Red cockroach or Prusak was brought to the expanses of Russia during the Patriotic War of 1812. It is to the soldiers of Napoleon’s army that we are obliged to get acquainted with this insinuating harmful insect.
Prusaks actively reproduce, in a couple of months after the appearance of these disgusting-looking tenants in your apartment, their number may increase tenfold.
Cockroaches are very hardy, quickly adapting to new conditions, they can exist for quite a long time without food, they are nocturnal.
Appearance and structure
Red cockroaches are small view in comparison with other representatives of this family.
The size of a normal adult (adult) is one and a half centimeters.
The head is oblong, eyes wide apart, dark. The paws of red cockroaches are long, with special suckers that allow move on vertical planes.
The body is colored reddish - yellow colors and consists of the following parts:
- cephalothorax;
- abdomen;
- head.
The insect has developed wings with hard elytra on top, but can't fly, can only plan when falling from a height. But there are flying cockroaches. Mouth apparatus gnawing.
In males, the body is narrow, the belly has a wedge-shaped form, its edge is not covered by wings.
The body of the female is wider, the belly is rounded, completely covered by the wings.
One of the most important organs in cockroaches is the antennae, very sensitive to all kinds of smells. With their help, the Prussians communicate with their relatives and are oriented in space. The loss of one or both whiskers becomes a real tragedy for these insects, as they lose information about the world around them.
A photo
You can visually get acquainted with the appearance on the photo of red cockroaches below:
Breeding
Cockroaches belong to insects with incomplete metamorphosis (transformation). They lack the pupal stage, and the larvae take the form of an adult individual by several molts.
Females lay eggs (about 30 pieces) in a small brown capsule (ootek). Future offspring female carries with them at the end of the abdomen (the protruding part of the stream is visible to the naked eye) up to larvae hatching (2-4 weeks).
The initial color of the larvae is white, gradually it darkens. Larvae (nymphs) undergo six molts until they take on the appearance of imago. Over the course of their lives, females bear from four to ten eaves and contribute to the birth of up to 300 young cockroaches.
How many live red cockroaches?
Lifespan red prusak at home and with enough food and water is from 8 to 10 months (this length of time includes the life of the adult (7-8 months) and the stage of the nymph).
Lifestyle and nutrition
Prusak don't like daylight and crawl out of their shelters only at night.
If you suddenly have suspicions about the appearance of uninvited red guests in your apartment, turn on the light in the kitchen at night: live cockroaches from the sink and the dining table sprinkle in all directions.
Favorite habitats for domestic red cockroaches are all sorts of narrow slits (so that the back and belly of the insect are in close contact with the surfaces): in the floor, under the plinths, in the door jambs, furniture. In addition, the Prussians can choose household appliances and books for the settlement.
Cockroaches are able to starve for a long time, but droughts can not tolerate at all. If without eating, the Prussians can last for a month, then without water even a week will not endure.
What are the reasons for appearing in this or that dwelling?
There are several reasons:
- unsanitary conditions. Eternally dirty floor, dirty dishes, littered corners, food debris lying around in different places (this could be spilled sugar or flour);
- things from trips. An insect can come to your home in a travel bag, hitting it from a hotel or train carriage;
- dysfunctional neighbors. No matter which side the sluts are side by side with you (above, below, through the wall). Cockroaches will surely penetrate from them into your apartment from the vent hole or cracks in the walls and floor;
- faulty plumbing and sewer pipes. Small wet places under the drops and warmth - this is a real paradise for cockroaches. As long as there is moisture nearby and the temperature in the apartment does not fall below 10 degrees, the Prussians will be ready to live with you forever.
Do people harm?
IMPORTANT! Red cockroaches dangerous to humans: constantly in contact with garbage, household waste, dirt, they are carriers of pathogenic bacteria, as well as helminth eggs.
Intestinal disorders, tuberculosis, helminthiasis - this is only a small fraction of the diseases that the Prussians can bring on their paws.
Do red cockroaches bite?
Scientists have been aware of several cases in which these pests ate the horny parts of the dermis on the face and hands of people, but did not cause any appreciable harm. So we can safely say that Prusaks do not bite.
Methods of struggle
As soon as you have discovered the presence in the house of at least one red noose - take action immediately.
Because after 2 weeks your housing will be teeming with hordes of these annoying parasites.
To fight cockroaches was more effective need to do the following:
- put food into containers or tightly closed bags;
- make sure that in the sink or on the kitchen table does not remain dirty dishes with leftover food on it;
- maintain cleanliness in the apartment;
- timely dispose of household waste, do not save garbage for several days;
- put in order all the pipes and plumbing, fix leaks;
- Do not leave on the surface of tanks with water, from where insects could drink.
After that, you can proceed to harassment Prusakov.
How to get rid of red cockroaches in the apartment? This can be done with industrial insecticides. To date, means for the destruction of domestic cockroaches, there are a great many. These are gels: Dohloks, Global; aerosols: Raid, Clean House, Raptor; crayons, powders: FAS, Karbofos; emulsions, special traps, and more. Disinsection facilities can be trusted with experts or to cope on their own.
It is possible to cope with a mass of cockroach and folk methods:
- via boric acid (powder). This substance dehydrates the pests. The acid is mixed into mashed potatoes, balls are rolled up and laid out around the house;
IMPORTANT! If the apartment has pets or small children, use this method with caution! Boric acid is poisonous!
- via self-made traps. For this, a glass jar (edges) is smeared with a sticky substance (oil or petroleum jelly), and a bait is placed inside.
To fight with red scum was more effective, it is desirable to cooperate with all neighbors. Then you will be 100% sure that not a single "Prussian enemy" will survive. If, however, the enemy has broken through the defenses, then after reading our article you now know how to get the red cockroaches out of the apartment.
