Oriental cockroach

Blatta orientalis

The Oriental cockroach, also known colloquially as the cockroach, grows to 20-28 mm in size. The males are chestnut brown, their wings slightly shorter than the abdomen. The females, on the other hand, are almost black and only have wing stubs. They are rather poor climbers and are therefore usually found near the ground, in damaged masonry, behind wall paneling, door frames, skirting boards, in pipe shafts or sewage pipes. Although the preferred temperature of Blatta orientalis is 20 to 29°C, reproduction is still possible even at 15°C. The egg packet with 16 eggs is laid randomly after only 2-5 days. Larvae only hatch after 2-3 months. Their development is completed after 22 weeks at high temperatures, but normally only after 1 year, although there are significant fluctuations depending on sex. Otherwise like the German cockroach, but more thermophilic. In contrast to other cockroach species, it also likes to penetrate electronic systems, e.g. computers, and can cause damage there.