Results 1 to 8 of 8

Thread: The largest cockroach ever

  1. #1
    Diamond Member AndyD's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jan 2010
    Location
    Cape Town
    Posts
    4,923
    Thanks
    576
    Thanked 934 Times in 755 Posts

    The largest cockroach ever

    Visited a friend of mine who lives in one of the Cape Town suburbs which overlooks the city. Half way through our second G&T a massive cockroach ambles across the center of the room. I couldn't believe the size of the bugger, it was about 2 1/2 inches long in the body, brown in colour and it had wings. I got up and stamped on it, by the time I'd sat down again it had scuttled off. He said they're quite common in that particular suburb and there was nothing they could do to get rid of them. I immediately suggested a 12 gauge pump action and some salt shells would be the entertaining way to address the infestation but he expressed doubts about the yellow-wood flooring being up to the onslaught. Just wondered if there was a more mundain way of getting rid of these things. I also was interested if they're actually a cockroach, I thought that given their size they might actually be some kind of mutant beetle. Unfortunately I didn't get a photo of the damn thing so I appreciate any info will be best-guess.
    _______________________________________________

    _______________________________________________

  2. #2
    Site Caretaker Dave A's Avatar
    Join Date
    May 2006
    Location
    Durban, South Africa
    Posts
    22,648
    Thanks
    3,304
    Thanked 2,676 Times in 2,257 Posts
    Blog Entries
    12
    Was it perhaps the American cockroach - Periplaneta americana?

  3. #3
    Diamond Member AndyD's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jan 2010
    Location
    Cape Town
    Posts
    4,923
    Thanks
    576
    Thanked 934 Times in 755 Posts
    Yep that's the one. I've seen similar sized critters when I lived in Miami but they were black in colour and I don't remember them having wings......although they possibly did and I just didn't notice, I tried not to get intimate enough with one to study its anatomy. I've never seen anything that size in Cape Town before, just the 'German' type.
    _______________________________________________

    _______________________________________________

  4. #4
    Email problem
    Join Date
    Feb 2011
    Location
    Cape Town
    Posts
    323
    Thanks
    87
    Thanked 24 Times in 22 Posts
    Male cockroaches have wings. Females do not.

  5. #5
    Site Caretaker Dave A's Avatar
    Join Date
    May 2006
    Location
    Durban, South Africa
    Posts
    22,648
    Thanks
    3,304
    Thanked 2,676 Times in 2,257 Posts
    Blog Entries
    12
    Quote Originally Posted by Andrew_ZA View Post
    Male cockroaches have wings. Females do not.
    It's more a species thing as to just how developed the wings are. In the case of the American cockroach, I assure you both male and female are strong fliers.

  6. #6
    Email problem BryanCasson's Avatar
    Join Date
    Mar 2011
    Location
    Johannesburg
    Posts
    51
    Thanks
    1
    Thanked 6 Times in 6 Posts
    Wash your dishes!
    Bryan Casson: SEO Expert & Owner of Casson Media
    "Google or Bing...... um what is Bing?"

  7. #7
    Diamond Member AndyD's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jan 2010
    Location
    Cape Town
    Posts
    4,923
    Thanks
    576
    Thanked 934 Times in 755 Posts
    You're right, if we ever got an infestation in our house the kitchen sink would probably be ground zero (or maybe the kids bedrooms..... it's a tough call). His place on the other hand is immaculate. I bought him some roach killer stuff from Pick & Pay, Can't recall the brand name but it was made by Bayer and came in a small plastic syringe. He tried it and said that for a week there were more big-assed roaches stumbling around than he'd ever seen. Now he says he's only seen one in the last two months so it seems to have worked. The million dollar question is for how long.
    _______________________________________________

    _______________________________________________

  8. #8
    Junior Member
    Join Date
    Jun 2023
    Location
    India
    Posts
    11
    Thanks
    0
    Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts
    American cockroaches (Periplanetaamericana) are approximately 4 cm long as adults; German cockroaches (Blattella germanica) measure 1.6 cm in length as adults. Asian cockroach adults (Blattellaasahinai) grow up to 1.6 cm in length, while Oriental cockroach adult females can be longer than 2.5 cm.

Similar Threads

  1. Replies: 1
    Last Post: 08-Aug-10, 03:06 PM
  2. I am the cockroach
    By duncan drennan in forum General Business Forum
    Replies: 9
    Last Post: 22-May-07, 04:54 PM
  3. Climate Change Blamed for Australia's Cockroach Migration
    By Dave A in forum Pest Control Industry Forum
    Replies: 10
    Last Post: 21-Mar-07, 08:43 AM

Did you like this article? Share it with your favourite social network.

Did you like this article? Share it with your favourite social network.

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •