How Do Roaches Spread So Fast?

Have you ever wondered why the cockroach traps that you have lain do not seem to work on them? It is probably because the methods you are using are falling short of the sheer number of cockroaches. It is bad enough that cockroaches are the carriers of endless germs and bacteria and on top of that they also happen to multiply very fast.

And if you have had the misfortune of dealing with roach infestations before then you know exactly what is being referred to over here. In short, cockroaches are very hard to get rid of. You need to keep at it for weeks and even months to eliminate these annoying bugs from your home.

But to deal with your enemies, you must know about their game plan first and that is why it is important to learn about how and why cockroaches multiply at the alarming speed in which they do.

How Does a Roach Infestation Start?

You will notice that roach infestations mostly occur around kitchens and washrooms. These are two prime spots because roaches can derive all their necessary nutrition from here.

If you are not careful enough and let food waste lie around then it may easily lead to a host of cockroaches building their nest in your home.

However, mother roaches do not need to lay eggs inside your home for the place to be infested with these bugs. Cockroaches can enter your house from the outside as well.

Cockroaches can enter grocery bags, old furniture, suitcases, clothing, drainage system, cracks and holes in the foundation etc, to gain entry into your home.

One of the most common ways in which cockroach eggs can enter your home is through your bags or shoes. If you come in contact with a cockroach bearing eggs when you are outside, the eggs will come out and stick to the subject which will then be carried to your home.

After this point, the cockroaches spread pretty fast by either laying eggs or by dropping their feces in spots of food and water supply which serves as a signal for the other roaches in the home to congregate there and make a nest.

Besides, cockroaches are amazing climbers and also can compress their bodies to squeeze in through the tiniest of holes. So they can also enter from outlet holes, sewer pipes, and drainage holes too.

Other than these methods, there is also the chance of cockroaches entering with their wings as there are a few species of roaches that can also fly.

How Do Roaches Spread So Fast?

The speed at which cockroaches multiply is truly astonishing. An adult cockroach can be responsible for the birth of hundreds of descendants. And this should make you realize that only a handful of cockroaches are enough to cause a scary infestation. But how exactly do cockroaches spread so fast? Here is how:

Cockroach Mating

There are several ways in which cockroaches mate but the baseline is that the usually sexual mating takes place between a male and female cockroach where the male fertilizes the female by passing on its sperm.

Now, some female cockroaches are capable of storing sperm in an area called spermathecae. They do not have to remate to lay more eggs. Therefore, even if you are killing cockroaches in large numbers, if you do not manage to kill the female one, it still lays eggs as usual and new nymphs are born and they carry on the infestation.

Cockroach Reproduction

Some species of this insect like the Female American cockroaches are capable of laying between six to fourteen egg capsules in their entire lifetime. Each capsule can hold about 16 eggs.

Now, not all the eggs successfully hatch but even if a few capsules are destroyed, the number remains huge. These cockroaches lay about two egg capsules a week. Now you do the math. And unless you are taking drastic measures to control the infestation, the problem will be very difficult to deal with.

Lack of Human Intervention

The only right course of action, when you see a cockroach scampering away, is to find its hiding place and eliminate it immediately. However, at times we may not attach much importance to the appearance of one solitary cockroach. That is a mistake because you never know how many more cockroaches are hidden in the corners of your home.

Once you have an idea about the location of the nest, you should promptly take action and use available methods to get a cockroach out of hiding to discard it or eliminate it for good. A lack of immediate measures will only accelerate the infestation as you have already been informed about the rate at which these insects multiply.

How Fast Do Roaches Multiply?

Cockroaches go through three developmental stages in their lifetimes. They are the egg stage, the nymph stage, and the adult stage. Female cockroaches can lay as many as 60 eggs at a time and they do this multiple times a year.

Most of the species of cockroaches are oviparous which means that their eggs develop outside the body of the mother. The eggs are stored in a pouch called ootheca which is usually hidden in a hidden spot that the cockroach has decided to be safe. This is a problem as in this case, even if you get rid of the mother cockroach, the eggs will still hatch creating an infestation.

The baby cockroaches stay in the nymph stage for ten months to a year after which they start molting and getting the brown exoskeleton that we usually see on cockroaches. An adult cockroach is capable of mating and birthing more cockroaches.

The average lifespan of female cockroaches is much more than male cockroaches which means that a handful of male cockroaches dying will not make a difference if they have already fertilized a handful of female cockroaches.

If left unchecked, a light infestation of 5-10 cockroaches can become a severe infestation of hundreds of cockroaches in a year or so. The only way out of this is to make sure that steps are taken to eliminate these insects.

The primary requirement to keep cockroaches out is to keep a clean home with no waste lying around. But if you are still seeing cockroaches in your kitchen and the washroom, other methods such as insecticides, gel baits, and cockroach traps can be tried.

There are also many smells roaches hate such as peppermint, bay leaves, cinnamon, lavender, etc. Introducing these odors to the spots where the cockroaches seem to frequent is a good way to keep them away. Since these odors are nice and fresh by themselves, they will also lend a lingering freshness to your home.

How Many Babies Do Roaches Have at a Time?

There are numerous species of cockroaches and most of them lay as many as 16 to 40 eggs at a time. These eggs hatch into nymphs which then grow into adults and carry the cycle over.

The female American Cockroach Produces an ootheca each month for 10 months. Each of these ootheca carries around 16 eggs. These eggs are then deposited in a safe and warm place until they hatch.

The Brown-banded cockroach and Oriental Cockroach too lay about 16 eggs in each ootheca. The incubation period for all the eggs to hatch differs between species but then too the difference is not that much. It takes about 50-60 days for the eggs to hatch in each of the three species.

The German Cockroaches, however, are a bit excessive as they can have around almost 40 eggs in each sack or ootheca. They keep the sack attached to their abdomen until it is time for the eggs to hatch before which the female roach hides herself to ensure the safety of the eggs.

The eggs take around 28 days to hatch from the day of conception. This makes the German cockroach the fastest-spreading roach species.

Final Verdict

If you can identify and differentiate the two most commonly seen Cockroach species - the American and German, then you can also take steps to kill them accordingly.

For instance, killing the female American Cockroach makes no difference because it has already laid eggs somewhere so unless you're destroying that as well, the infestation will continue. While the female German cockroach carries around the egg sack and killing both together is easier.

However, in all cases, it is always wise to figure out where the cockroaches are hiding or are coming from and then attack their base. Gel baits are also efficient in this regard as they take some time to take effect and the cockroach carries the poisoned food back to its colony where several other roaches are affected and killed.

(This article is part of IndiaDotCom Pvt Lt’s Consumer Connect Initiative, a paid publication programme. IDPL claims no editorial involvement and assumes no responsibility or liability for any errors or omissions in the content of the article.)