Cockroaches are considered the most common pest problem in residential and commercial areas. They are mainly found in kitchens and bathrooms. Areas where food is prepared and stored. They can contaminate food and kitchen utensils by producing bad smells, spreading allergens and diseases. Cockroaches will eat just about anything in their path, including their dead ones. While cockroaches thrive in areas with poor sanitation, even the cleanest residences and restaurants may require preventative cockroach control measures.
We have 4 main species of domestic cockroaches common in South Africa, the German cockroach, the brown banded cockroach, the Oriental cockroach and the American cockroach.
How to identify if cockroach control is needed
Cockroaches are long, flat insects that allow them to enter very narrow crevices and crevices. They have two long antennae and are brown in color. They prefer moist, warm and dark environments. Therefore, cockroach control is generally required in kitchens, bathrooms, electrical panels, cabinets, sewers and drains. An experienced pest control operator would normally find droppings, eggshells and/or carcasses in the corners of kitchen cabinets. Where infestations are more common, cockroaches give off a strong smell. You are also likely to find dead or even live cockroaches that rush to hide when found.
Why kill cockroaches?
Cockroaches move from soil to food by spreading disease. Food poisoning and diseases such as typhus, gastroenteritis, poliomyelitis, dysentery and hepatitis can be transmitted through the behavior of cockroaches. Due to disease and possible infections, it is imperative that extermination, cleaning and maintenance are vital to keep areas free from cockroaches. Sensitive people may be allergic to cockroach droppings and their discarded skin, causing watery eyes, a rash, or wheezing.
Cockroach control techniques
Cockroaches are controlled with gel baits which the cockroaches eat and take back to their nests, once they die in the nests the other cockroaches eat their dead and the pesticide spreads as it goes they eat their own dead, we also mist a form of emulsifiable concentrates or wettable powders that quickly kill cockroaches. For controlling cockroaches in food production areas, pheromone traps have proven to be the safest and most effective in killing cockroaches. Unlike a one-time termite treatment, regular preventative cockroach treatments may be necessary for sensitive areas.
