Blattella germanica

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Literature database
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Blattella germanica - adult (click on image to enlarge it)
Source: Clemson University - USDA Cooperative Extension Slide Series - IPM Images

Blattella germanica (Linnaeus) - (German cockroach)
is a wide-spread and common pest in houses and stores which also produces allergens. Further, German cockroaches are mechanical vectors of many pathogens. The allergens are mainly proteins found in cockroach feces, saliva, eggs and shed cuticles, which become incorporated into household dust. The species has a world-wide distribution and is one of the most common household pests. It can also live outdoors in tropical areas. In the south-eastern U.S. German cockroaches are regarded as the third major domestic pest, after mosquitoes and ants. For control, sanitation is recommended, apart from the use of a suitable insecticide. Sticky traps are useful for monitoring.

Vernacular names
• Deutsch: Deutsche Schabe
Küchenschabe
• English: German cockroach
• Español: cucaracha alemana
• Français: blatte germanique

The adults do not fly although they have wings and are mostly nocturnal. They are omnivorous and consume items like food, any other types of organic material, paper or toothpaste. They are about 1½ cm long and very flat. The colour is light brown with two dark dorsal stripes along the thorax and abdomen. Females develop egg cases, each containing 30-50 eggs. The life cycle from egg, through 6-7 nymphal stages, to mature adult lasts about 6 weeks.

For details see the respective page in Wikipedia.

The literature database currently contains 378 publications for Blattella germanica. (See box above/on left.)