German cockroach

Blattella germanica

The German cockroach is 13-17 mm in size, yellow-brown and has two dark brown longitudinal stripes on the pronotum. Both sexes are winged, but do not fly. The focus of infestation is often in kitchens or rooms where food is processed. Rooms with high temperatures and humidity are also often colonized by the German cockroach, e.g. laundries, pet shops, zoological gardens, restaurants, bakeries, commercial kitchens and modern shopping centers. These are particularly at risk due to the heat, the wide variety of food on offer and the numerous hiding places. Livestock stables (especially pigsties) on farms can also be colonized by the German cockroach. This species can only survive outdoors under favorable warm conditions, e.g. in garbage dumps. The egg package with 18-50 eggs is carried around by the female for approx. 4-5 weeks and then laid randomly. Shortly afterwards, the dark brown colored young larvae hatch. The total development time from egg to adult insect is 2-3 months. Like all cockroach species, they love dark, damp hiding places and are therefore often not noticed for a long time, especially as they only forage at night. The animals can also starve for long periods without any problems. Due to their chitin shell, the egg packages are very resistant, even to pesticides.