Cockroaches give birth through their gastrointestinal tract as they do not have a separate pathway like mammals have. For this reason, the egg sack must be coated in a leather carapace to survive the gastric acid in the bowels. When a cockroach lays one of these egg sacks, also known as an ootheca, they abandon it and allow the babies to fend for themselves. Common places cockroaches lay their ootheca are in cabinets which is why they are showing up there. It is important to note that cockroaches hatch fully formed as tiny cockroaches. So the infestation you are seeing is baby cockroaches and not very small cockroaches. The adults are much bigger. As the babies grow they malt and shed their carapace in pieces which are lighter than air and coated in dangerous bacteria. These pieces of the carapace are lighter than air and can float like motes of dust. Inhaling them is very dangerous and can cause lung infections, especially in people with preexisting conditions like the flu, a cold or asthma. This is one of the many reasons why cockroaches are an especially dangerous infestation and why it is so important to get rid of them as soon as you know they are there. There are many ways to get rid of cockroaches and some are natural. Insecticide dust or silica dioxide is a natural oxide of silica that is completely safe for humans to be around but deadly to crawling insects. The silica dioxide is incredibly sharp and jagged on the microscopic level and can catch in the cockroach’s joints breaking pieces off of them like limbs and even scratching the waxy coating that keeps moisture inside their bodies.
Gel bait is another safe domestic treatment that can kill cockroaches. It is a domestic poison the cockroaches eat that kills them slowly. By keeping food away from them by storing it in the fridge or sealed glass or metal containers you can essentially force them to eat the bait as there is no other food to eat. It is important to note, however, that cockroaches can feed on the glue that holds cardboard boxes together and other natural substances so make sure to clear out closets and cabinets of anything with glue on it. If the infestation is still thriving you can try using a permethrin spray inside the cupboards and around the baseboards of the house as well as where the wall meets the counters in the kitchen and the bathroom. This is a naturally derived pesticide but is dangerous to inhale, so make sure to hold it away from your face while spraying. The chemical is derived from the chrysanthemum flower and while it is natural is still a pesticide, so be wary of how much you use. A single spray one foot from the surface is enough. If this is not ending the infestation the next step is to call a professional exterminator. The process they will go through will be a multi-chemical treatment and you will have to vacate but the treatment will be far more effective and will get rid of the infestation faster.