Cockroaches are pests through- 

 out the United States. They carry 

 filth on their legs and bodies and 

 may spread disease by polluting 

 food. They destroy food and dam- 

 age fabrics and bookbindings. 



Cockroaches have an offensive 

 odor that may ruin food. Unless 

 dishes over which the insects run 

 are thoroughly washed, they may 

 give off the odor when warmed. 



There are about 55 kinds of cock- 

 roaches in the United States, but 

 only 5 kinds are troublesome in 

 buildings. Most of the others live 

 outdoors. They may enter houses 

 by coming in on firewood or by fly- 

 ing to lights, but most of them can- 

 not develop indoors. They either 

 leave or die. 



Those that do develop indoors 

 are fairly easy to control in most 

 homes. 



DESCRIPTION 



Cockroaches have a broad, flat- 

 tened shape, and six long legs. They 

 are dark brown, reddish brown, 



light brown, or black. The adults of 

 most species have wings. The young 

 look like the adults, except that 

 they are smaller and do not have 

 wings. 



Cockroaches hide during the day 

 in sheltered, dark places. They come 

 out and forage at night. If dis- 

 turbed, they run rapidly for shelter 

 and disappear through openings to 

 their hiding places. 



The five kinds that are trouble- 

 some in buildings can be distin- 

 guished from each other by their 

 appearance and by the places where 

 they are found. The table and illus- 

 trations will help you learn to dis- 

 tinguish them. 



DEVELOPMENT 



German and brown-banded cock- 

 roaches mature in 4 to 6 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 



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BN-2287 



American cockroach. (Natural size; some are 

 larger.) 



