A long time ago, I’ve read somewhere that all cockroaches are able to fly, but they just do it in some very special moments (like, to creep the hell outta me). Is this correct?
Nope, simply out and out not true.
There are at least three species of cockroach living in my backyard that are unable to fly. Simple reason: they never develop wings. There are hundreds if not thousands of species of cockroaches that never develop wings. Obviously they can’t fly.
The brown banded cockroaches that live in houses have similar problems flying, the females have wings so small they can’t get airborne.
The german cockroach, the little light brown creature with the stripes running down his back, that lives in houses has what appear to be fully functional wings, yet various experimental techniques have failed to induce one to fly and none have ever been observed to fly by reliable witnesses.
The big brown American and Australian roaches that live in houses can and do fly, as do all the other common pest species.
I think in most species only the males have wings and can fly, and females are land bound. Personally I’ve only seen the bigger types of roach fly.
In the southeast, we have the “Palmetto bug” which can get about 1" to 2" in length (yuck). They have wings, but don’t fly as much as they “flutter”. They don’t seem to have a good sense of directional control. Either way, they’re gross.
Well my post was about useless huh? 
I used to live in the Midwest, believing that all roaches are flightless. I very clearly remember, after I first moved to Texas, seeing my first really big Texan Cockroach crawl under the door (if that’s not a separate species, it should be). I reached for a shoe thinking I’d just splat the thing, and right when I swung for it, the thing flew right towards me. It was the scariest thing ever. I have generously sprayed my house with toxic pesticides every since 
Ah, how well I remember the joys of the warm New York City summer evenings. Strolling along the promenade in Brooklyn on Hudson River and getting large flying cockroaches caught in one’s hair. Three times. THREE!!! I know people who have lived their whole lives in that city without ever having it happen once. Guess I’m just lucky :rolleyes: .
But, yes, not all species of cockroaches fly ( though many, probably mst, can ).
I cut a cockie in half the other day, it was a little German filth beast and the top half ran around for absolutely ages. Gross. I should have just squashed it.
I don’t know. Give it a try and let us know.
As far as I know, the wings on cockroaches are primarily to fan the sex pheromone so they can attract a mate, do the nasty and make jillions more roachlets. It’s possible that I’ve seen more cockroaches and observed their behavior more than anyone else on this board. I primarily have experience with german and brown-banded roaches, still, I’ve never observed them flying or even trying to fly.
Keep in mind that roaches’ habits are to hide in dark, moist areas near food supplies. They hang out in cracks and crevices under sinks and behind cabinets, for instance. There isn’t a great need for flight, and even when I use a roach flushing insecticide, I don’t observe flying, only running.
Another thing I’ve noticed which supports the above statement is that when I use the Insect Growth Regulator Gentrol (which alters their hormones and makes them sterile), the affected roaches have curled-up wings. Curled-up wings = inability to fan pheromones = Another Saturday night and I ain’t got nobody = no subsequent generation from that particular roach.
Some species may be capable of flight for short distances, but I would be extremely surprised to learn that they cover great distances. In other words:
cockroach:bee :: chicken:eagle
DAVE0071: Can’t vouch for German and Brown-banded Cockroaches, but it’s a certainty that the large American Cockroach ( Periplaneta americana - which of course, isn’t American at all 
) does indeed fly at least short distances in warm weather. As my unhappy experiences detailed above illustrates 
. How I managed to get struck by lightning three times ( so to speak ) is beyond me, but I have. And I’ve seen them flying ( as well as scurrying about openly on city streets ) on warm, moist summer nights in NY at other times as well. I will say that they seemed clumsy fliers at best. Perhaps a short-distance dispersal mechanism?
Also in native CA roaches in the genera Arenivaga, Eremobatta, and Parcoblatta, the males are fully winged as adults and will fly to lights at night. The females, however, are not winged at all.
So some do fly. But I will back off my statement that most species can fly, which was an assumption on my part . Not really sure if most do or not. We probably need to find an expert on tropical Blattodea to determine that.
DAVEW0071: Whoops! Sorry about dropping that W.
Dave,
Good to see another PCO on the boards. I quit about 5 years ago, but still do a bit of moonlighting.
I’m thinking the reason you’ve never seen roaches fly is that it’s too cold where you are. I know from experience that when an American or Australian cockroach gets a dose of permethrin it will quite often fly. They will also fly quite long distances on warm nights, and it’s not uncommon to see them circling bright lights like moths. They’re able to remain airborne for quite a few minutes. German roaches can’t fly for some reason that no one can explain, and only male brown banded roaches can fly, and then rarely.
IGR’s don’t cause cockroaches wings to curl up primarily as part of the control mechanism, it’s a sign that the chemical is losing effectiveness. The chemicals are supposed to stop a new skin forming when the roaches moult, but as the dose gets lower it causes malformation of the new cuticle instead. About the only place this is non-fatal is the wings, so you see roaches with curled wings getting around. One good reason I refuse to use IGR’s; seeing deformed roaches staggering around their houses tends to freak the customers out.
I don’t know if you’ve tried it, but if you want something non-toxic that really works I recommend Goliath gel bait. It’s dear as poison (pun intended) but it works like a charm.
I hadn’t heard that about Gentrol. I thought that the IGR causing the wings to curl was a by-product, and that the roaches affected by it were perfectly healthy in every respect save for the ability to fan pheromones and mate successfully. I always tell my customers to look for deformed roaches, and that it’s a good sign. BTW, I use combinations of liquid residuals, IGRs, aerosols, baits and traps, especially in high infestation areas.
Regarding roaches flying though, to get back to the OP: The main question was that of ALL roaches flying. I think it’s been established that, probably, not all roaches fly, and even those that do fly do not use it as their primary mode of transport, a la bees and mosquitoes.
This is, apparently, species-specific behavior. I rarely deal with American roaches (and they’re primarily in damp, dark basements) and don’t have anything to do with Australians. Not only that, but at least here in the northeast, roach infestations are largely confined to indoors.