- Pillbugs and Sowbugs Class Crustacea
Appearance:
- The sowbug possess two tail-like appendages at the tip of the abdomen and are incapable of rolling into a tight ball. The common pillbug lacks such appendages at the tip of the abdomen and can roll itself into a ball. This habit is the reason they are often called “roly polies”.
- Habitat:
- Are found under mulch or vegetable debris of all kinds and beneath objects on damp ground. They frequently invade damp basements and crawl spaces and may infest potted plants. A heavy infestation indoors generally indicates that there is a large population immediately outside the building.
- Food:
- Both pillbugs and sowbugs feed upon decaying vegetable matter.
- Cockroaches that invade buildings will consume a wide variety of food and nonfood items, such as:
starches sweets grease plant materials meat products cheese leather bakery products forms of glue
hair dead animals beer flakes of dried skin starch in book bindings Life Cycle: - Cockroaches develop by a gradual metamorphosis that consists of three stages:
1. Egg; the female produces a purse shaped egg capsule, called an ootheca.
2. Nymph; nymphs hatch out of the egg capsule by working together to break open the capsule. When the egg capsule is opened, the tiny nymphs emerge to begin their life. The nymphs generally resemble the adults in appearance and behavior, but are smaller, do not have wings or wing pads, and usually have a different color. Newly molted nymphs are white, but will darken to the normal color within a few hours.
3. Adults; depending on the species, the wings of an adult may be long. Some species have very short wings, which appear to be “wingless”. The length of time required for the eggs to hatch, for nymphs to develop, and the life span of adults will vary due to temperature, humidity, the quality of their diet, and other environmental conditions. General Information:
Cockroaches are among the most common insects. Based on fossil evidence cockroaches are known to have been present on Earth for 300 million years. There are approximately 3500 species of cockroaches worldwide – about 60 species are found in the United States. Cockroaches produce odorous secretions from various points in their bodies which can affect the flavor of various foods. Although disease producing organisms such as bacteria have been found on cockroach bodies, the principal disease transmitted by cockroaches are gastroenteritis diseases. These include food poisoning, dysentery, diarrhea and other illnesses. For the most part, however, cockroaches usually are not associated with severe illnesses or disease outbreaks.
Although cockroaches are able to move around quite easily, and some are able to fly, cockroaches are well known for moving to new areas via “hitchhiking”. Cockroaches are mostly active at night, during which time they forage for food, water and mates. They may be seen in the daytime, usually when a heavy population is present or when some other stress is placed on them (such as lack of food or water).
