Brown-banded cockroach (Supelle longipalpa)

• Kingdom: Animals (Animalia)
• Phylum: Chordates (Chordata)
• Class: Insects (Insecta)
• Order: Cockroaches (Blattodea)
• Family: Wood cockroaches (Ectobiidae)
• Genus: (Supella)
• Species: Brown-banded cockroach (Supelle longipalpa)

Size:

• Male head-body length: 13-15 mm
• Female head-body length: 10-12mm
• Males, unlike females, are capable of flight.

Look:

• Brown band: The brown banded cockroach has a more or less pronounced horizontal brown line/band on its forewings.
• Color: Brown metallic shimmer

Life cycle:

• Reproduction: After 80-355 days, a brown-banded cockroach is fully developed and ready to produce offspring.
• Oothecae: Development time: 17 - 40 days
• Ootheca: The ootheca is worn approximately 24-36 hours before shedding.
• Egg laying: 13-18 nymphs per ootheca (egg case), 13 oothecae per cockroach lifetime
• Lifespan: 150 - 410 days

Habitat:

• The brown-banded cockroach prefers high temperatures and is less dependent on humidity than other cockroach species. They are most often found under kitchen appliances, near heating pipes, and inside technical equipment. The oothecae (egg cases) are usually laid in the upper third of a room. Brown-banded cockroaches are a common pest in restaurants, kitchens, hotels, and hospitals. They produce three different pheromones:
• Sex pheromone: In females ready to mate, for reproduction.
• Aggregation pheromone: In the feces of the brown-banded cockroach, used to signal shared hiding places.
• Dispersion pheromone: antagonist of the aggregation pheromone, leads to the spread of a population if there are too many individuals.

Nutrition:

• Omnivore: This makes the brown-banded cockroach an adaptable pest.

Behave:

• Social: Lives in groups.
• Nocturnal: The brown-banded cockroach is nocturnal and spends most of the day in hiding. Despite infestations, sightings are very rare; a large population could develop without anyone noticing.

Driven:

• Damage: Can contaminate supplies and living spaces through the transport of bacteria, germs, fungi, and viruses.
• Allergy: The brown-banded cockroach can be a cause of allergies such as asthma and hay fever in infants, children, and adolescents. Children who grow up in a contaminated environment are more likely to develop asthma or hay fever.

Disease transmission:

• It carries various bacteria, fungi, protozoa, and viruses. Furthermore, the likelihood of children developing allergies increases if they grow up in a contaminated area.

Food:

• Store food and drinks safely and check storage rooms regularly.
• Dispose of food scraps and waste in sealable containers.

Hygiene:

• Do not leave open garbage cans or bags.
• Regular cleaning of surfaces and rooms.

House and garden:

• Set up monitoring.
• Consult a pest control expert for comprehensive advice.

Behave:

• Use traps and baits only in consultation with pest control professionals. Do not handle the animals directly without protective measures.

Garden maintenance:

• Regularly collect fallen fruit in the garden.
• Store compost heaps far away from the building.