The Life Cycle of Exterminator Roaches and How It Leads to Infestation

Cockroaches are one of the most common pests found within the home and are known to be among the first pests you’ll likely run into. In fact, because they are cold-blooded creatures, they often cannot handle extremely hot or cold climates, thus forcing them into the closest shelter. Unfortunately, in many cases, that location is going to be your home. As if an infestation isn’t enough, cockroaches can bring disease and even make your home look and smell bad. An exterminator roaches service company should treat the infestation in a timely manner. One of the best ways to deal with the issue is to understand the cockroach’s life cycle. Read on to learn further about their life cycle and how it can develop within your home.

Terms an Exterminator Roaches Service Company Recommend You Know

To fully understand the life cycle of a cockroach, exterminator roaches service companies recommend that you understand a few terms before delving too deep into the subject. Let’s begin with the roach egg. Although some exterminators will simply use the term roach egg, some will attempt to educate homeowners further on the matter. You might learn about the ootheca, or the protective case that surrounds a cluster of roach eggs. This is critical to know as we move forward. Once those babies are born, they are given the name Nymph, aka baby roaches. As that roach grows, it will go through a phase called molt. When roach molts, they are essentially shedding skin for the purpose of growing. That in-between stage between a nymph and a molt will be called an Instar.

Life Stages of a Cockroach

Fortunately for homeowners, cockroaches have a rather simple lifespan. It’s extremely helpful in determining the severity of your infestation as well as the plan of attack to get rid of them. With that said, let’s move onto the first phase of a cockroach’s life. The first stage of their life is called the egg stage, which is right after the mother has given birth. After that, the mother roach will attempt to hide them away from as much danger as possible. This is the reason why most homeowners are not likely to ever spot them unless they know what to look for within their walls and under home appliances.

Next includes the nymphal stage of their life. In this stage, they will begin to develop much of their main characteristics through the process of shedding. This essentially means that they remove their skin in order to grow properly and into their particular type of cockroach. Therefore, if these are flying cockroaches, it is at this stage where they will begin developing their wings. Finally, the last part of their life is the adult stage. Now fully grown, the roach can begin breeding a whole new set of cockroaches. Although you may see small roaches within your home (especially during the wintertime), they are more often than not the adult version of them.

Timeline of Each Stage

Understandably, most homeowners want to know just how much time they have between the hatching of the roach eggs to them being able to breed with each other. This is important information to know as you may be able to craft a better-timed extermination plan with your preferred pest exterminator. Let’s begin with the egg stage. As eggs, most cockroaches will need to incubate for at least 28 days before they are ready to hatch. Once hatched, they will go through the nymphal stage. During this stage, males develop over a period of 35 days under favorable conditions. Females may take longer, around 60 days, to fully mature.

Now, let’s look at their adult stage. If they are within safe and comfortable conditions, an adult cockroach can see itself living up to 150 days. Females generally live longer at around 200 days. If you are noticing more and more cockroaches within your home, this may mean that there is a large infestation and that the life cycle is producing large batches of roaches; and thus, you should contact a pest control Las Vegas company asap. It must be noted that lifespans will differ from each type of cockroach, but you are likely to see similar timelines with both German and American cockroaches.

Amount of Offspring Possible

One of the most common questions homeowners ask a pest control service company is just how many offspring are possible. Unlike other pests, most people simply do not know how many roaches can be born at the same time. Most roach exterminator companies will state that it really depends on the type of cockroach, and thus the reason why in this example, we’re going to be concentrating on the German and American cockroach species. When it comes to German cockroaches, most females will be able to produce at least four oothecae, aka egg cases, over the course of their adult life. Each of those egg cases can hold over 40 roaches each. Although that may not seem like a lot, hundreds of female roaches doing the exact same thing at the exact same time must be taken into consideration.

Now, consider American cockroaches. American female roaches are often able to develop a whopping 10 oothecae, with each sack being able to contain around 14 to 16 roaches.

Why Understanding the Life Cycle Is Important to Pest Control

As a homeowner, you may be wondering why this information is even important to know about. The importance of understanding the life cycle of a cockroach is due to the fact that it can drastically help deter an infestation from starting and spreading throughout your home. For example, because the smell of several cockroach eggs is so distinct and strong, you are better able to stop the roaches from even being able to hatch. This same tactic can be applied to wherever part of the life cycle the roaches are at the moment of discovery.