What Time of Year Do Cockroaches Lay Eggs?
Cockroaches usually live in dark, moist areas. They can live in sewers or outdoors, but they’re most active at night. They forage for food and mate. During the day, they rest. In the winter, they enter a hibernation period, and they resume activity in the spring.
Female cockroaches lay their eggs inside ootheca (egg sacs), which harden when dry. These egg sacs are reddish brown and may have ridges on the sides. The size of the ootheca varies according to the type of roach. The Oriental roach, for example, lays eggs that are about eight to 10 mm long.
Cockroaches can lay up to 16 eggs per ootheca, which are usually dropped in warm areas where there’s food. The female of an Oriental cockroach can lay eggs for up to two months. The egg cases of American and German cockroaches are eight to 12 mm long. Depending on the species, the egg case may have ridges, while those of the Brown-banded roach are more or less smooth.
The reproduction cycle of cockroaches depends on the eggs of the female cockroach and sperm from the male. The female cockroach emits pheromones to attract males. The male cockroach then deposits sperm into the female’s egg capsule and fertilizes it. The eggs then develop in an egg capsule called an ootheca attached to the mother’s abdomen.