Red cockroach prusak and how to get rid of it

Red-haired cockroaches or, as they are also called “Prusaks” by the people, are familiar to almost everyone, since they are among the most common insects in a human's dwelling. You can encounter these pests not only at home, but also at work, in a hospital, a shop, and even on the street. But, despite the close acquaintance, people know little about the baleen pests. But red cockroaches have very interesting features.

Cockroach in Latin “Blatta” is an arthropod insect that belongs to the suborder of the cockroach-like. "Blattella germanica" means from the Latin language "red cockroach". To date, there is no exact confirmation of the origin of the Russian word "cockroach". Etymologists claim that the name of the mustache is derived from the Chuvash word "tar-aqan", which translates as "evader".

In fact, the homeland of insects are the countries of Central Asia, where the warm climate allowed to live baleen pests even on the street. The Prussians were brought to Russia by Napoleon's warriors from Prussia (present-day Germany), after which the people gave them the name.

What does an insect look like?

Red cockroach

The structure of the red cockroach is in many ways similar to its fellows. This is an ordinary cockroach, having an elongated body. From above it is covered with a durable chitinous cover of brown with a red tinge of color. Only adults have developed wings, but they cannot fly. They only allow them to plan for a short time.

The size of cockroaches are not surprising. So if black cockroaches can reach 5 cm, the largest red-haired Prusaks grow only to 1, 5 cm.Moreover, female individuals are much more massive and larger than males.

Oral pest gnawing apparatus. Very strong jaws have many chitinous teeth, thanks to which the Prussians are able to gnaw even hard food that is unfamiliar to humans: these can be leather goods, soap, thick paper.

The mustache is one of the important organs of the Prusak. The receptors located on them help the pest to find the sources of water and food by smell, and also to keep in touch with congeners. The insect is very careful with this “wealth”, constantly cleaning and caring for it. In the case of the loss or deformation of one of the whiskers, it will be more difficult for the Prusac to navigate the environment.

The presence of three pairs of tenacious paws allows the insect to move even on a vertical surface. Below you can see what the red-haired cockroach looks like in the photo.

Lifestyle and nutrition

The cold climate in our country forces red cockroaches to hide in heated residential areas. At low and high temperatures the Prussians and their larvae die. Often, pests are settled in ventilation shafts, basements or sewer mains of high-rise buildings.

Cockroaches in the house

Small size prusak allow him to hide even in the cracks. The active lifestyle of cockroaches begins at night. With a high degree of infestation of an apartment, pests can appear during the day, when there is not enough food at all.

As habitats, the Prussians prefer a kitchen and a bathroom. It was in these rooms that ideal conditions were created for the life and reproduction of insects: heat, water, and food.

The home cockroach feeds on crumbs, food debris, and various wastes that can be found not only in the trash can or in the sink, but also in the pet bowl. In the absence of power sources, the prusak can completely satisfy the feeling of hunger with paper, bookbinding, shoe or block glue, and even soap. A hungry red cockroach can even attack a sleeping person, and gnaw horny skin particles.

Interesting!

Given that the cockroach weighs only 0.2 g, the female per day can eat a volume of food several times higher than her weight. Males are less voracious, they will need 2 times less food to satisfy hunger.

Breeding

Propagate red cockroaches sexually. You can even distinguish insects with the naked eye:

• females are much larger than males;
• each male's abdomen ends with small outgrowths (pencils);
• males have more developed wings.

Females attract the attention of males with a special odorous substance that their glands produce. After fertilizing the female, the male goes in search of a new partner. A pregnant female also no longer needs the services of a male, since her gametes remain in her body. This gives her the opportunity to fertilize independently, and, moreover, repeatedly. It is probably this fact that gave rise to the myth that red-headed cockroaches are hermaphroditic.

Ooteka and nymphs

The cockroach prusak has an incomplete development cycle. The process of reproduction can be divided into several stages:

• After mating, the female lays her eggs in the oteca - a special capsule that is on her stomach. It can develop up to 40 eggs.
• As the eggs grow, the capsule grows in size, and a few days before the appearance of the offspring, the female throws her into a dark, secluded place.
• After a certain time, small nymphs are born, differing from adults only in light color. But after a few hours they will begin to darken.
• Nymphs can eat the same food as adult brown cockroaches. They become sexually mature individuals after about 2 months, passing during this time several molts.

The life span of domestic cockroaches is from 4 months to 1 year. During this time, the female can bear up to 9 spills, giving life to about 300 insects. And after 2 months each of these individuals will become mature. This fact explains the rapid spread of red Prusaks in the apartment.

How to get rid of pests

There are various methods of dealing with the red Prusak. Most often faster than them to poison.

Chemicals

Treatment insecticidal preparations - this is probably the most reliable and effective way to fight. They may be in the form of various poison: aerosols, effective gels, smoke bombs, crayons (for example, Mashenka) or powders (Dustov). Their active substances affect the nervous and respiratory systems of Prusak. The result is paralysis, and subsequently the death of the parasite. On sale are a variety of tools that have proven their effectiveness:

• destructive force;
• A great warrior;
• Forsyth;
• Fipronil;
• Agran;
• Global;
• Geth;
• Clean house;
• Lambda probe;
• Dohlox;
• Ram other.

Cockroach Sprays

Traps

The principle of operation of these devices is very similar to a mousetrap. Trap It is a small plastic box with several openings (entrances for cockroaches). Inside the device is a bait, the smell of which attracts the insect, and the adhesive base. It is she who does not allow the pest to get out of the trap.

The most effective and popular are the traps, inside which there are electrodes. They affect the red cockroach discharge of electric current.

Electronic traps

Traps can be made independently. It is necessary to take a glass jar, and coat its walls with petroleum jelly or vegetable oil. Put some honey or other delicacy on the bottom of the container. Such a structure should be placed in the place where the Prussians were most often observed.

Exist ultrasonic repeller, but they do not act as traps, but force cockroaches to leave the premises.

Folk remedies

Derive red cockroaches can and folk remedies. It may be boric acid, Bay leaf and other available means.

Safety for humans and pets is their main advantage. One of the most effective drugs is an ordinary borax. Its counterpart is boric acid. It is enough to mix the powder with the egg yolk and form small balls that should be spread out in the places where insects are most dense.

Prevention

Finding red cockroaches in his apartment, it is necessary to take the following measures:

• regular cleaning - crumbs left on the table or floor, no rubbish thrown away, dirty dishes create ideal conditions for feeding Prusaks;
• products should be stored in tightly closed containers;
• Plumbing leaks are the main source of water for pests, so they must be eliminated without fail.

Such recommendations will create unfavorable conditions for the life and breeding of cockroaches, after which they will leave your home very soon.