Effect of three rearing diets on longevity, fecundity and development of the German cockroach (Dictyoptera: Blattellidae), the American cockroach (Dictyoptera: Blattidae), and the smoky-brown cockroach (Dictyoptera: Blattidae)

Immediately after eclosion or hatching Blattella germanica, Periplaneta americana and Periplaneta fuliginosa were reared with three types of diets (canned beef, fresh cabbage and onions [vegetables], and rat chow). The survival time of female and male P. fuliginosa was longest with the vegetable diet, while that of female and male B. germanica and P. americana was longest with the rat chow and canned beef diets. The optimum diet for reproduction was rat chow in B. germanica and P. americana adults, and vegetables in P. fuliginosa adults. The optimum diet for development was rat chow in the three species of cockroach nymphs. These results indicate that optimum diets for survival and reproduction are different between species of adult cockroaches.