cockroaches guide

Identify: 10-15mm, brown with two dark parallel lines from head to base

Habits: Lives indoors near food and water sources such as kitchens, bathrooms and laundries. The German species tends to congregate in extremely small spaces including door hinges, dishwasher control panels, and toasters. They can also be found under sinks and cupboards, in and under drawers, and even in refrigerators.

Lifespan: They mature in 100 days with an adult lifespan of 6 months.

Identify: 35-40mm, like the Smoky Brown and Australian breed with the differences being the Smoky Brown is a uniform shiny dark colour and the Australian is a dark brown with distinctive colouring below its head and edge of upper forewings.

Habits: They are found mostly outdoors around drains, sewers and grease traps. However, they can also be found in moist areas indoors in cooler climate regions, and in roof and subfloor voids, hiding in amongst the insulation.

Lifespan: While they take much longer to mature (600 days), cockroach pest control services can be difficult because the American species can live up to 12 months as an adult.

Identify: 30-40mm, dark brown with distinctive colouring below head and on edge of upper forewings.

Habits: Most likely to be found in greenhouses and under bark or leaves in gardens due to their preference for plant food. However, they have also been found in the roof, subfloor and wall voids. You’re more likely to come across an Australian cockroach in warm subtropical to tropical conditions.

Lifespan: An Australian cockroach nymph takes between six and 12 months to become an adult, and a typical adult lifespan is eight months.

Identify: 22-27mm, dark brown to black

Habits: Typically found outdoors in moist areas (bark and leaf litters) and in moist subfloors or around drainage systems. A cool-climate species, Oriental cockroaches are more likely to be found in the southern regions of Australia. They are the most common species in the UK.

Lifespan: They mature in 350 days with an adult lifespan of 6 months.

Identify: 30-40mm, a uniform shiny dark colour

Habits: Possess similar habits to the American version and are often found in garages, sheds, subfloor and roof voids. They do have a particular preference for plant originating food, so they can be found in gardens, greenhouses and nurseries. If you love your garden and have an infestation, reach out to a cockroach exterminator as soon as possible to prevent further damage to your garden.

Lifespan: The average life span of the Smoky Brown Cockroach is about half that of the American Cockroach. In a protected environment, they can live anywhere between 200-300 days at room temperature, with the young developing into adults within 6-12 months.

Identify: 10-15mm, two light colour bands across wing and abdomen

Habits: Most commonly found indoors, frequently infesting bedrooms as opposed to kitchens, as is the case with the German species. However, unlike German Cockroaches, a Brown-Banded infestation is likely to be scattered throughout a building rather than restricted to a particular area, like a kitchen or living room. These cockroaches like to hide in warm areas near the ceiling, behind wall decorations and loose wallpaper, in piles of paper in cabinets, and they've been found both beneath & inside upholstered furniture. They've also been found hiding in electrical appliances such as stereos and toasters! Indeed, this can make effective cockroach pest control services very difficult and ultimately, a bit more expensive for the customer.

Lifespan: Development from nymph to adult takes only 2-4 months with adult Brown-Banded Cockroaches usually living for 3-6 months.