4 Most Commonly Found Cockroaches in the Philippines

What are the most commonly found cockroaches in the Philippines?

• German Cockroach – it has two dark vertical stripes running the length of its head shield.
• American Cockroach – an adult American cockroach is reddish brown in color.
• Brown Banded Cockroach – it has light bands across its abdomen.
• Oriental Cockroach – it is darker than most cockroaches.

If you live in the Philippines, then you’re no stranger when it comes to cockroaches. More than that, you probably harbor a fervent aversion towards them, and that the very idea of cockroaches already makes you shudder in disgust. Plus, when they start flapping their wings and blindly soar through the air? That will certainly have anyone screaming.

Cockroaches top the list of pests that need to be controlled. Aside from the multitudes of measures that you need to take—such as rodent control—managing cockroaches can be a nerve-wracking yet satisfying venture. Nothing feels more gratifying than finally seeing your beloved home devoid of this pest.

However, contrary to what you might think, cockroaches don’t look alike, and there isn’t just a single type of cockroach prowling out there. There are, in fact, thousands of species out there. But this post will only tackle the 4 most commonly found cockroaches in the Philippines. Read on to know more about them!

German Cockroach

Its scientific name is Blatella germanica. This particular species is the reason why cockroaches have such a dreadful reputation.

The German cockroach is spread all over the globe, and they can’t subsist in areas that have no human activity. Their survival is also hampered by cold temperature, which is the primary reason why they’re so drawn to the Philippines and its scorching heat. This makes pest control—especially cockroach control—even more crucial.

An adult German cockroach is 10 to 15 millimeters in length. Its distinct characteristic is the two dark vertical stripes running the length of its pronotum (or head shield).

In order to distinguish the males from the females, there are features that you need to look out for. Males have a thin and slender body, and its back is not covered by tegmina (or is leathery outer wings). The male is also rendered in a light yellowish brown color.

On the other hand, a female German cockroach has a plump body, and its back is covered by tegmina.

A female generates 4-9 oothecae (egg case). Each ootheca contains 37-44 eggs. Lastly, the adult life cycle spans for more than 100 days.

American Cockroach

Its scientific name is Periplaneta americana. The American cockroach is the largest of the most common cockroaches, with an average of 4 cm in length.

An adult American cockroach is reddish brown in color, with a light brown or yellowish band around the rim of the pronotum. Males are much more substantial than females because their wings can extend from 4 to 8 mm beyond the abdomen.

A female produces one oothecae every 10 months, with around 16 eggs per ootheca. The adult life cycle lasts from 100 days to 3 years.

Brown Banded Cockroach

Its scientific name is Supella longipalpa. This is a domestic cockroach, which means that its whole life is spent indoors. Yes, aside from rodents that you need to control, there’s also this particular cockroach that has a penchant for hiding in your home.

An adult brown-banded cockroach resembles the German cockroach a bit, especially with their tiny size and body shape. But the two can be set apart by the absence of dark stripes on a brown-banded cockroach. Instead, they have light bands across their abdomen.

The adult males are 13-14.5 mm in length, while adult females are 10-12 mm. Another distinct trait is that males fly when they are perturbed, while the females can’t fly. Lastly, a female brown-banded cockroach has a considerably bigger abdomen than a male.

A female generates up to 13 oothecae, which comprises of around 16 eggs. An adult typically lives 90 to 115 days.

Oriental Cockroach

Its scientific name is Blatta orientalis. It’s approximately 1 inch long, and is darker than most cockroaches. Some of them, in fact, already veer to black.

Males have wings that envelope almost ¾ of their body. On the other hand, females have extremely short wings. Despite this, both of them cannot fly.

The life span of oriental cockroaches ranges from 1 to 6 months.

Key Takeaway

Aside from rodent control, you should also concern yourself with cockroaches; they definitely top the list of pests that you need to control.

There are thousands of species of cockroaches available in the Philippines, although these four are the most common. Regardless of the species, however, it’s your duty to ensure that your home or establishment is completely devoid of this horrifying pest.