Cockroaches: Things You Should Know

All told in Australia there are five main pest species of cockroaches. The different species comprise of German, Smoky-brown, American, Australian and Brown-banded cockroaches.

The reason that they are regarded as pests is due to a number of factors these are:

• their ability to reproduce quickly
• char characteristic odour
• their ability to contaminate food by their droppings and
• regurgitations and the spread of diseases.

Pest technicians are often asked by clients “Aren’t cockroaches supposed to be one of the cleanest animals because of the grooming habits?”

This is? obviously a myth because of the habits of cockroach to roam through sewers, urinals, garbage and rubbish. They consume food and faeces of man and animals, harbouring diseases such as Salmonella, Diarrheas’ and Typhus.

Advice To Get Rid of Cockroaches:

Visual inspection is a very important part of cockroach control. We ask clients if they have noticed any particular trouble areas, then we inspect all known cockroach hiding places such as:

• cracks and crevices in and around kitchen, bathroom and laundry and meal preparation sites if on a
• commercial building behind hot water services
• electrical appliances such as ovens, refrigerator motors, microwaves, stereos etc.
• ?door hinges
• behind wallpaper or ply veneer boards
• drains and plumbing; and
• roof voids

We then treat cracks and crevices in all of these areas and any other harbourages with insecticidal dusts to flush out the cockroaches and or in conjunction with residual sprays. Heavy infestations may require a misting or a gassing for a faster kill.

Word of Caution:

Under no circumstances treat any food preparation areas especially food utensils, clothing, bedding and blankets.? Follow the directions on the pesticide label.? Safety instructions should be followed at all times.

More German Cockroach Info: When we speak of abundance or being prolific, nothing beats the German cockroaches because of their extremely fast breeding habits and ability to adapt to almost any environment.

They will eat anything that humans do and will also eat wallpaper, curtains, leather and any other organic material.

They are always found indoors and tend to stay where food and water are freely available, such as kitchens, pantries and bathrooms, etc. They cannot fly and carry their egg capsules (Ootheca) until maturity, unlike the other pest species.

Identify your cockroach: The cockroaches when adults are 10-15mm long and are tan to medium brown coloured with 2 parallel dark stripes on the head section Pronotum.

The nymphs are very small, dark and beetle-like when they first emerge from the capsule and within a few weeks grow more slender and lighter coloured. They have a light stripe down the centre at this stage of their development.

Look for signs of infestation, and that includes dark regurgitation, cast skins, and faecal droppings in corners and door hinges of cupboards. Their droppings are tiny and resemble fly specks.

They are often confused with the Brown banded Cockroach which is lighter in colour, lives outdoors or indoors in dry environments and they are also able to fly.

Steps on Permanent Control Once you have employed a professional pest control company such as A1 Pest Control Canberra to control German Cockroaches in your environment, there are certain things that you can do in order to get a faster, more permanent result.

We have used our professional equipment and insecticides to get to the places that you would not normally even think of, let alone carry out. Once we have gone there are three measures that you can do to achieve this result.

3 essential tips that you need to follow:

• Maintain a high level of cleanliness in areas where cockroaches are known to appear in great numbers.

This involves keeping the floor and other areas free of food scraps and grease. Washing up should not be left overnight and food should never be consumed in any place other than the meal area.

Cardboard and paper are notorious for harbouring German Cockroaches. Do not store these for any period longer than necessary.

• Block all possible points of entry, and fill in various cracks and crevices that cockroaches could hide in.

This may be done with a caulking agent such as “No More Gaps.” Dripping taps should have washers replaced as this may provide water that they can drink.

• Apply surface spray and put cockroach bombs inside cupboards within 6 months after a professional pest treatment has been conducted.

The most effective follow up plan is to follow the steps above even when you can not see any cockroaches.? By using these steps it will break their life cycle and hasten their demise.

Remember to close off the infested areas as much as possible when using bombs to keep as much of the smoke contained.

The use of sheets can be used when pinned to doorway frames when doors are absent. Always read and take note of the instructions on the label.

If the area is badly infested situations, for example when cockroaches are sighted in numbers during the day repeat the above treatment for a further month.

Always keep in mind that cockroach control relatively depends upon a combined effort from the pest controller and the customer.

With your success in ridding your cockroaches permanently won’t occur overnight, but if you follow these quick steps you will get the results that you are after within just 1 month of our treatment and guarantees that you and your family or employees won’t be living with these unwanted filthy pests.

View our page on how to get rid of cockroaches for further helpful info to combat your pest problem.

Do you have cockroaches?? Need to know how to get rid of cockroaches? Remember A1 Pest Control Canberra for your home’s complete termite and pest protection systems. Call 0407 065 413 or email today for more information, advice and FREE QUOTES!