What is that Brown Bean? (It's a Roach Egg Case)
Found a brown bean-like shell in your kitchen? It's a roach egg case. Identify if it's hatched and learn why one shell means 40 new roaches.
You are cleaning behind the fridge and you find a little brown, purse-shaped object. It looks like a dried kidney bean. You go to pick it up, but it feels rigid.
Don't just throw it in the trash. Flush it.
That is an Ootheca—a cockroach egg case.
The Math is Scary
If it's from a German Roach (tan, ribbed lines on the side), that single case holds about 30 to 40 babies.
Here is the kicker: The mother roach carries this case on her butt until about 24 hours before it hatches. If you find one lying around, it means it either already hatched (look for a split seam) or it's about to pop.
The "Empty" Shell
If you find a case that looks hollow or split open, the babies are already in your walls. They are born ready to run. They are tiny—smaller than an ant—and black. You might mistake them for beetle dirt, but if they move, you have a fresh generation of roaches.
Why stepping on them is bad
If you step on a female roach with an egg case, you might crush the mom but pop the eggs out intact. They can still hatch without her.
If you see one, vacuum it up immediately and empty the canister outside. Don't leave it in the vacuum bag; they will hatch inside the machine and crawl back out.