What Cockroach Eggs Look Like
WouterTo figure out what cockroach eggs look like, you need to understand how they develop. A cockroach egg is the reproduction unit of a female cockroach. The ootheca is a hard, shell-like structure which contains many cockroach eggs. The eggs are covered with a protein core.
Cockroach eggs come in a variety of colors and are usually less than a cm in size. They’re usually red, brown, or black, and they have a smooth or bumpy ridge on the side. When the cockroach is ready to hatch, the ootheca will split and return to look like eggs.
Depending on the species of cockroaches, the eggs will be stored somewhere warm and moist. Cockroaches generally try to conceal their eggs in places where they won’t be disturbed, such as behind items on counters or in cabinets. This way, they can protect their eggs from the elements.
Cockroach eggs are round, about 1/4-1/2 inch long, and brown, black, or gray in color. Depending on the species, a single egg case can contain up to 50 cockroach eggs. The American cockroach produces one case a month, which contains as many as 16 eggs.
Cockroaches release their egg cases within a day of hatching. Female cockroaches wear a capsule on their back, called the ootheca. The ootheca contains up to thirty to forty eggs. As the nymphs hatch, they exit the protective capsule, which will release the larvae.
