Australian cockroach (Periplaneta australasiae) Females produce up to 20 egg cases, each containing up to 24 eggs. Development takes 6-12 months and adults live for 4-8 months.
Life Cycle (Back to Top)
A complete life cycle of the Australian cockroach includes the eggs, five nymphal instars and the adult. An ootheca may contain 24 embryos, which require about 40 days to complete embryonic development (Kramer and Brenner 2009). The nymphal stage takes 6-12 months.
To create this natural remedy, mix one part baking soda to one part sugar or honey. Place the mixture in a small bowl in a spot where you regularly find cockroaches, and leave overnight. The baking soda will kill the cockroaches.
Female Australian Cockroaches lay their eggs in a small purse-shaped case called an ootheca. Each one contains around 14-16 eggs. On average a female will lay one ootheca per month, but they have been known to produce several a week!
Australian cockroach (Periplaneta australasiae)
They sometimes come indoors and will inhabit subfloor, wall and roof voids. They prefer food of plant origin, becoming a pest when they enter homes and eat holes in clothing and books.
Peppermint oil, cedarwood oil, and cypress oil are essential oils that effectively keep cockroaches at bay. Additionally, these insects hate the smell of crushed bay leaves and steer clear of coffee grounds. If you want to try a natural way to kill them, combine powdered sugar and boric acid.
Smells that roaches hate: a quickfire summary
Oregano, rosemary, mint, eucalyptus, lemongrass and catnip are great herby options. Citrus oils work brilliantly too. And surprisingly, lower concentrations – 2.5 parts per hundred – seem to work best as deterrents. Just don't bother with lavender.
Distilled vinegar does not kill or repel roaches, making it completely ineffective. Distilled vinegar will help keep your kitchen clean, giving cockroaches less to snack on. However, roaches can live for months at a time without any food at all, and they will eat almost anything to survive.
Cockroaches seek places where they can find ample food. Food crumbs, spills, leftovers, and pet food are the most common food sources. Kitchen trash and grease on stovetops and countertops can be inviting for roaches, and they may also get into stored food items.
Their nests can often be found near plumbing fixtures in bathrooms and kitchens, in cupboard cracks or under drawers, inside appliances or underneath the fridge. You may also notice cockroach droppings around the nest's location or your nose will help you sniff it out — most have a strong, foul odour.
Final thoughts. Cockroaches are one of the most common insects around Australia, and in extremely rare circumstances they are known to bite humans.
Granular Insect Baits: Insects baits like Invict Xpress Granular Bait or Intice Perimeter Bait can be used indoors, outdoors or in turf areas. Invict Xpress has multiple food attractants to attract not only the Australian Roach, but also Crickets, some Ants, Silverfish, Earwigs and Firebrats.
The Australian cockroach drops the ootheca in sheltered areas of your home, close to food sources. The female hides the egg casings in holes and tight crevices.
Although many adult cockroaches have wings, most species do not fly. Adult American and Australian cockroaches will fly, but only in warmer weather.
Roaches lay their eggs in any safe place that is damp or hidden. They like to be close to food while still being far enough away from human reach. American roach eggs: Female American cockroaches glue their oothecae to hard surfaces, like your cupboards, or cardboard near a food source.
Good old-fashioned soap and water is a safe, reliable, and inexpensive method. Create a soapy water solution that you can spray with a bottle. It will only take about 2 – 3 sprays to kill any roaches, as the soapy solution will cover their breathing pores and suffocate them.
A concoction of baking soda and sugar is an effective cockroach killer and controls the multiplication of these pests. Sugar acts as a bait to attract cockroaches and the baking soda kills them. You just need to identify their hideouts and sprinkle this mixture in those corners.
White vinegar is often recommended as a natural way to get rid of roaches. Unfortunately, it doesn't actually kill these problem insects. It's more of a cleaning tool than anything else, and it won't actually help eliminate your roach problem.
For cockroaches, window cleaner can make them temporarily unconscious so that you can squash them. This works on initial contact, but Windex will not continue to kill bugs after it has dried. Laundry Detergent – Dilute a few drops of laundry detergent or dish soap in water and use the mixture as a spray.
It's a fact that cockroaches are afraid of humans and other mammals or animals that are bigger than them. They see us as predators and that fear triggers their instinct to scatter away. However, they dislike strong and distinctive scents such as citrus, peppermint, lavender and vinegar.
Pine-Sol and Fabuloso are strong, all-purpose household cleaners. Similar to bleach, these products kill roaches on contact. Some homeowners suggest spraying Pine-Sol around the outside of your house to keep cockroaches away.
Since cockroaches are nocturnal, your best bet is to reapply each night before you go to bed. That way, when the roaches are most active, your peppermint oil repellent is at its strongest.
Studies have found a boric acid and sugar combination to be a very effective killer of roaches, but more readily available is Borax mixed with sugar, which also gets the job done. Simply mix three parts Borax to one part sugar for bait, and be sure to keep your pets out of the vicinity.