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 five 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, 
2 
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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, { 
ee 4 
BN—2287 
American cockroach. (Natural size; some are 
larger.) 
