Length: Adult is 10-14 mm
Colour: Adult is brownish-buff colour, with the face and tip of the
abdomen being chestnut brown or black
Other Features: The nymph and adult stages have two brownish yellow bands across the tegmina (wings). The lateral edges of the pronotum are transparent, the centre dark.
Although the Brown-banded cockroach is nocturnal, it may often be seen during the day. It is capable of flight and can be found fluttering around lights in the house. It may be found throughout infested premises. However, it prefers to hide in crevices high up in heated rooms where the average temperature is 26°C. Female Brown-banded cockroaches carry a small (5 mm) egg capsule, which can
contain 16-18 eggs, for about 24 to 36 hours before attaching it to some object. The egg capsules incubate for about 6-10 weeks before nymphs emerge. Nymphs become adults in about 5 months. An adult female Brown-banded cockroach produces more egg capsules during the summer and produces about 14 egg capsules during her life time. Adults live about 10 months. If both German cockroaches and Brown-banded cockroaches are infesting the same area and food is limited the German cockroaches are more apt to survive. Common harbourage areas include furniture, bedding, behind picture frames, in old clothes cupboards, inside ceiling fixtures, in televisions and telephones, behind curtain hooks, bookshelves, and behind wallpaper. This cockroach commonly feeds on book bindings and wallpaper pastes.
