the essentials in brief
- Cockroaches have wings and can fly.
- In male cockroaches, the ability to fly is severely limited to a short gliding flight. Females are unable to fly due to stunted wings.
- Baby cockroaches cannot fly because wings do not form until adult cockroaches.
Can cockroaches fly?
Yes, in principle, cockroaches can fly. However, the ability to fly is severely restricted and in no way comparable to the flying skills of house flies, fruit flies and other pests. Like most insects, cockroaches have two pairs of wings. The flying machine is made up of coarse, leathery upper wings and filigree rear wings. At rest, the wings lie flat on the body.
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Regardless of this, a cockroach will seldom if ever buzz around your head. Often only male cockroaches can fall back on fully developed wings. There is little interest in flying around the house, because cockroach ladies tend to move around on the ground. The wings of many females are stunted and no longer ready for use. Sometimes it is just a dummy because the required flight muscles are no longer available.
Digression
Nimble legs and flexible exoskeleton
Impaired flight does not prevent cockroaches from annexing buildings. On their three pairs of legs at the sides, the insects travel at lightning speed with top speeds of up to 1.5 meters per second - horizontally and vertically. A flexible exoskeleton enables cockroaches to use the tiniest cracks and crevices as loopholes.Which cockroaches can fly?
In the dark cockroach kingdom, having wings does not necessarily mean unrestricted ability to fly. Wings of many cockroach species have sunk into insignificance over the course of millions of years of evolution. A few species found in Europe were able to retain a certain degree of flight ability. The following table presents the 5 most common types of cockroaches that can fly:
| scientific name | size | colour | Wing yes / no | Flight ability | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| German cockroach | Blattella germanica | 13-16 mm | brown to clay yellow | Yes | restricted, gliding |
| Common cockroach | Blatta orientalis | 25-30 mm | black to dark brown | Yes | restricted, gliding |
| American cockroach | Periplaneta americana | 34-53 mm | red-brown | Yes | Well |
| Brown banded cockroach | Supella longipalpa | 10-14 mm | yellow-brown | Yes | limited |
| Forest cockroaches | Ectobiinae | 9-14 mm | brown to light brown | Yes | Well |
The following explanations shed light on the actual flight ability of the respective cockroach species:
German cockroach (Blattella germanica)
The dominant cockroach species in Germany and all of Central Europe is the German cockroach, also known as the cockroach. In adult animals, the wings extend to the end of the abdomen. The flying machine can no longer be used with female cockroaches. At best, the somewhat smaller and lighter males are capable of a short glider flight. Of course, this handicap does not prevent the pests from whizzing through the building at top speed of an impressive 30 meters per second. In addition, the insects can jump 5 to 10 centimeters.
Common cockroach (Blatta orientalis)
The common cockroach is also known by the names of the baker's cockroach and the oriental cockroach. In addition to the German cockroach, this type of cockroach is the most common harassment of people in Germany and around the world. Smooth, curved wings are only found in males and are only suitable for a short gliding flight. In the female baker's cockroach, the wings are stunted to short stumps or are completely absent.
Because oriental cockroaches are so big and heavy, they stay on the ground and do not run up the walls. To compensate for the severely restricted or lost ability to fly, these cockroaches hold the speed record with a dizzying 150 centimeters per second. Smaller obstacles are not flown over, but jumped over.
American cockroach (Periplaneta americana)
Regardless of its name, the American cockroach is also making itself unpopular in German buildings. Males and females have well-developed wings up to the end of the abdomen. In males, the wings protrude beyond the abdomen. The insects rarely use the resulting unrestricted flight ability. The pests prefer to rely on their strong legs, which they use to move around quickly. In order to overcome one or the other stumbling block, the cockroaches do not even bother to unfold their wings, but master the obstacle with one jump.
European brown cockroach (Supella longipalpa)
Under the name furniture cockroach, the smallest cockroach species in Germany spreads fear and terror. The vermin has its sights primarily on all types of furniture where serious damage is to be complained about. Both sexes can resort to wings up to the tip of the abdomen or beyond. The wings are usually only unfolded at high temperatures of more than 30 degrees Celsius.
Tips
A cockroach sighting should not be taken lightly. As a result of unbelievable reproduction rates, a cockroach plague is inevitable that outperforms any mouse plague. A German cockroach produces 40 new animals with a single egg packet. If half of them are female, 20 x 40 more specimens, i.e. 800 cockroaches, will emerge within two months. After another two months you will have 400 x 40, i.e. 16,000 cockroaches on your neck.
Special case forest cockroaches
Forest cockroaches are the innocent victims of the global cockroach aversion. Indeed, forest cockroaches have a completely different lifestyle than common cockroaches. Their habitat extends over deciduous and mixed forests. Wood cockroaches rarely get lost in buildings. There it is their undoing that they look confusingly similar to the dreaded German cockroaches (Blattella germanica). The following arguments explain why forest cockroaches have a special position:
- useful : Forest cockroaches are beneficial insects because they feed on decomposing plant waste
- harmless : no affinity for food or animal feed, no risk of disease transmission
- diurnal : mainly out and about in daylight, in contrast to the distantly related nocturnal vermin
- airworthy : equipped with a functioning flight apparatus
If forest cockroaches accidentally get into living spaces, it does not end well for the beneficial insects. Due to a lack of food, the insects die within a few days if they have not previously been the victim of a fly swatter.
Can baby cockroaches fly?
Baby cockroaches can't fly. This fact is based on a specific development cycle. Cockroach eggs develop into nymphs, not larvae. These are young animals that look very similar to an adult cockroach at a very early stage of development, including rudimentary wings. The wings are only fully developed in adult cockroaches.
frequently asked Questions
Are cockroaches dangerous?
Cockroach infestation means a high health risk for people, pets and farm animals. The insects contaminate stored food and animal feed with feces and other excretions. Furthermore, scientists have proven beyond any doubt that cockroaches transmit diseases such as dysentery, cholera, tuberculosis, anthrax and salmonellosis. Skin debris and dried fecal matter trigger asthma in susceptible people.
How can cockroach infestation be recognized in the house?
You will seldom see a live cockroach. Cockroaches are nocturnal, very shy and lightning fast. Typical indicators of the presence of the pests are damage to food supplies, a penetrating smell, transparent moulting residues and crumbs of excrement on walls and floors. Final certainty about cockroach infestation is provided by commercially available glue traps with special attractants.
How do cockroaches get into the apartment building?
Cockroaches often find their way into the home as stowaways in food packaging, second-hand kitchen appliances or holiday luggage. Furthermore, the pests like to migrate in from neighboring bakeries, restaurants or food factories. The smallest cracks and crevices are used by crafty cockroaches as loopholes to nestle in the house.
How can I prevent cockroach infestation?
Effective prevention are minor structural measures. Seal all joints in the masonry. Eliminate cracks in the door, even if they are only a few millimeters. Avoid standing water in watering cans, buckets, basins and saucers of flower pots. Check used electrical appliances such as the refrigerator, washing machine, or coffee maker for cockroaches and egg packets. Do not use old banana boxes and similar packaging to transport your shopping home.
What can you do against cockroaches in the household?
Deprive roaches in the household of their livelihood. Always wipe up leftover food immediately. Regularly clean work surfaces, hard-to-reach niches, ovens, refrigerators and other household appliances that generate heat. Wash used dishes promptly and do not leave them in the sink overnight. Take any organic waste outside every night. Cockroaches can easily bite through paper, cardboard and plastic wrap. Therefore, keep supplies in closed containers made of glass, ceramic or porcelain.
Can cockroaches bite a person?
Cockroaches are equipped with powerful mouthparts. As omnivores, the pests make no distinction between vegetables, fruit, meat, cardboard, leather or human skin. However, like blood-sucking insects, cockroaches are not explicitly on the hunt for humans in order to actively bite them. So far, only a few cases have been documented in which people have been bitten by a cockroach.
Tips
Cockroaches are phenomenally tough. It sounds like a horror scenario, but it is based on scientific knowledge: cockroaches can live without a head for a week. Unlike humans, cockroaches don't rely on their heads to breathe. Oxygen is absorbed through small body orifices. And the food intake? No problem for headless cockroaches, as they can go without any food for up to four weeks.
