Know Your Cockroach
As they say at the War College, “Know thy enemy.” Cockroaches are nasty, carry diseases and seem nearly impossible to eliminate. What we want to do is give you some facts – fun or not – about the most common roach in these parts. They’re technically known as Periplaneta fuliginosa or smokybrown cockroaches. You’ll recognize them as dark brown, large, flying monsters that live in the southeast United States.
You’ll also encounter the German, American, Surinam and Nicaraguan cockroaches in our region.
Focus on Smokybrown Cockroaches
This critter can live for years. Matter of fact, it takes around 24-months for it to mature. When it does, the female mates and drops an egg pouch that has a couple dozen larvae inside. During the adult’s lifespan, it can produce about 30 egg cases. The soon-to-be nymphs hatch in about 70-days. Temperature is the key to their proliferation. If it’s not warm, the smokybrown will not grow normally and is susceptible to dying in the winter months. Old ones become brown and develop yellow dots. The adult roaches look reddish-brown to black – this is the only time they’re able to fly.
Food
These guys (and gals) will eat anything. They are especially fond of decaying materials. And if they chow-down on large amounts of whatever they choose, they can go a month-and-a-half without a second course. Smokybrowns are drinkers as they sweat a lot more than other varieties.
Living Quarters
They prowl by night, so they’re usually in seclusion during the daylight hours. You rarely find them in the deep woods. There are just too many predators there. Instead they hide under leaves, scrap wood, pine needles and near where humans leave their mark. Since a fallen magnolia leaf isn’t large enough for a colony, smokybrowns love apartment complexes and trees. If you keep your living quarters cool with low humidly, you probably won’t encounter an infestation that you can see. However, running into one-or-two might tip you off that there are more afoot, holed-up between the walls where it’s not as air-conditioned.
Enemies
Fire ants eat smokybrowns. That’s no consolation for humans, though. You don’t want to import a family of fire ants to prey on roaches. Lizards are enemies as are a type of wasp that lays its eggs inside a smokybrown’s egg sack. When the wasp babies hatch, they eat the unborn roaches. They’re called ensign wasps. There are not really enough ensign wasps out there to make a dent in the smokybrown population, though.
Strategies
Attack the outside populations first. By doing that, you’re likely to cut-down on the invaders inside. Get rid of any places they can nest close to the house. Wood piles, cinder blocks, piles of leaves are targets for removal.
Patch any holes in your home’s exterior.
Inside, hit the back of drawers and cabinets with boric acid. To stay at maximum efficiency make sure you keep your powder dry. If it gets wet, it gets cakey, it won’t stick to the roaches. You see, you want the powder to adhere to the smokybrowns. That’s how it works: When they clean themselves, they ingest the toxin. Obviously, this is an indoor solution. Outside, it will get wet.