The Brown Banded Roach

Roach infestations are rarely elimated by homeowners attempting to use over the counter products. It's a constant and costly battle.

Identify the enemy:

• Brown-banded cockroaches get their name from the two lighter bands they have across their dark brownish bodies. Male brown-banded roaches have full wings that reach beyond the tip of their pointed abdomens, but females have underdeveloped wings that prohibit them from flying. The brown-banded cockroach can live for about 206 days.

• The Brownbanded Cockroach is one of the smaller species, it rarely exceeds 1/2 inch long. At times it is confused with the German roach, which has two dark, distinctive bands behind the head.

Know your enemy, “likes and dislikes” and dangers :

• Brownbanded cockroaches have the ability to multiply quickly and can be a nuisance in large numbers.

• The brownbanded cockroach prefers warm and dry locations, such as near refrigerator motor housings, on the upper walls of cabinets, and inside pantries, closets, dressers, and furniture in general. They can also be found behind picture frames and beneath tables and chairs, and inside clocks, radios, light switch plates, doorframes, and dressers. It is common to find them hiding nearer the ceiling than the floor and away from water sources.

• This roach does not like sunlight and is not normally seen during the day except in the case of severe infestations. 

• Damage by brownbanded cockroaches results from their feeding and harboring in pantries and storage areas indoors.

• Since Brownbanded roaches do not require moisture for survival to the extent other roach species do, their presence is not limited to the kitchen or bathroom.

• The Brownbanded Cockroach will eat almost anything and has been known to jump when trying to escape.

• Like members of other cockroach species, it may consume materials like glue or paste (especially from animal-based materials), starch, and certain color dyes. As a result, items like stamps, envelopes, bindings of older books, draperies, and occasionally wallpapers may show signs of feeding. This species has also been known to chew on nonfood materials, such as nylon stockings, presumably for the residues of body oils and skin flakes.

• Brown-branded roaches also have been reported to spread at least 33 kinds of bacteria, six kinds of parasitic worms and at least seven other kinds of human pathogens. They can pick up germs on the spines of their legs and bodies as they crawl through decaying matter or sewage and then carry these into food or onto food surfaces. Recent medical studies have shown that cockroach allergens cause allergies and exacerbate asthma attacks, especially in children. And brown-banded cockroaches have been identified as a species of roach that can cause such reactions.

If you are tired of fighting the battle against roaches, contact your local pest management professional. This is your best line of defense to get your roach problem under control safely and effectively.