Asian Cockroach

Blattella asahinai Mizukubo

Flying Roaches

The Asian Cockroach is well established in Central Florida; it has been reported in Pensacola and other areas of the Florida Panhandle as well as in East Central Georgia.  This roach is easily confused with the German Cockroach; most professionals cannot distinguish one from the other unless found alive, while observing the roach behavior and habitat.  The Asian roach is a good flyer and is attracted to homes at night, flying towards light.  This pest is commonly found in turf grass and is often seen flying indoors and crawling across computer and television monitors.  The German Cockroach is not capable of sustained flight and prefers to live indoors.  The Asian roach is an accomplished flyer and lives outdoors, wandering into homes by accident where they become a pest.

Asian Roach Behavior

At dusk, the Asian roach becomes very active and adults are attracted to light reflected off light-colored walls, doorways and windows.  This roach is capable of sustained fly for a distance of 150 feet.  They then actively try to enter the home where they rest on lighted walls.  When light are turned off (as residents of the home leave a room,) the cockroaches will follow to the next lighted room.  Thus, many residents believe that these roaches are attacking them -- but they are not.
The natural habitat and flying abilities of these pests make them rather difficult to exterminate.  The elimination (or control) of these bugs will be discussed in greater detail in the Roach Elimination section of this article.

Life Cycle

The life cycle of the Asian roach is very similar to that of the German cockroach.  Female Asian cockroaches have a lifetime reproductive potential for producing approximately four egg capsules, each containing 35 to 44 nymphs. Immatures take approximately 67 days to reach adulthood. Females can then live for 104 days and males can live for 49 days. Females can produce their first egg capsule 13 days after reaching adulthood, and can drop another 20 days later. Adults are abundant February through May and again August through September. Nymphs predominate May through August.

Identification

Asian cockroaches are almost identical to German cockroaches in appearance.  Chemical analysis by gas chromatography will confirm the species. However, there are also slight morphological differences between B. asahinai and B. germanica. Asian cockroach adults have longer and narrower wings than those of German cockroaches.  In most cases, identification is established by the behavior and location of the roaches.  Specifically, Asian roaches are capable of sustained flight and normally live in grass and/or leaves; German roaches are not capable of sustained flight and are found residing in our homes, kitchens.

Asian Cockroach Elimination

Indoors: Residual sprays such as Suspend SC, Demon EC or Talstar Concentrate will kill roaches that crawl on treated surfaces.  However, most of your elimination methods should be focused on the exterior of the structure.  Your exterior treatment should be applied in late afternoon/ early evening.  This is the time period when Asian flying roaches are most active.  Spray the exterior of the structure, paying close attention to areas around or close to lights (where these flying roaches are most likely to land) and around windows, doors or other entry points where the invading bugs enter the building.
You should also spray the ground, especially grass, leaf piles, mulched areas, compost piles or other such vegetation where these roaches are most likely to crawl, feed or hide.
A good alternative to spraying for Asian Roaches is to use Maxforce Gel Roach Bait.

If Maxforce roach bait is used indoors, do not spray any rooms where bait is to be applied.  Insecticide bug sprays will repel roaches from your bait, contaminate baits (making them unattractive to pests) and will also kill the roaches before they can begin the domino effect of the bait.  Each roach feeding on Maxforce Gel Roach Bait can kill up to 50 more roaches through contact and the cannibalistic characteristics of roaches.  Also, young roaches (nymphs) have no teeth and many times depend on adult roach droppings for nourishment because they cannot eat solid food particles.
Outdoors: The same pesticides (mentioned above) should be used to thoroughly spray all mulch, ground covers, grass and soil around the perimeter of the building.  Although the entire lawn (turf grass) can be sprayed, the treatment would only be effective if applied in late evening or when the population of roaches is at its maximum numbers.  Many professionals will spray the exterior of the home, but will also broadcast a granular bait (labeled for roaches) in the effected turf grass.  Niban G or Maxforce Granular would be the best baits for this particular application.  When treating larger areas, Niban G is more economical.  If there is no danger of birds, dogs, non-target animals or wildlife ingesting your bait, molecricket bait sometimes works on these roaches -- if the bait is fresh!  If you are not sure of the molecricket bait's freshness, do not waste your time or money.  Use a professional bait you can depend on.  Maxforce Granular Bait and Niban G are the best if you wish to bait your lawn and flower beds for Asian Cockroaches or any other outdoor roach.

In summary, you should attack an Asian cockroach infestation with non-chemical and chemical pest control methods:

• Limit outdoor lighting from dusk until 3 hours after sundown.
• Rake up and dispose of all possible vegetation litter (leaves, grass clippings.)
• Broadcast Talstar Concentrate (using hose end sprayer) over lawn and shrubs.
• Spray exterior of house (using pump type garden sprayer) with Suspend SC, Demon EC, or Talstar Concentrate.  Talstar is best for this job.

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