How Fast Do Cockroach Eggs Hatch?

Cockroaches hatch their eggs in different ways depending on the species. The German cockroach is known to lay the fastest eggs. Each ootheca can contain between twenty and forty eggs. In about a month, the eggs hatch. In contrast, the American cockroach lays around fifteen to sixteen eggs in its case.

The female American cockroach lays her eggs in hard egg cases called ootheca. These capsules are produced every month for the first ten months of the roach’s life. The female carries the egg cases for a few days, then places them in a safe place.

The eggs of the American cockroach are about one third of an inch in length. By comparison, the eggs of the German cockroach are about half an inch long. They are brown in color when they are laid by the female, and turn black after a day. They are sticky when they are attached to surfaces. The nymphs hatch from these eggs by breaking the egg case. The nymphs develop into adults within three to six months.

The American cockroach egg hatches in 56 days, while the brown-banded cockroach egg can take two to three months to hatch. While the egg casings of the Oriental and German cockroaches are similar, they can take longer to hatch. Oriental roach eggs take between forty and sixty days to hatch, depending on temperature.