Cockroaches Darryl P. Sanders Department of Entomology, University of Missouri-Columbia Cockroaches generally are the most common and troublesome pests found in homes. Urban homes are more frequently infested than rural homes. Cockroaches are flat, quick-moving insects that are most active at night. They avoid light and hide in cracks and crevices or between rough unpainted surfaces, which afford a dark cover during the day. Egg cases are produced within the female's abdomen and may be deposited anywhere the roach goes.
Roaches have the ability to rapidly reproduce and adapt to a variety of conditions.
A cockroach diet consists of a wide variety of foods that contain sugars, starches, proteins or their combinations. Favorite foods vary with the species of roach, but in general they feed on garbage, food scraps, stored foods, hair, paper, dead animals and dry plant materials. Cockroaches can carry organisms that cause dysentery, food poisoning and diarrhea from garbage cans, sewers and hospitals to food used for human consumption. Bacteria contained in spoiled food may be eaten by the roaches and distributed in fecal droppings. These droppings contaminate both food and cooking utensils.