Where do German cockroaches hide?
These insects prefer warm, moist and secluded places like cracks and crevices in walls, under sinks and toilets, beneath and behind refrigerators, dishwashers and stoves, near garbage containers and inside cabinets and pantries.
What does a German cockroach look like?
LENGTH: 1.3 to 1.6 cm.
COLOR: Light brown with two black bands on the pronotum (behind the head).
WINGS: Cover the tip of the abdomen.
REPRODUCTION: Yellow-brown ootheca. Incubation time: 14-28 days. A female can produce about 5 ootheca in her lifetime, with an average of 30-40 eggs per ootheca. The time it takes to complete its biological cycle ranges from 54 to 215 days.
FECES: Particles such ascoffee grains or pepper near the shelters.
HABITAT: Warm (between 27 and 30°C) and humid areas. Prefers kitchens and bathrooms. Likes to crawl into tight crevices.
LONGEVITY: German cockroaches mostly live for 3 to 6 months.
What do German cockroaches smell like?
German cockroaches have an odor that can be difficult to identify if they occur in small numbers. So, it's not easy to recognise a cockroach infestation only by its smell.
They are said to give off a musty, mildewy, sooty or oily smell. Oriental cockroaches smell worse than their counterparts. But adding the droppings, the food leftovers and the dead corpses to this stinky cocktail and you get a horrible odor that you are bound to pick up on. This odor gets worse as the cockroach infestation grows.
The odor is emitted by an oleic acid (chemical) that they use to communicate with other cockroaches about food, reproducing or nesting.