Pest Facts: Brown-banded Cockroach
Description
The Brown-banded cockroach gets its name from the pale brown bands which run across the wings of the adult or the body of the nymphs. It occurs throughout the United States.
Pest Facts
- Color: Light brown to brown, with two pale bands located on their backs
- Legs: Six
- Shape: Oval
- Size: 1/2 inch
- Antennae: Yes
- Flying: Yes
- Region: All 50 states
Habits
Brown-banded cockroaches can be found throughout structures but show a preference for warm and dry places. They are usually found in furniture, picture frames, and secondarily in bathrooms or kitchens but infestations will occur in rooms where people eat and drink.
Habitat
Brown-banded cockroaches prefer to live in cracks and crevices and spend 75% of their time in such harborages. These cockroaches prefer to live close to sources of food and water but in a warm environment.
Threats
Cockroaches have been reported to spread at least 33 kinds of bacteria, six kinds of parasitic worms, and at least seven other kinds of human pathogens. They can pick up germs on the spines of their legs and bodies as they crawl through decaying matter or sewage. Medical studies have shown that cockroach allergens cause lots of allergic reactions, especially in children. They were even shown to cause asthma in children. These allergens build up in deposits of droppings, secretions, cast skins, and dead bodies of roaches.
Prevention
Good sanitation and habitat reduction, along with vacuuming, surveillance, and baiting program, and some sealing of cracks can usually reduce or eliminate a cockroach problem. The reduction of moisture sources, such as leaking pipes, is also helpful.
