What Is a Flying Cockroach?
While cockroaches are usually considered to be pests, this is not true of all species. There are over 3,500 species of cockroaches, yet only 1% of them are considered pests. The types that infest homes and bother people have underdeveloped wings, and can only fly for short periods, if they can fly at all. Recently, however, a certain species of the insect, the flying cockroach or Blattella asahinai, has invaded crops in the southern United States, and is being hailed as a boon to farmers for its predation of harmful insect species.
Cockroaches have a long history, and may have been one of the first animals to fly. Many species have adapted to living on the ground as scavengers, however, and no longer have the need or ability to fly. Most cockroaches that do fly are wild species, and do not invade homes or bother humans. The American cockroach or Periplaneta americana, also known as the palmetto bug, is sometimes able to fly — especially the females, which have more developed wings. At least in America, however, they are most often seen running across the floor.
Blattella asahinai, commonly called the flying cockroach, has spread throughout the farms of the Southern US. This species of cockroach is a strong flier that largely resembles the German cockroach Blattella germanica, the large brown bug that is the most common cockroach pest in American homes. The German cockroach has underdeveloped, vestigial wings and is unable to fly, however. Blattella asahinai also differs from the German cockroach in that it feeds on a variety of insect species that destroy crops. The flying cockroach has been found in soybean, cotton, and cabbage crops, to name a few, leaving the plants alone, but feasting on their predators.
Some other flying cockroach species are tropical. They have little resemblance to the cockroaches most people have had contact with in the US. Tropical flying cockroach species can be green, red, or yellow, in contrast to the brown of most pest species. The cockroach with the largest wingspan, up to 7 inches (185 mm), is Megaloblatta blaberoides of Central and South America.
Written by Niki Foster
