Tom McCarthy, age 8, of Cumberland, Md., for his question:
ARE THERE MANY KINDS OF COCKROACHES?
Cockroaches are troublesome, unpleasant insects that can be found throughout the world. The small animals are closely related to grasshoppers and crickets. There are more than 2,000 different species of cockroaches living on the earth today.
The most common kind of cockroaches found in houses in America are the Croton bug or German cockroach, the American cockroach, the Australian cockroach, the brown banded cockroach and the Oriental cockroach, which is also known as the black beetle.
The Croton bug is smaller than the other kinds of cockroaches, but it is more destructive. It also reproduces more rapidly than the others. It gets its name because it was first found in large numbers in the Croton waterworks system of New York City.
The Croton cockroach is a pale yellow brown with two stripes on the front part of the body. The other kinds of cockroaches vary in color from light to dark wood brown.
The cockroach has a flattened, slippery body, covered with a shiny, leathery casing. It has long legs covered with bristles. The strong legs permit the cockroach to run rapidly. The cockroach is one of the fastest runners among all insects. The insect also has long feelers that are called antennae.
Cockroaches eat food, garbage, book bindings and other insects, such as bedbugs. They live almost anywhere. You'll find them in grocery stores, homes, office buildings, restaurants, hotels, libraries and factories.
Swarms of cockroaches slip out at night through cracks in walls and floors to look for food. The insects are dirty and spread germs on everything they touch.
Cockroaches are often found outdoors. Some kinds can be found under stones and leaves or under loose bark or rotting logs and dead trees.
Cockroaches usually can be kept out of houses by keeping the rooms very clean and dry.
Cockroaches grow and reproduce best where there is dirt, grease and moisture. They can be killed by using roach powders that contain sodium fluoride, borax, sodium fluosilicate, rotenone or pyrethrum.
Roach powder should be dusted around sinks and water pipes. The cockroach takes the poison onto its body when it grooms itself. It scrapes the foreign particles and dust from its body with its legs and then draws its legs and feelers through its mouth.
Cockroaches dislike bright light and for this reason you'll seldom see one of the insects during the daytime. They usually come out only at night.
Cockroaches reproduce in dirty, damp places.