Answer:
How Long Do Cockroaches Live?
All cockroaches go through three stages of life: egg, nymph, and adult. While these insects usually live about 6 to 15 months, the cockroach lifespan varies based on species, moisture, and temperature in each of these phases. Understanding the cockroach life cycle can help you catch infestations before they grow into a serious problem.
Explanation:
Cockroach Stages of Life
Egg
The life cycle of a cockroach life begins with an egg. The pests lay cases of 10 to 50 eggs in warm, humid, and secluded spots of homes and businesses. You may find these small, leathery capsules:
under stoves, sinks, and appliances
in bathrooms, storerooms, and pantries
glued to ceilings, walls, and furniture with the pests’ sticky saliva
It takes cockroaches about one to two months to hatch, though the egg stage can last from 14 to 100 days depending on species and climate. In general, the higher the temperature, the quicker the pests develop.
Most females create multiple egg cases during their lifetimes, so infestations grow rapidly. For example, one German cockroach can produce over 300 eggs in a year.
Nymph
Next in the cockroach life cycle is the nymphal stage. Nymphs hatch and undergo several molts, growing a little each time they shed their skins. As they emerge from their old shells, immature pests have soft, white bodies that harden and change color to brown, tan, or gray. They will reach full adult size and coloration with their last molt.
Finding the insects’ cast-off shells around houses, restaurants, or grocery stores is a clear sign of a pest issue. Soon after hatching, young cockroaches can damage property and taint food with bacteria, just like adult roaches. The nymph phase lasts about one to three months.
Adult
After their final molt, nymphs enter the adult stage and reproduce to start the cycle over again. Since the cockroach lifespan is relatively long and the pests can infest buildings by the thousands, control is crucial. If you think you have an infestation, contact the experts at Western Pest Service
