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.
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.
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!
The Australian Cockroach Life Cycle
The average lifespan of an adult cockroach is 4 to 6 months. Females lay egg cases, which contain about 24 eggs each, in sheltered areas and in material such as moist wood.
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.
You may be wondering: "I saw one cockroach, should I be worried?" If you spot even one roach during the daytime, it can mean the infestation has been going on for some time or that it has progressed to the point where drastic action must be taken immediately.
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.
Australian cockroaches (Periplaneta australasiae) and other roach species are considered dangerous as allergen triggers and asthma sources. According to the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in the United States, they don´t bite. However, they may scratch, and they carry bacteria.
Although many adult cockroaches have wings, most species do not fly. Adult American and Australian cockroaches will fly, but only in warmer weather.
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.
Cockroaches lay multiple eggs at one time inside a single casing called an ootheca, and these cases are dark-brown or reddish-brown. They range in size from 5 to 13 mm long. Finding a visible cockroach egg case can be a sign of an infestation in your home.
Australian Cockroach
With this species, each egg case can contain between 16 and 24 nymphs. The ootheca is dark brown in colour and can be up to 11mm long. 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.
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.
In that scenario, you can buy what are called desiccant dusts—like diatomaceous earth, a non-toxic substance you can find on Amazon—and that will dehydrate the eggs, thereby killing them.
Is there a queen roach? Cockroaches are not truly social insects (like honey bees or termites). As such, they do not have a queen. However, they are considered 'gregarious' and tend to congregate during rest times (generally the daytime).
Females have an estimated adult lifespan of 180 days, while males have an adult lifespan of about 160 days. Cockroaches are one of the oldest living insects on the planet. Their life cycle plays an important role in their ability to survive and populate the earth.
And it's not just artificial light that cockroaches dislike. They're not fond of natural light either. Because of this, you're unlikely to see them during the daytime. If you do notice one during the day, it may be because the roach got crowded out of its home or was forced out of hiding due to a lack of food.
Megaloblatta is a genus of cockroaches in the family Ectobiidae. It includes the largest living species of cockroach, Megaloblatta longipennis, which can grow to 11.4 centimetres (4.5 in) in length and have a wingspan of up to 22 centimetres (8.7 in).
What do australian cockroaches look like? The australian cockroach is brown with a yellow line around its head and is often confused with the american cockroach. However, this australian cockroach is smaller with a body length between 23-35 mm long.
Cockroaches in food can cause second-hand poisoning
If you consume this poison second-hand through a cockroach, you could be in danger. The more so if you consume the entire pest by accident. Keep an eye out for poisoning symptoms such as dizziness, confusion, lack of concentration, and stomach pain.
The World Health Organization also advises against crushing them, for reasons of hygiene. According to the body, which classes cockroaches as “unhygienic scavengers in human settlements”, squashing them can spread bacteria into the environment that can lead to asthma, allergies and illnesses.
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.
Most species are picky about the temperature, some are picky about the humidity, and a few really hate lights. But you don't want to freeze yourself in your own house and run fans in every room just to make the cockroaches uncomfortable. And be careful about using lights—some roaches will run away but others love them.
The best roach killer, based on our research, is the advion 383920 Cockroach Gel Bait; a commercial-grade roach killer set that is easy to use and lasts months after application. It can kill all sorts of cockroaches, including the American and German variety, and it's even safe to use if you have pets or kids.