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The Oriental cockroach (Blatta orientalis) is a large species of cockroach,
measuring about 1 inch in length at maturity. It is dark brown to black in
colour and has a glossy body. The female Oriental cockroach has a somewhat
different appearance to the male, appearing to be wingless at casual glance
but has two very short and useless wings just below its head. It has a wider
body than the male. The male has long wings, which cover a majority of its body
and are brown in colour, and has a more narrow body. Neither the male or female
can fly, apparently.
The oriental cockroach tends to travel somewhat more slowly than other
species. They are often called waterbugs since they prefer dark, moist places.
They can often be found around decaying organic matter, and in sewers, drains,
damp basements, porches, and other damp locations. They can be found outside in
bushes, under leaf groundcover, under mulch, and around other damp places outdoors.
In order to thrive, cockroaches need a place to hide. They prefer warm
places and a relatively high humidity if possible; they also need a source
of food/liquid. The optimum temperature for Oriental Cockroaches is between
20 -29 Degrees Celsius; thus they are rarely found outdoors in the U.K. Female
Oriental Cockroaches have vestigial tegmina (Type of wing cover) and males have longer Tegmina.
Cockroaches are mainly nocturnal. Oriental cockroaches can be elusive in
that a casual inspection of an infested dwelling during the day may show no
signs of roach activity
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