Cockroaches

There are five main pest species in Australia, all being introduced and forming less than 1% of all 450 species found in Australia. They comprise of: German, Smoky-brown, American, Australian and Brown-banded.

Their insect order is Blattodea and gave rise to the termites over 300 million years ago. A species of cockroaches called the "Oriental Cockroach" (Blatta orientalis) was once a pest species, but is now so rarely encountered it will not be discussed further.

They are regarded as pests because of a number of factors, some being their characteristic odour, reproductive abilities, contamination of food by their droppings and regurgitations and the spread of diseases.

Pest controllers are often asked by clients "Aren't cockroaches supposed to be one of the cleanest animals because of the grooming habits?" The obviously are not because of the habits of roaming through sewers, urinals, garbage and rubbish. They consume food and faeces of man and animals, harbouring diseases such as Salmonella, Diarrhoea and Typhus.

PEST SPECIES PROLIFERATION

	German Cockroach (Blattela Germanica)	Smoky-brown Cockroach (Periplaneta Fuliginosa)	American Cockroach (Periplaneta Americana)	Australian Cockroach (Periplaneta Australiasiae)
Life span of female adult	14-26 weeks	23-43 weeks	15-84 weeks	17-26 weeks
Incubation period of eggs in capsules	17-35 days	35-70 days	29-58 days	32-40 days
Number of offspring from one female	Approx 20,000 per year	Approx 5,000 per year	Approx 800 per year	Approx 200 per year
Description	Light tan to medium brown, two dark bands on pronotum, 10-15mm long.	Entirely brownish to black, 10-13mm long	Reddish to chocolate brown, light yellow band on pronotum, 30-45mm long.	Reddish to brown, yellow marks on pronotum and wings, 30-35mm long.

CONTROL: Inspection is a very important part of cockroach control. Ask the client if they have noticed any particular trouble areas, then inspect all known cockroach harbourage areas 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

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 such as Diazinon or Chlorpyrifos. If a non-fuming treatment is required, use dust only or a synthetic pyrethroid spray such as Cislin 10 or Bestox. Heavy infestations may require a misting or a gassing for a faster kill.

WARNING: DO NOT UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCE TREAT ANY FOOD PREPARATION AREAS, FOOD UTENSILS,CLOTHES, BEDDING, OR ANY OTHER AREAS NOT DESCRIBED ON THE PESTICIDE LABEL.

German Cockroach (Male)

GERMAN COCKROACH INFORMATION SHEET
German Cockroaches are the world's most successful and prolific 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.

German Cockroach (Female)

IDENTIFICATION:
The 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. Signs of infestation include cast skins, dark regurgitation 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 can fly.

PREVENTATIVE MEASURES TO ENSURE PERMANENT CONTROL
Once you have employed a professional pest control company such as BEST PEST CONTROL 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. These 3 things are;

1. KEEP THE AREAS WHERE COCKROACHES HAVE BEEN FOUND SCRUPULOUSLY CLEAN.
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.

2. FILL OR BLOCK OFF ANY CRACKS AND CREVICES THAT PROVIDE HIDING AREAS FOR COCKROACHES.
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.

German Cockroach

3. ONE MONTH TO SIX WEEKS AFTER TREATMENT USE SURFACE SPRAY INSIDE THE CUPBOARDS OR COCKROACH BOMBS.

Still go ahead and carry this out
EVEN IF NO COCKROACHES ARE SIGHTED AT THIS STAGE!

Doing this 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. -Sheets may be used when pinned to doorway frames when doors are absent. Always read and take note of the instructions on the label. In badly infested situations, (i.e., when cockroaches are sighted in numbers during the day) repeat this treatment in a further month.

Remember that cockroach control relies upon a conscientious effort from both the pest control operator and the client. Success definitely doesn't occur overnight but following these few instructions will get you very good results within one month of our treatment and guarantees that you won't be living with these unwanted guests in the future!

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Cockroaches