American Cockroach Pest Profile
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Common Name:
American Cockroach
Scientific Name:
Periplaneta americana
Order and Family:
Blattidae, Blattid Cockroaches
Description:
1 1/2-2" (38-50 mm). Reddish brown with yellowish edges and markings on pronotum. Yellowish stripe along front margin of each fore wing. Slender antennae are longer than body.
Food:
Moist human and pet food and other organic matter.
Life Cycle:
Female carries egg capsule containing about 12 eggs and abandons it after 1-2 days, usually in some dark crevice. Nymphs require about 12 months to attain maturity. Females may survive a year or more.
Habitat:
Crevices of tropical and subtropical vegetation; indoors in hospitals, warehouses, and homes.
Range:
Florida to Mexico and, by introduction, indoors in warm buildings from Antarctica to Greenland.
Discussion:
Adults fly well, occasionally attracted to artificial lights at night. They often crawl into grocery packages and are transported to new locations. The related Australian Cockroach (P. australasiae), 3/4-1" (19-25 mm), is dark red to brown with yellow markings. It is well established as far north as San Francisco and is a greenhouse pest in Connecticut.
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