Black cockroaches

Blatta orientalis - so in Latin is called Black cockroach. The genus to which this insect belongs does not include too many species. The closest relatives of the Eastern cockroach (this is another name for the insect) inhabit the Australian and African continents. He himself spread throughout the world and more than three centuries ago, he firmly settled in Europe.

Nowadays, large black cockroaches shown in the photo below are found in apartments much less often than their red counterparts:

But in the old days in Russia it was black cockroaches who lived in cellars and closets, looking after the master's goods. Moving to a new home, it was customary to take these insects with them for good luck. Was considered when there are cockroaches in the house, then the people living in it have no need whatsoever.

 

Black cockroach lifestyle

A long time ago, many insects "understood" that it was more comfortable for them to live alongside people.Black cockroaches, capable of reaching large sizes, prefer wet basements, sewage, garbage collectors. They are not averse to managing in grocery stores, eating places, hospitals and prisons.

In apartment buildings, the residents of the lower floors suffer most of all, since uninvited guests do not rise above the fifth floor.

Black cockroaches are synanthropic insects, which, of course, may well exist outside the human home, but still try to be close to him, looking for secluded places under the stones or in the cracks of old buildings. You can see them in nature in the southern regions, on the Black Sea coast.

While it is light, insects try not to leave their shelters, and at night they bravely go out in search of food. Representatives of this species are omnivores, they do not disdain any products and remains of invertebrates.

 

Appearance

The appearance of the black cockroach is of interest, first of all, for people who are passionate about entomology. Here is an example photo of these insects:

But the presence of such a handsome man in the house of a rather impressive size will not inspire anyone. The length of the female is slightly longer than the male, and can reach 3 cm.They say that individual sizes are close to 5 cm.

The insect has a black chitinous shell according to its name, less often it is brown. The integuments shine like metal and are rather durable, therefore, it will take an effort to crush an insect. The cockroach is flat, which allows it to easily penetrate the narrowest gaps.

 

Black Cockroach Body Parts

The body of the Black Cockroach, a typical representative of the class of Insects, segmented, is divided into three sections - the head, chest and abdomen. The segments that form the head section are merged together.

On the sides of the head there are two large eyes that have a complex facet structure. Moreover, in the individual male the vision is sharper than in females. In front is a pair of articular antennae. Insect when moving exposes them forward and sideways. Antennae, resembling small antennas, continuously make oscillatory movements. The length of the antennae responsible for the sense of smell and touch is greater in the male than in the female and exceeds the size of his body.

The breast of the black cockroach is represented by three segments - the prothorax, the medial thorax, and the posterior thorax.The spinal region of the first segment is strongly developed, hanging forward, hiding the head of an insect. A pair of running legs is attached to each segment on the sides.

The last segment of the cockroach bears a pair of claws and a sucker, so that the insect can move on any surface, including vertical ones. On the chest of a male black cockroach are two pairs of wings (see photo):

The soft abdomen of black cockroaches is formed by ten segments, the first seven are larger, the rest are reduced, and in the female this is more pronounced. On the last segment is the anus, and on the sides there are two small sensitive limbs - cerci. The ninth segment of the male carries the shafts, which serve as protection for its external genitals.

It is interesting

Although the middle part of the body has a pair of leathery elytra, and the back part is two true webbed wings, they are not used for their intended purpose. The females of the black cockroaches are completely devoid of devices for flight, they have only elytra, and even they are in their infancy.

The eight segments of the abdomen and the two infants are equipped with breathing holes, or stigmas.From them inside the body of an insect comes a branching network of tubes - the trachea, entangling all internal organs and ensuring the delivery of oxygen to them.

The cockroach has a multi-chamber heart, which specifies the directional movement of fluid from the posterior end of the body forward, and the aorta. Hemolymph washes all internal organs.

Interestingly arranged nervous system of a cockroach. It is represented by a chain of ganglions, the largest of which, the supraparyngeal, performs the function of the brain, ensures the innervation of the main sense organs.

 

The digestive system of the Black Cockroach

The oral apparatus is located below, it is concentrated around the pharyngeal orifice and is rather intricate. It is represented by the upper lip, a protuberance resembling the tongue, as well as a pair of the upper and two pairs of lower jaws.

The structure of the lower jaw includes another sense organ - the tentacles. Oral parts of the gnawing type of cockroach, they are powerful, coping with a wide variety of foods: both liquid and solid. The digestive system of the black cockroach is perfectly shaped.

The food is crushed by the jaws and moistened with saliva, processed throughout the intestine by digestive enzymes, subjected to additional mechanical stress in the so-called chewing stomachwhich has wrinkles in the form of chitinous plates, as well as the effects of special bacteria that inhabit the intestines of a cockroach. All this allows the insect to digest foods that seem inedible to us.

Nutrients and decomposition products are transported in the body of a black cockroach through hemolymph.

 

Three lives of the black cockroach

Cockroaches are a detachment with an incomplete transformation, and this means that they have only three qualitatively different life forms - the egg, the nymph, the imago.

Mature females and males mate, after which in the genital sinus of the female, which is located under the dorsal shields of the last segments of the abdomen, an ooteca, a kind of chitinous cocoon, will form where the eggs will ripen. The oteotec of the black cockroach, which can be seen in the photo below, is large, up to 12 mm in length, dense, usually 16 eggs are packed in it.

At this time, the female's abdomen slightly increases in size, for several days, taking care of the offspring, the cockroach wears a flowk with him, and then leaves her in a secret place.The incubation stage lasts up to 44 days, then larvae appear from the cocoon, small copies of black cockroaches, but their coloring is much lighter than in adult individuals, they are almost white.

Larvae undergo up to 10 molts before reaching puberty. Getting older, the nymph is more and more like parents.

On breeding cockroaches and the rate of maturation of the offspring is influenced by the ambient temperature. In the conditions of human dwelling, breeding cockroaches does not interfere with anything, therefore they breed year-round. It can take from one to four years, until the younger generation is ready for mating. In all her life, the female lays 2-3 cocoons with eggs.

 

Harm caused by cockroaches

Black huge cockroaches most often come to human apartments from the worst places - garbage cans, sewers, they drag pathogens and helminth eggs on their feet, litter the premises with products of their vital activity - excrement, chitinous integuments left after molting.

They not only spoil the appearance of housing, but also are capable of causing serious harm to human health, as they provoke the occurrence of allergic reactions in it, including pronounced ones.

 

What could be the use of a black cockroach?

Talk about the benefits of a black cockroach, even a photo which many people may cause a squeamish reaction may seem inappropriate. However, powder and tincture made on the basis of large black cockroaches, according to some, have amazing healing properties.

Representatives of oriental medicine appreciate this tool, but in former centuries, healers prepared it, and deserved doctors believed in its power. They say that Botkin himself prescribed it to patients.

This medicine is recommended for many ills: some advise using it to get rid of worms, others are used as a diuretic, others, paradoxically, they try to stop asthma attacks with it. It is difficult to say how effective this tool is, because modern official medicine is categorical in this matter and does not recommend self-treatment.

Nevertheless, the facts of the use of black cockroaches for a variety of potions and tinctures are the place to be. However, how serious should a person’s health problems be,and how unacceptable for him should appear the medicines sold in pharmacies, so that he must repudiate the preference for such an extraordinary and not the cheapest method of treatment?

 

Black cockroach in a zoo