The Biotic Associations of CockroachesRoth, Louis M. (Louis Marcus)
Science
The Biotic Associations of Cockroaches
Roth, Louis M. (Louis Marcus)
Cockroaches; Insects -- Ecology
Drinking water is available to cockroaches in the traps of sinks, wash
basins, tubs, and toilet bowls; in flush tanks; as condensation on cold
pipes, flush tanks, and windows; around leaking pipes and faucets; as
spillage; in miscellaneous water-filled containers, such as pet drinking
dishes, aquaria, vases; empty beverage bottles; and drainage from ice
boxes. Soft, juicy fruits and vegetables can provide both moisture and
food. There seems to be a tendency for certain species (_Blatta
orientalis_ and _Blattella germanica_) to become established in the more
humid parts of structures, such as basements, around sinks, and in
bathrooms. Whether this is a reaction to a preferred humidity or merely
a fortuitous aggregation near sources of drinking water and food has
never been clearly demonstrated. The rather widespread dissemination of
these species into zones of low as well as high humidity suggests that
detailed studies of the microclimatic conditions of structural
microhabitats will be needed before meaningful conclusions can be drawn
about the stratification of cockroaches within structures according to
species.
In nearly all structures infested by cockroaches, food of some kind is
available, either in the structure itself or nearby. This may be the
food stored by man for his own use or the use of kept animals; it may be
crumbs, food spillage, garbage, or excreta; glues and pastes on cartons,
boxes, stamps, envelopes, labels, and wall paper; sizing on cloth and
book covers; various dried animal and plant products; dead insects;
living plants; etc. In fact, it is almost impossible, despite good
housekeeping, to keep any structure used by man free of all food
suitable for cockroaches.
That the requisite temperature, water, and food are provided, more or
less adequately, by a variety of structures is attested by the
innumerable infestations of cockroaches that develop when control
measures are relaxed. Within structures the accessibility of certain
harborages to cockroaches probably depends on the habits of the species
and to some extent on their size. Similar types of harborages in
different structures may be used by the same species, although there
seems to be some overlapping by different species into the same kinds of
daytime shelters. The comparative ecology of domiciliary cockroaches has
not been thoroughly investigated, so any interpretation of observational
data is necessarily speculative and inconclusive at this time. Our
discussion on pages 324 to 343 is also pertinent to this section.
LAND-BASED STRUCTURES
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account