During the summer months, alley ways and yards may be badly infested. The female lays her eggs in a hard dark brown purse-shaped capsule, which she may carry about for several days, protruding from the end of the abdomen. The capsule is eventually dropped, and later the young cockroaches hatch and scatter. Almost any crumb of food or other organic matter left exposed around the house will serve them as a meal. For this reason, good housekeeping is the key to cockroach control.
Pesticides play an important role in controlling cockroaches.
Nonchemical methods include improving sanitation, fixing plumbing leaks, removing harborage and clutter, and sealing areas where cockroaches enter structures.