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Cockroaches (Blattella germanica)

Cockroaches (Blattella germanica)

Pest Advice for controlling Cockroaches

Got some uninvited dinner guests? Is the back of your fridge home to a colony of creepy crawlies? If you find your building crawling with cockroaches, you’re in the right place.

Discovering there are cockroaches in your home or business is distressing and, due to their lifecycle, can be an uphill battle to control.

Dangers & why we control cockroaches

Disease

Cockroaches pose a direct health risk to humans. They are vectors of disease, known to carry the organisms which cause food poisoning in humans and many other bacteria, such as salmonella, staphylococcus and streptococcus.

Cockroaches move from sewers, drains into buildings and human habitats. This means that when they’re in your building, foraging for food and water, they will contaminate anything they come into contact with; food, utensils, and preparation surfaces.

They disgorge portions of their partially digested food at intervals and drop faeces along the way.

Types of cockroach

Two of the most common types are the German cockroach and Oriental cockroach.

You may, on occasion, also come across the American cockroach and Brown-banded cockroach.

American cockroaches are the larger of these four at around 20-30mm in length. They mostly live on trees and are not always found in homes and businesses in the UK. When they are, they will usually be found in dark, humid and undisturbed environments, such as basements.

Far smaller is the brown-banded cockroach, at just 10-15mm in length. They favour warm, humid environments – ceilings, attics, inside and around appliance motors.

How to prevent cockroaches

Here are a few prevention tips for securing your property:

  • Keep areas clean and tidy – clean all surfaces thoroughly to remove any food residue and sweep up any discarded food debris
  • Try not to leave dirty dishes and utensils in the sink
  • Keep bins covered, clean, and emptied regularly
  • Areas such as the top of or beneath your refrigerator are warm and food collects there, attracting cockroaches, so clean these areas regularly
  • Proofing and repair – seal gaps around doors, windows and where utility lines enter, to prevent entry
  • If possible, repair any leaks beneath the sink and on the sink top, cutting off a potential water source
  • If you buy any second hand kitchen utensils like fridges and freezers, make sure you give them a check over and a good clean to ensure you have not transported any little hitchhikers.
How to get rid of cockroaches

Control of cockroaches is seldom easy because of the difficulty in getting the insecticide to the insect.

Cockroaches are hard-wired to survive. They are adaptable, highly mobile and their lifecycle makes cockroach control an uphill task for the untrained individual.

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