroaches that may be hid- 
ing in them, and kill any that 
you find. 
SPRAYS AND DUSTS 
Infestations can be controlled 
by applying insecticides in sprays 
and dusts. 
BN-2289 
Oriental cockroach: Above, female; 
below, male. (1% times natural size.) 
