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Order of the Month
| Common Names | Recognizing Cockroaches | Managing Cockroaches |
| An Overview | Fun Facts | Information Sources |
| Highlighted Blattaria | Relatives |
Common names: cockroaches
An Overview:
This order is a rather small one with perhaps a few thousand
species in the world. Most of the cockroach species are found in the
tropical or semi-tropical areas. There are only about 50 species in the
United States mostly in the southern states. There are a few smaller
families but most of them in the US are found in these three families.
Blattidae - oriental, American, and other cockroaches; rather large insects, including Blatta and Periplaneta which are pests
Blattellidae - German, wood and other cockroaches; rather small roaches; including Blattella and Supella which are pests
Blaberidae - giant cockroaches and others; including Blaberus
Cockroaches are generalist feeders and survive in many habitats. They are wide spread as pests almost everywhere human live. Several species of roaches are persistent pests in homes, restaurants, and other human structures. People use other names that are more socially acceptable like "water bugs" or "palmetto bugs" for cockroaches.
Recognizing Cockroaches
Most people can recognize roaches readily. The oval flattened shape,
the head held under the pronotum, and long thin antennae are good
characters. They are cursorial (walking) insects that can run quickly.
Keep in mind that the immatures look much like the adults except the
immatures do not have wings.
Relatives
Cockroaches are related to the orders Orthoptera (grasshoppers), Mantodea
(mantids) and Phasmida (walkingsticks). In the past these orders were all
combined into Orthoptera.
- Rearing - Easy Insects - Tropical Jewels
- Control - Cockroaches... Recognition and Control, Texas Cooperative Extension
Information Sources
Books
Borror, D. J., C. A. Triplehorn and N. F. Johnson. 1989. An Introduction
to the Study of Insects. Sixth Edition. Harcourt Brace Jovanovich
College Publishers. 875 pp.
J. A. Jackman. 1997. A Field Guide to the Spiders and Scorpions of
Texas. Originally by Gulf Publishing, Houston, TX. To order call the
National Book Network at: 800-462-6420.