Oriental Cockroaches
Oriental Cockroaches
Out Doors
The Blatta orientalis, or Oriental cockroach, is also known as the "water bug", shade roach, or black beetle. The Oriental cockroach is a, shiny, blackish-brown species that measures up to one-inch in length. The wings of male Oriental cockroaches cover two-thirds of the abdomen. Female specimens are wingless, and their small wing pads extend only to the middle of the abdomen. Oriental roaches do not fly.
Oriental cockroaches thrive in port cities throughout the world. They can be found throughout the United States, as well as in England, Europe, Israel, Australia and South America. Oriental roaches prefer cool, damp locations, so they are typically located in basements and cellars. Oriental cockroaches crawl around service ducts, toilets, bathtubs, sinks, radiators and pipes.
Although their natural habitat is outdoors, they commonly infest homes in summer. Inside, they tend to remain on lower floors. Like other cockroach species, the Oriental cockroach is omnivorous and thrives by scavenging for food crumbs and decaying plants and animals. Oriental cockroaches tend to gather in large numbers near water sources.