Are there white cockroaches? White cockroaches in the apartment: origin and causes of appearance

What feelings do you get when you see a cockroach in your kitchen, and maybe not just one, but a whole flock. Of course you feel disgusted because these nasty insects are getting everywhere. With their appearance in your apartment, you will never be sure that your products are not spoiled.

Most often, the most common type of cockroach that appears in our homes is the red cockroach, and there is an even larger one – the black cockroach. But besides these two, there is another type of cockroach that people encounter much less often - white cockroaches. They are even more disgusting than red or black ones, in this article we will discuss what kind of insects these are - white cockroaches in the apartment, where they come from, what harm they can cause to property and health, and also how to deal with them.

It’s interesting that Wikipedia doesn’t say anything about this cockroach, why? It turns out that there is simply no such insect, there is a red cockroach, there is a black cockroach, but there is no white cockroach. So what kind of insect is this? The white cockroach is not the new kind cockroaches, this is not even a mutant, not an albino cockroach, evolved from a red or black cockroach. This is an ordinary red cockroach during the molting period.

But why do they so rarely catch our eye?

• Firstly, while the cockroach is molting, it is less mobile, which means it is more exposed to danger, so during such periods of its life it hides. By the way, they hide anywhere, for example, they can climb into washing machine, in a cabinet, and even in a vacuum cleaner, in any electrical appliances.
• Secondly, the molting process is short, about one day, and white cockroaches become ordinary again.
• Thirdly, only young cockroaches molt, they are still small and not so bold, but after molting they already turn into adult cockroaches, gaining brown pigment and impudence.

Despite their youth and defenselessness, white cockroaches, thanks to physiological processes inside their bodies, become voracious. And despite their fear, under the cover of darkness they emerge from their hiding places in search of food. At this time, white cockroaches are much more vulnerable, so even a small contact of toxic chemicals on their body causes death.

As already written at the beginning of the article - white cockroach, this is the same cockroach, only during molting, but it is the white cockroach that becomes even more dangerous to human health. He, like the red and black ones, carries pathogens of various infectious diseases on his paws.

Since the white cockroach is very voracious, its movement around the apartment, toilets, garbage chutes and other places becomes more frequent, and therefore it can carry tens of times more germs in the same period of time.

Crawling around the apartment at night, these insects will not miss a single corner in search of food. Even in the refrigerator, the food will not be safe; if necessary, the cockroach will gnaw through the sealing rubber and get to the food.

Mashenka chalk helps fight cockroaches; we apply it around the trash can and near the baseboards.

Ways of cockroaches appearing in an apartment

In the modern scenario of life, it is impossible to block cockroaches’ access to our homes. They move freely on vertical surfaces, and therefore can get from the street directly into the kitchen through ventilation shafts. The grilles themselves ventilation holes and nets for cockroaches are not a barrier.

Cockroaches have strong jaws and, if necessary, they can easily chew through nylon mesh. In addition, we can bring cockroaches home ourselves, for example, with vegetables from a nearby supermarket, or from vacation, after spending the night in one of the hotels. Insects can get into bags and suitcases and hide in clothing or under linings.

Each cockroach, when moving, always leaves behind a special trail using the secretion it secretes, and even if you destroy cockroaches in your home, there is no guarantee that new cockroaches will not follow the trail they left. Especially if you have all the conditions for their good life and successful reproduction.

Is it possible to prevent a second wave of invasion?

It would seem that you have carried out a fairly successful operation to combat cockroaches, but no one can give you guarantees that the cockroaches will not return. As often happens in apartment buildings, cockroaches simply move from one apartment to another. And it's quite possible that your turn could come quickly. What to do to delay or even prevent this moment.

Try to follow the tips given below, and maybe the next time you visit your apartment, cockroaches will no longer like it:

1. After each meal, remove all leftover food from the table.
2. Clean the dining room thoroughly so that not a single crumb remains on the table or floor.
3. Don't leave the trash can filled overnight, especially if there is food scraps in it.
4. Wipe the sink dry after each dishwashing and close the drain hole; cockroaches need to block all access to water.
5. For the same purpose, make sure that there is no water under the bathtub, near the toilet, or under the sink. If a cockroach does not find water in the apartment, then it leaves.

A cockroach can live without food for about a month, but it needs water every day. Therefore, take the condition of the pipes and plumbing in your apartment seriously; this is the main component of your victory over white cockroaches.

How to defeat the white pest - a proven remedy

Methods of fighting white cockroaches are, in principle, no different from fighting similar red or black cockroaches. The cockroach is the most adaptable insect; in the event of a nuclear disaster on earth, cockroaches will survive. They can adapt to any environment, and over time they also begin to get used to the chemistry that we use.

Therefore, if after treating the apartment the cockroaches have not disappeared, then it’s time to change the product. If you have never poisoned cockroaches before, and this will be your first fight, then first you can try simpler and less dangerous means for humans.

You should immediately warn that if there are pets or small children in the apartment, then this method will not suit you. Because your family might try these poison balls out of curiosity.
We prepare a mixture for cockroaches, it includes:

• Boiled egg.
• Boiled potatoes without peel.
• A packet of boric acid (sold at a pharmacy or gardening department).

1 sachet (10 grams) of boric acid will be enough to make poison for cockroaches. Take all 3 ingredients (acid, yolk, and potatoes), mix. The result is yellow flour. We roll small balls from this flour and place the balls around the apartment in insect habitats.

During the day, the balls can be removed, and at night they can be laid out again. But we must warn you right away: the process will not be quick! Only after 1-3 weeks will the cockroaches become poisoned and disappear.

A serious factor in this duel with cockroaches will be the complete lack of access for insects to water! If they have water, they will cope with the poison, and all your efforts will be in vain, and the cockroaches will develop immunity.

Do not buy cheap, unknown-made products, they may have no effect on cockroaches, but you may suffer seriously. It’s better to turn to world-famous brands, you have to pay many times more for them, but they are worth it. The cockroaches will fully appreciate your generosity, and may disappear after one dose of poisoning.

If you notice that cockroaches reappear in your apartment a short time after a chemical attack, then things are bad, they have mutated.

It looks funny, and it is unlikely, but in any electrical appliance that has cracks, there may be cockroaches. They hide in them during daylight hours, and at night they come out in search of prey.
A white cockroach can settle in the lower part gas stove, where it is no longer so hot, but warm enough for comfortable stay. They can also get into a microwave oven and even into a toaster that you, for example, haven’t used for a long time.

Cockroaches inside the laptop.

Getting them out of appliances is not as easy as it might seem. For example, if cockroaches got into a laptop, and they can do this, then they can only be taken out after complete disassembly, the same goes for a TV or computer system unit.

In winter, in severe frost, equipment can be placed outside for several hours - the white cockroach will freeze. You cannot turn on the equipment immediately, only after it has warmed up in the apartment. But under no circumstances spray chemicals inside the devices; it’s not a fact that you will poison the cockroaches, but the microcircuits can be damaged.

As an option: if there are cockroaches in the equipment, take a sealed bag, put the equipment inside, and carefully apply anti-cockroach gel around the perimeter of the body. Then seal the bag tightly to prevent air from entering. Leave it on for a few days. Perhaps you won’t have to disassemble the equipment later.
If you take the fight against white cockroaches seriously, you will definitely win. The most important thing is to maintain perfect cleanliness after expelling the cockroaches so that they do not have the desire to return.

In the video: how - we make poison to fight cockroaches with our own hands.

Many people are concerned about white cockroaches that appear in their home. Some consider them a separate species, others - a sign of deteriorating environmental conditions, and there are those who equate this phenomenon with an upcoming catastrophe or even global disasters.

One way or another, white cockroaches in the kitchen, in any case, are not a sign of something good, but we will tell you where they come from and what they are in this short article. We hope that our readers who are concerned about the presence of albino cockroaches will find answers to many of their questions. If not, ask them in the comments to this article - our specialists will be happy to answer them.

A little biology

White cockroaches, which can sometimes be found in your home or apartment, are the same common red insects that are mostly found in residential areas.

These are younger individuals who have recently undergone the process of another molt - shedding their exoskeleton, which is commonly called the cuticle. When a cockroach molts, its old outer shell cracks, since during the growth period there is a rapid proliferation of tissues in the insect's body.

The shell itself is dense and does not grow with the body, so nature provides for this kind of molting - as the insect’s body reaches a certain size, the cuticle moves away and a renewed cockroach is born, completely unprotected from exposure environment. After the insect gets rid of its old shell, it takes about a day for the process of growing a new cuticle to begin to grow. As it grows over the next few days, the shell gradually hardens and darkens, giving the insect its normal, familiar color.

It's not just cockroaches that shed. Most insects have a hard cuticle on outside of its body, which is not able to grow, so molting is the only way for the insect to increase in size. The German cockroach sheds its exoskeleton six or seven times during its entire period of growing up before it becomes large enough and sexually mature. During the final moult, during the transition of the young nymph to the stage adult, the insect receives its wings and reproductive organs.

What does the appearance of an albino cockroach in an apartment mean?

The fact that white cockroaches have started to appear in the house can be bad news. Since after molting, cockroaches find a soft body that is quite vulnerable to predators and injury, they try to survive this process in hidden places until the outer shell finally hardens. People may rarely observe white cockroaches, but this phenomenon may signal the following conditions:

• The population of cockroaches has become so huge that everyone possible places The shelters are already occupied and cannot accommodate everyone.
• Something drove the cockroaches out of their hiding places. This phenomenon is often observed when neighbors began mass destruction of pests, which contributed to their mass migration to other apartments.

The danger from white cockroaches is no greater than from ordinary ones, and standard means of control in a house or apartment will work against them.

The appearance of white cockroaches in an apartment usually causes surprise, so questions arise about their danger or harm to people.

Why are they white

There are several answers to the question of why cockroaches are white. An unusual color is not a sign of a separate species of insects; they can change color for several reasons.

Shedding

The color of the chitinous shell changes periodically during molting, i.e. when replacing it with a new one. Thus, when born from larvae, the “babies” are initially white in color, and then in a few days, when the necessary pigment is produced in the chitinous cover, they change it 5-6 times to the usual color. Therefore, those met in the house small cockroaches transparent or white - this is the next generation, which is currently changing its shell, and then will become a full-fledged red Prussian, ready for.

On a note!

Usually, when shedding an old, tight shell, a young white cockroach becomes very vulnerable and defenseless, and therefore goes to inaccessible or secluded places in the house: under baseboards, in cracks. This is why white cockroaches are very rare in apartments. After all, after 5-6 hours, when the coloring of the chitinous cover has occurred, the “red-colored” pest is already running for a new portion of food, especially at night.

Effect of chemicals

Loss of color may occur due to the action of chemical insecticides. Many poisons contain toxic chlorine, which can cause the destruction of pigment in the insect's shell. Therefore, the white color of an adult Prussian dog indicates that it has been damaged by a chemical preparation, the destruction of its cover has begun, and it should soon die. However, some “resistant” individuals survive the action of toxic substances, then the poison gradually leaves the body along with feces, and the chitinous shell becomes its usual natural color.

On a note!

Most common cockroach white found in the house when molting of common Prussians occurs, and such an insect does not have wings, which appear in adult individuals only after the last replacement of the chitinous shell.

Exposure to radiation

According to scientists, large populations of white cockroaches can be seen in places with increased background radiation. As a result of such radiation, a mutation occurs in the cells and body of the insect, which not only loses color, but also becomes more resistant to harmful factors natural environment(see albino cockroach in the photo below). Such insects can be considered a “litmus test”, signaling the danger of living in a certain area of ​​the area.

Interesting!

In nature, there are some species of albino cockroaches that live in caves, which do not require coloring, so they retain the white color of their shell throughout their lives.

Danger from white insects

It is during the period of change of the chitinous shell that the body of white cockroaches requires an abundant supply of food and substances necessary to complete the process of molting and coloring of the shell. Therefore, at night you can find them in food storage areas. During this period, they become more vulnerable to the action of chemicals, which every home owner can use to control pests.

Fighting albinos

The destruction of white cockroaches can be done using the same methods as for ordinary pests. If, after applying insecticides, transparent or white individuals still appear, this means that they have developed immunity to the used Chemical substance, so it needs to be replaced with more .

Will help:

• , among which the most effective are recognized;
• Temperatures that have proven to be effective in causing the death of cockroaches. But for equipment that cannot withstand frost (TVs, laptops, computers), it is better to disassemble and clean it yourself.

  Preventing the appearance of white cockroaches in the apartment

  To avoid any coloration, you should follow some general sanitary rules:

  • carry out regular thorough cleaning of the premises;
  • remove food residues from the table and other surfaces, hide them in airtight packaging;
  • carry out timely repairs of sewer and water pipes to prevent leakage or increased humidity in the room;
  • seal all the cracks so that “guests from neighbors” do not come.

  Having found out the reasons and consequences of why cockroaches are white, we can draw conclusions that there is no need to worry about the health and life of the residents of the apartment where they appear, and the fight against them should be carried out in the same way as usual types of such insects.

There are 7,570 species of cockroaches in the world. Only a few of them settle inside people’s homes and live at the expense of humans, which causes a lot of inconvenience.

If red cockroaches or brown insects cause disgust in many people and a desire to get rid of them as quickly as possible, then white cockroaches often shock people, causing fear and panic.

Are cockroaches white?

Albinism is a phenomenon that affects people, animals, and plants. The absence of the pigment melanin in mammals or chlorophyll in plants affects the disappearance of the skin, coat, and eye color inherent to the species. At the same time, the skin and hair of albinos become white.

White cockroaches also exist in nature. These pests have a body shape, number of paws, mustaches, and ability to move similar to their red relatives. Their only difference is color.

This insect body color is not associated with melanin. Although the cockroach is called white, it is not an albino.

Video

White Cockroach

Why are they this color

The white cockroach is not an exotic creature or an albino, but an ordinary red-haired pest. The reason why the cockroach turned white is commonplace - molting. Throughout its life, the insect sheds its shell 5 to 8 times. This is due to the fact that the hard chitinous cover does not grow parallel to the body of the Prussian.

This is why it is vital for insects of this species to molt.

A cockroach that has just hatched from its shell becomes vulnerable and hides as far as possible, climbing into nooks and crannies. Despite the fact that all species of cockroaches that live near people molt and change color at certain periods of their lives, it is rare to see a white cockroach in a home.

You should not be surprised to find several non-standard colored pests indoors. This happens due to the breeding habits of insects.

The female lays 30–40 eggs at a time, which subsequently, turning from larvae into adults, develop equally and, accordingly, molt at the same time.

Also, small white individuals can be observed during the period of hatching from eggs. Subsequently, the nymphs become adults and take on the standard appearance of a red cockroach.

Bleach lightens the chitinous surface of the pest's body to white.

Where do they appear in the apartment?

During molting, cockroaches are vulnerable: their body is not covered with a protective shell, and a different color from the usual does not contribute to the necessary camouflage. Therefore, insects wait out this process, as a rule, in secluded places.

It is most likely impossible to see the pest on a wall, floor or table during the molting period. The exception is an insect that is disoriented for some reason. The usual behavior for the pest when shedding its shell is to choose a convenient shelter and wait there for the usual state of body cover for a cockroach.

Having discovered such a “guest”, you should not be afraid and attribute dangerous characteristics to it. This is the same red-haired, only more vulnerable and less agile, white Prussian.

It is much easier to cope with the elimination of such an insect, because the mobility and activity of white individuals during molting is seriously reduced.

The period of stay of a cockroach in white color is short, takes from 2 to 3 days. Therefore, a meeting between a person and a white individual, if it is not poisoned with chlorine, happens very rarely.

Where are they most often found?

When getting rid of insects by using insecticides, it should be remembered that Prussians prefer to hide in remote places, invisible to humans. White cockroaches hide especially carefully.

Most often, during molting, individuals hide in cracks in walls, furniture, piles of rubbish that have not been moved for a long time, behind baseboards. At this time, white pests do not always leave their shelter even to search for food.

What danger do they pose to humans?

A cockroach, regardless of color, always causes a lot of negative feelings.

• Pests of this species are able to move within apartment building, wandering from basements, ventilation shafts or attics to people's apartments. At the same time, Prussians carry on their paws and antennae a lot of dangerous organisms. Cockroaches are carriers of various diseases, including dysentery and tuberculosis. Prussians also carry worm eggs, leaving them on the table or dishes.
• Cockroaches damage more than just food. They are capable of ruining important papers by leaving feces on them or shedding their chitinous shell. Traces of insects on the light furniture, walls, ceiling.
• The presence of Prussians in the house has a negative impact on nervous system person. While moving along the joints of peeling wallpaper or paper, insects create noise that can lead some people to a nervous breakdown.
• Often, hiding in the body household appliances, albino cockroaches damage it, leaving behind feces on vulnerable parts and mechanisms.

Can a white cat bite a person?

Prussians often bite people, causing unpleasant wounds on the surface of the skin and redness. However, white representatives of this species of insects are unlikely to harm humans due to their special vulnerability during molting.

Regardless of how dangerous Prussian bites are, you should not be afraid of being bitten by a white cockroach; the likelihood of such an incident is negligible.

Are they classified as strong allergens?

Leaving behind excrement and chitinous cover, the white cockroach emits a special smell. This aroma, which is not perceptible to humans, can cause a severe attack of allergies in people prone to such body reactions.

Scientists have long debated how white cockroaches appeared. For a long time cases were considered as isolated cases of albinism. However, after a series of studies, this version was refuted and was replaced by new speculation.

Having noticed an unusual insect in the house, a person is afraid that this is a mutant that will be impossible to exterminate. However, as practice has shown, white cockroaches at home are not much more dangerous than the black Prussians who are accustomed to us.

Among the common versions of why white cockroaches appeared in the apartment are the following:

• Mutated insect under the influence of polluted ecology. Changes occurred at the genetic level.
• A new species of insects that has not been studied by science.
• White color is albinism, which often occurs in all types of animals, as well as in humans.
• However, it was possible to notice that color is absent only in those individuals that long time were out of contact with the sun's rays.

Such assumptions may seem unfounded, since there are confirmed facts according to which such mutations are not characteristic of insects.

Existing facts

Exact guesses about white cockroaches and why they arose:

What are they

So what are these insects? This is just an insect larva that has recently shed its chitinous shell. During this period, the outer integument is very soft and devoid of pigment. After several hours, the color gradually returns.

This phenomenon is common and directly related to reproduction. Sometimes the cause of color change is associated with contact with strong chemicals. For example, in contact with chlorine, which is a strong toxic substance. Causes discoloration of the chemical coating.

Such individuals stand out significantly from the general mass, since the chemistry affects the entire body and internal organs, causing rapid death. You can determine the presence of white cockroaches in an apartment using the example in the photo.

Myths about white cockroaches

Appearance in an apartment or house

These cockroaches can be found in an apartment in cases where ordinary individuals are repeatedly seen. They enter the home through neighbors, things brought home, household appliances and other migration routes. For example, through the ventilation system.

The favorite place for cockroaches to move is ventilation system. With its help, it is possible to penetrate into any apartment, and then quickly multiply. They also seep freely into narrow door cracks, holes in the floor, and through pipelines. Sometimes they fall on clothes while a person is moving in the entrance.

Why are they dangerous?

What can the presence of these insects lead to? Often cause attacks of allergies and asthma. The shed shells turn into dust and quickly spread throughout the room, causing irritation of the human mucous membrane. As a result, asthmatic attacks occur.

The fight against white cockroaches is the same as with other species. This will require specialized chemicals, traps, white powder against cockroaches, the necessary methods are suitable as additional measures.

If the color change is associated with the use of an insecticide, then it should be replaced, since it does not affect the insect itself. This occurs due to a weak reagent, expiration date, or insect resistance to the drug.

The destruction of insects begins with the preparation of the premises. It is as follows:

1. All spilled liquids and wet plants are removed.
2. The premises are thoroughly cleaned. Food products are removed, everything is hermetically covered. Dirty things are folded, all bags are closed. Old bags should be thrown away.
3. General cleaning, as well as clearing furniture and moving it away from the walls, provides full access to all hard-to-reach places where insects routinely live. You can additionally place special traps for cockroaches, the alluring smell of which will attract insects.
4. Children and animals must be removed from the premises.
5. It is recommended to carry out the treatment simultaneously in several apartments in the house. Thus, insects will not run to new safe places. It will be possible to accurately destroy one or several populations of cockroaches at a time.

There are several effective ways extermination of cockroaches. These include:

1. Application of insecticides. Requires correct selection means for high results. The domestic market offers a wide selection of budget and foreign insecticides.
2. Freezing. The method is based on the survival of cockroaches by lowering the room temperature to -50C.
3. Poisoned baits. Used for preventive purposes.
4. Traps. They have proven themselves well along with insecticides.

Additionally, as an exotic method, praying mantises and geckos are introduced, which manage to exterminate a significant part of the insects. For temperate climates, an alternative is the flycatcher, a large centipede with long legs that feeds on cockroaches.

Insects can be destroyed in a few hours using insecticides. However, additional preparation is required before processing. Popular means are Raptor, Raid, Foresight, Combat, Mikrofos, boric acid. Removing cockroaches is a difficult procedure, since insects quickly adapt to insecticides.

Places to buy poison

Using traps

They can be mounted on walls, inclined surfaces, or in any place where insects actively accumulate. Most require regular inspection and destruction of any found individuals. Many of them work automatically. They are highly effective in rural areas. You can make it yourself.

Signs and dreams

There are many superstitions and customs associated with cockroaches. Why do young girls and married ladies dream about:

1. If insects flee in groups from the house during the daytime, this symbolizes a fire.
2. If it fell on a sick person, it means the illness will last a very long time and be difficult.
3. Seeing one white one in a group of dark cockroaches portends severe frosts.

White cockroaches are included in the dream book. Sometimes indicates good events. One of the signs of seeing small representatives of this species in a dream is associated with financial gain, an unexpected inheritance. Long-awaited prosperity, money and family expansion will appear in the house.

Seeing a cockroach in a dream unmarried girl portends a rich groom. For a married woman, big troubles.