Cockroaches - Advice for identifying and controlling

What do they look like?

Cockroaches range in size from 10-23mm in length - they have very long whip-like antennae, flat oval bodies, rapid, jerky gait and two sets of wings.

How do you spot them?

Cockroaches are nocturnal by nature and may be seen if you come home in the dark and put the lights on.  They are rarely able to survive out of doors in the British climate, but thrive around heating ducts and boiler rooms of large centrally heated buildings and spend the day hiding in cracks around areas like sinks, drains, cookers and the backs of service ducts.  They also emit an unpleasant almond like smell - only noticeable if the infestation is large.

How do they affect humans?

Cockroaches taint food with an obnoxious smell and may be carriers of various diseases, including serious food poisoning.  Germs can be spread from the body of the cockroach or from the droppings they leave behind.  Cockroaches will feed on almost any sort of food and contamination occurs when the cockroaches come into contact with foodstuffs.

The Life Cycle

The female cockroach can produce up to eight purse like egg cases at monthly intervals, each egg case contains up to 30 eggs.  The nymphs emerge from their eggs in 2-4 weeks (up to 6-12 weeks for oriental cockroaches). The nymphs are like the adults but smaller and lighter and take some months before they mature.

How do you control them?

Good housekeeping is the key to keeping cockroaches out of your home as it denies them a food source and makes them easier to spot.  Repair all cracks, crevices and other building problems as soon as possible and avoid boxing in pipe work as it provides hiding places.

 

Control of cockroaches is rarely easy because of the difficulty in getting the insecticide to the insect.  Ideally, the insecticide should have sufficient persistence to kill the nymphs hatching later from unhatched egg capsules.  Apply an insecticide in aerosol form sprayed into all possible harbourages or an insecticide powder labelled for cockroach control.

Treatment

North Shropshire District Council provides treatment for cockroaches free of charge in domestic properties.

 

email:	envhealth@northshropshiredc.gov.uk
telephone:	01939 238460
fax:	01939 238468