The female cockroaches produce roach eggs; they lay their eggs in egg cases known as ootheca. The ootheca usually bears several eggs, and it is completely covered by a substance rich in protein.
After the egg case has been laid, the ootheca slowly hardens into a stout and protective capsule.
Some female roach species lay the egg cases while some carry the eggs until the young roaches emerge.
What Do Cockroach Eggs Look Like?
Notwithstanding what others say about roach eggs being unable to be seen with the naked eye, we can see the eggs of roaches. The color of the eggs usually ranges from a reddish-brown to dark-brown color, while the sizes of the eggs are usually from 5mm to 13mm long based on the type of the roach.
The capsules of roach eggs might not be seen because they are usually put and glued in locations that are hard to find. Such places where the roaches lay their eggs might be behind picture frames or under furniture in the home.
If you find clear egg capsules in your home, it’s a signal that cockroaches have infested your home.
How Many Eggs Can A Roach Produce Each Year?
Brown-banded Cockroach Eggs
The egg case of a brown-banded cockroach is usually light reddish-brown color, and it has a length of approximately 5mm. The female species of the brown-banded roaches might produce up to 20 egg cases in their life span, with each case producing about 10 to 18 embryos.
It’s quite easy to take note of a brown-banded nymph; this is because they can easily be noticed with their two yellow bands, which are situated across their upper abdomens.
The nymphs of the brown-banded roaches usually develop into adults in three to six months.
Oriental Cockroach Eggs
The egg cases of the oriental cockroaches are usually dark reddish-brown, about 8 to 10mm in length. The egg cases usually seem as if they’re filled with air or gas, with each containing about 16 eggs.
The female species of the oriental cockroaches breed about 18 egg cases throughout their lifespan. For this type of roach, it takes about 600 days before the nymphs develop into an adult; however, this is based on the conditions of the environment.
German Cockroach Eggs
The egg cases of the German cockroach are usually brown and have a normal length of about 6 to 9mm. For this kind of roach, the female species do not lay the egg cases until the eggs contained in them are ready to emerge.
It’s possible that one egg case contains about 50 eggs; the development of the nymph to an adult takes approximately 103 days. The population of German roaches increases rapidly because they produce several eggs.
Where To Look For Cockroach Eggs?
Roach Eggs In The House
There are some places where it’s easy to find roach eggs; such places include kitchens, bathrooms, behind appliances and furniture. There are some conditions that roaches love, which such places provide them with; the conditions might either be such places being warm or humid.
Therefore, if you’re looking for the eggs of roaches, you might want first to check such places, especially if such places are near a moist environment or food supply.
When you’re looking for roaches eggs, it’s important to note that one of their most potent adaptation is staying hidden, and so they’re able to fit into places where you wouldn’t even imagine
Roach Nest In Furniture
Roaches can also be found in furniture, especially the brown-banded roaches. If you see a roach moving into furniture, it’s likely because food particles are concealed inside its folds.
One characteristic of the brown-banded roach is that it remains in one place where there is an ample quantity of food or water. As a result, you must clean your furniture regularly and make sure it’s void of food particles or moisture.
Roach Eggs In Yard
When talking about yards, the American roach species can be easily seen there; however, when the weather becomes cold, you find them leaving the yard and moving into the nearest homes.
These types of roaches can gradually instil fear into people’s hearts due to their enormous size, which is about 2 inches long. In yards, the likely places you find these roaches are woodpiles, large trash receptacles, stacks of mulch, and so on.
How To Prevent Or Control A Roach Infestation.
- The first step is ensuring that your home is always clean and tidy. Proper hygiene in the home is a good way to keep the roaches away.
- Take proper care of your kitchen donut; don’t litter the whole place with food crumbs. Make sure that all the dirty plates are washed from time to time, and also clean up food particles or any spilled liquid in your cabinet and food stores.
- Use a disinfectant to clean surfaces in your kitchen at the end of every day; also, do not leave out the kitchen appliances. Spilled food items on cookers, microwaves, fridges, toasters might be a source of attraction for roaches.
- Avoid eating in too many rooms in the home. Apart from lessening your cleaning, it reduces food particles that might be unnoticed to you but noticeable to the roaches.
- Store your food items properly. Ensure the lids of the containers where you store food are properly closed. If you have a pet in your home, you must clear out the pet’s food containers every night.
- Your trash should be cleared out regularly, and ensure that the lid of your trash can fits perfectly.
Can Cockroaches Eggs Be Killed, And What Kills Roach Eggs?
Frequently, egg cases of roaches are deposited in dark places, places with little moisture, and hidden from view. Such areas are usually at the back of home appliances, inside drawers, parts of buildings below the ground, and many others.
So if you want to reduce the infestation of cockroaches by killing their eggs, these are areas you should first search. How do you kill roach eggs? Below are some useful tips on how to go about it.
- Crush the egg case either by putting your leg forcefully on it or by pressing it; after that, you clean up the scattered pieces and throw them out properly into a refuse bin. Although this method creates a bit of mess, its effect is instantaneous.
- Plunge the egg cases into any pesticide you have, which might be in the form of aerosols or sprays. Doing this helps to get rid of the embryo; however, when using the pesticide, take the directions of use attached to the label here.
- Spread the eggs with boric acid, and it comes in powder, jelly-like form, or dust form. The most common form of killing pests is by using dust form, and this is best when you’re trying to kill cockroaches in places that are hard to reach. This dust kills the cockroach by sticking to their body parts as they pass through it. When the roach tries to fix itself, it takes in the boric acid and dies.
- Apply an Insect Growth Regulator to the surface of the egg cases. This affects the roaches by meddling with the growth of the insects, thereby interrupting their process of molting.
Cockroach Eggs Vs. Poop
Roaches have always been known to pass out many feces, and they pass this feces out just anywhere; however, their poops are always close to where they live or where they feed. How can roaches’ feces be recognized? They usually look like bits of pepper, grounded coffee, or dark speckles of rice.
The feces that roaches pass out depends on how big or small the roach is; bigger roaches produce a larger amount of feces and vice versa. If you start observing these dark speckles in your home, you should know that roaches have infested your home. It’s, however, important that you dispose of the feces properly because they can initiate asthma symptoms.
What Is The Hatching Time Of A Roaches Egg?
American Cockroach
The female species of the American roach bring forth their eggs in egg cases known as ootheca, which is produced shortly after they mate. A single egg case is produced for about ten months, with each egg case bearing about 16 eggs or thereabout.
When the female species of the American roach becomes pregnant, it beats the egg case for some days before it finally lays it in a conducive place. So it takes about 44days for the egg of an American roach to hatch.
German Cockroach
The number of eggs a German roach lays is usually more than any other roach species. Each egg case bears about 30 to 40 eggs, with the female carrying it until it is set for hatching.
Before a German roach lays its egg, it looks for a secluded place to hide to ensure that the recently hatched roaches are safe. It takes an estimation of 28 days for a German roach egg to hatch.
Brown-banded Cockroach
The egg case of a brown-banded roach usually contains about 16 eggs each, but in this case, the female doesn’t carry the egg for a long time; it does so for about a day or two before laying.
When it finally wants to lay the eggs, it hides the egg cases in a safe place, and it takes about 50 days for the eggs to hatch.
Oriental Cockroach
The egg case of an Oriental cockroach contains about 16 eggs; when the females want to lay their eggs, they do so in an area that is neither too hot nor too cold but has a lot of food.
This is done to enable the nymphs to feed right after they hatch; it takes about 60 days for the egg of an Oriental cockroach to hatch.
Where Do Roaches Lay Their Eggs?
Many roaches will lay their eggs in places where no harm can come to them, mostly in secluded areas. Apart from this, the area where they’re there to lay their eggs had to have a considerable amount of oxygen; examples of such places are:
- Narrow openings
- Tiny spaces in the walls
- Inside drawers or cupboards
- At the back of furniture
- Inside pipes
- Inside stacks of refuse or food waste
If the number of roaches in your home is to the extent that it becomes impossible to get rid of completely, you can think about getting the services of professionals to help with a hundred percent efficient operation.
Does Bleach Kill Roaches Eggs?
If you have a problem with roach Infestation in your home, you can use bleach to get rid of them. Bleach has been known to be a toxic substance to insects and human beings when it is consumed.
Bleach made up of chlorine is capable of killing cockroaches, and it also has a strong smell that can inhibit the roaches. The bleach acts on the roaches due to its corrosive nature by causing damage to the roach’s body; however, the use of bleach to kill cockroaches only produces the desired results when the roach is immersed completely in the bleach.
Surely bleaches can kill roaches, but not all bleaches produce the same effect. The types of bleaches used to wash clothes might not produce the desired result when killing the roaches.
Do Foggers And Bug Bombers Kill Roaches Eggs?
Bug bombers or foggers are different from the contact insecticides, and this is because they are not put or spread directly to the insects; instead, they are applied to the whole home that has been infested with roaches. When using the foggers or bug bombers, you must use the entire content in the pesticide.
When applying to the home, everyone will need to evacuate, including pets, because the pesticides have a high toxic concentration that might develop gradually in the home.
The concept of using foggers is to allow the content from the pesticide to settle on the ground and any roach in the house.
In the case of a female German cockroach, they do not lay their eggs cases until the young roach is ready to emerge, unlike other female roach species that lay their eggs immediately in secluded areas.
Therefore, when using foggers pesticides to kill roaches, only the pesticide can endanger the German roaches bearing her egg cases.
How Do You Know If A Roach Egg Has Hatched?
How do you know whether or not a cockroach egg has been hatched or is still capable of hatching? You can know this from the structure of the egg case. When the egg is ready for hatching, you notice that the egg case separates or is divided at the side and the baby roach becomes apparent.
In the case of an egg case that has already been hatched or has become dry or has contact with any insecticide, the egg case will appear to fall or shrink together, or there might be depression or hollowness in it.
