Flying Cockroaches (17 Photos): Can Domestic Cockroaches Fly? Are There Big Flying Cockroaches?

2024 Author: Beatrice Philips | [email protected]. Last modified: 2024-01-18 12:09

Cockroaches are one of the most common types of insects found in the home. Like almost all insects, they have two pairs of wings. But not all of them use them for flights.

What are the wings of cockroaches?

The body of cockroaches consists of a triangular head, a small body with tenacious paws, elytra and wings. The sizes of insects are different. If you look closely at the cockroach, you can see fragile lower wings and more rigid upper ones.

They do not grow in these insects immediately. When baby cockroaches are born, they have no wings, only a soft shell. As they grow older, they drop it several times. Over time, the cockroach develops weak wings, which become stronger over time.

The front pair of wings, which is attached to the back of the insect, is never used by it. Cockroaches need them only for protection. They move through the air only with the help of a rear pair of wings. They are transparent and thin. Usually, the color of the wings matches the shade of chitin.

Do domestic cockroaches fly?

There are two main types of cockroaches in houses and apartments.

Redheads

In Russia, common red cockroaches are known as Prusaks . They are called that because it is generally accepted that they migrated to us from Prussia. However, in Europe, at the same time, it is believed that it was Russia that became the center of the spread of these insects.

Red cockroaches are quite common in houses and apartments . In addition, they can be seen in hospitals, dachas and catering establishments. Red cockroaches are picky. They eat not only fresh, but also spoiled food. When they do not have enough food leftovers, they begin to feed on paper, textiles, and sometimes even gnaw on wires.

Insects can even enter closed cabinets or refrigerators. therefore if pests are in the house, you need to carefully treat all accessible surfaces with disinfectants.

Small red-colored cockroaches reproduce very quickly. Therefore, it is quite difficult to deal with them. In everyday life, these insects practically do not use their wings. Usually domestic red cockroaches use them in order to quickly escape from danger, jumping over low obstacles.

They also use their wings during the mating season. At this time, the female, in the process of attracting the male, slightly spreads her wings and shakes them.

Black

Such insects are also called kitchen insects. In homes, they are less common than red cockroaches. The peak of insect activity occurs in the dark. They are practically invisible in the dark. When the light turns on in the room, these insects scatter, hiding in all kinds of crevices. Like their red relatives, these insects practically do not use their wings.

The most they can do is parry from place to place, using their wings to make the landing smoother

It is believed that in domestic cockroaches, the ability to fly has atrophied over time due to the fact that they do not need to fly far to find food.

Summing up, we can say that domestic cockroaches rarely fly . First of all, because they run very fast. Such insects are capable of speeds up to 4 kilometers per hour. And thanks to the sensitive hairs on the legs, they are able to easily change the trajectory of movement. This means that they do not need to use their wings to escape from somewhere.

They use their wings for the following purposes

1. In the process of relocation . When a colony of insects grows too large or they have some other reason to find a new habitat, they can make small flights in order to find another home. If flying cockroaches of red or black color were seen in the house, they must be urgently got rid of. In order to do this as quickly and efficiently as possible, you should seek the help of specialists who will carry out a complete processing of the room.
2. Looking for food … As a rule, cockroaches settle in places where there is a lot of food. After putting the house in perfect order, they begin to experience a lack of food. Therefore, they have to actively look for new places where they can profit. In the process of searching, insects make short flights.
3. When weather conditions change … If the temperature and humidity levels in the habitats of these insects change, they can in a hurry to leave the inhabited territory. In order to speed up this process, most domestic cockroaches use their wings.

In other cases, cockroaches behave calmly and move along various surfaces with exceptionally short dashes.

Flying species

In addition to common domestic cockroaches, there are also insect species that can fly. They are found mainly in countries with warm climates.

Asiatic

This large cockroach is a relative of the common red Prusak. The wings of this brown insect are slightly longer than those of its relative. For the first time, such cockroaches were identified in America in the late 80s of the last century. Now they are quite common in the southern states of the United States and in the warm countries of Asia.

Unlike the Prusaks, these cockroaches are good at flying . Like moths, they constantly strive for light. Insects prefer to live in the open air, but still quite often fly into living quarters and can even establish entire colonies there.

American

It is one of the largest cockroaches in the entire world .… The reddish body of such a huge insect in size can reach 5 centimeters. These parasites multiply very quickly. Each of the females makes about 90 clutches in her life. Each of them contains 10-12 eggs. Fertilization in this case occurs without the participation of males. It is noteworthy that these insects, unlike many of their relatives, take care of their offspring.

Cockroaches are called American, but they came to the United States from Africa. They decided to settle there because they liked the country with a warm climate. In Russia, they can be found in Sochi.

Typically, these insects live in trash cans, various collection systems, sewer systems and large warehouses. Colonies of cockroaches are large and quickly spread over the occupied territories. These insects are quite unpretentious. They can eat not only food waste, but also paper or synthetic materials. Such insects fly quite actively. Their wings are well developed.

Australian

This is another giant among insects … Australian cockroach is a kind of tropical . You can recognize it by the brown color of the calf and the light stripe on the side. Outwardly, the insect looks like an American cockroach, but differs from it in smaller size.

Such pests usually live in warm climates. They cannot stand the cold . It is also worth noting that Australian cockroaches like high humidity … They feed on various organic substances. Most of all they love plants. Such insects are especially harmful if they get into greenhouses or greenhouses.

Cuban

These cockroaches are very small in size. They look almost the same as American ones. Their bodies are light green. You can see yellow stripes around the edges. Cuban cockroaches are also called banana cockroaches.

They fly very well, almost like butterflies. In the evening, they are easy to spot, as they tend to seek light. Such insects usually live in rotten wood. They got their name due to the fact that they can often be found at the sites of cutting banana palms and on plantations.

Lapland

These are quite rare insects . Outwardly, they resemble the Prussians. But the color of cockroaches is not red, but yellow, with a slight grayish or brownish tint. Basically, these insects live in nature, since the main source of their food is plants. Such insects rarely enter houses. They also do not like to settle in colonies.

Furniture

This cockroach species was discovered in the middle of the last century in Russia. They were called furniture because they like to live in archives and libraries, that is, in places where there is a huge amount of furniture. But it is not she who attracts them, but the books rich in wallpaper glue . It is on them that furniture cockroaches most often eat. They also eat any foods rich in starch.

It is very easy to recognize these insects by their appearance. They are bright rufous and have brown-streaked wings. Cockroaches are good at using them. But, despite this, they fly very rarely. Now such insects can be seen in the central regions of the country.

Woody

These cockroaches are reddish or brown in color. In length, they reach three centimeters. Only adult and advanced males are capable of flying. Females have wings that are not fully formed and are very weak.

Smoky

Large smoky cockroaches are closely related to American ones. They can be recognized by their uniform red-brown color .… The ribcage of such an insect is darker and shinier. In length, the body of such a cockroach reaches 2-3 centimeters. These insects feed on organic matter. Like most cockroaches, they are scavengers.

Insects can live both in the wild and indoors. Such cockroaches are found in the USA, Australia and Japan. In Russia, there is almost no chance of meeting these insects. As you can see, most cockroaches that live near people do not fly. Over the long years of their existence, they have learned to do without flying and now use their wings only in very rare cases.