How Cockroaches Get Their Name
WouterCockroaches get their name from their unique habits. Male cockroaches extend their abdomen towards their female mates and taste their ootheca (a gland on their abdomen). The female cockroach then uses this sperm to fertilize her eggs. Cockroaches can be found throughout the home.
The American cockroach is derived from Africa and is one of the most common species found in houses. It can lay around 150 eggs a year and live in dark, moist places like pipes and sewers. It is a very common household pest and can be found in the outer islands of Hong Kong and the New York area.
Cockroaches are most comfortable in a warm environment between twenty and thirty degrees Celsius, so they move from one location to another when the temperature drops too much. Cockroaches also have basic drives, such as liking to touch things on all sides. Their body is also designed to wrap itself around objects to protect itself from harm.
The female cockroach produces eggs in a hard, purse-like egg case. This egg case forms about one week after mating. During the reproductive season, female cockroaches may produce up to two egg cases a week. After the female cockroach mates, she deposits them near food. The egg case contains enough water to fertilize the egg without having to get it from the surrounding substrate.
