COCKROACHES
Cockroaches are among the nastiest little
creatures found in any home or business. All it
takes is to discover one cockroach to evoke fears
in anyone as there could be hundreds more
lurking in the shadows out of sight.
Cockroaches cause serious troubles in homes by snacking on food as well as leaving behind
faeces that look like tiny grains of pepper as well
as an oily odour. Not only are they a nuisance to
us, cockroaches may also pose health threats by
carrying diseases and bacteria. Cockroaches like warm, dark and moist places and love to
hide in cracks and crevices and are active at night. If you notice one or two cockroaches in
the day time, it could be a sign that these pest are breeding in your premises. If you do not counteract, cockroach infestation will aggravate and become hazardous to the health of
your loved ones at home or hurt your business if you own a food related business.
Species commonly found in Singapore are the American Cockroach and German Cockroach.
American Cockroach (Periplaneta Americana)
American cockroaches are active in sewers, kitchen cabinets, tunnels and basements where the environment are humid and warm.
They are omnivorous and will feed on almost anything, especially fermenting foods. Under ideal conditions, the adult female can live up to 15 months, whereas males for a somewhat shorter period.
They are reddish brown and fully winged. They are found in residences, but more so in restaurants, grocery stores, processing plants and the like. They infest food storage and preparation areas, as well as the outdoors and city sewers.
German Cockroach (Blatella Germanica)
German cockroaches are commonly found indoors and prefer warmer and more humid areas of structures. They can typically be found in kitchens and bathrooms but can move to other areas if food and moisture are available.
The female may produce up to 4 to 8 cases during her lifetime, each case containing 30- 40 eggs and can live up to 200 days.
They are light brown to tan with two dark vertical stripes on their back. They prefer confined spaces and spend most of their time hiding in cracks and crevices that are easily overlooked.
Cockroaches are not only a nasty nuisance, they can contaminate food when it comes in contact with their skin or waste byproducts. They also carry several disease pathogens that are linked to food poisoning, staph, strep, E-coli and others. To prevent cockroaches from coming into your property, check incoming items for roaches and maintain a clean environment.
Prevention and eradication of cockroaches can be done by ensuring proper sanitation is practised. Always remember: the best way to prevent cockroaches from coming into your home or place of business is to keep the area clean, seal your small openings, and make sure your air is as dry as possible.
HOW CAN PRAGAS HUNTERS HELP YOU?
To resolve cockroach infestation, it may require more than one type of treatment. Pragas Hunters understands the behaviour and breeding habits of these pests and our trained Hunters can advice accordingly.
Our Hunters will throughly inspect the premise and may recommend not just one but a number of treatment methods depending on the situation and the level of infestation. Residual chemical spray is one of the many methods adopted at areas of possible infestation or harbourages. Granular and gel baits which can be effective cockroach killers may also be placed where suspected activities are detected. With their strong attractant cockroaches are lured to consume them and in turn get poisoned. A poisoned cockroach will travel back to its nest and die. Once dead, other cockroaches which consume the body get secondary poisoning and the cycle repeats with other cockroaches being infected and die. This effect drastically reduces the cockroach population. Monitoring traps may also be installed to check on the level of infestation.
An Initial Flush-Out Treatment will be required if the infestation is heavy. This is an intensive treatment done in higher frequencies and sometimes requiring additional manpower to thoroughly and meticulously inspect and treat the infested area, immediately bringing it to a threshold level. Whatever the situation, contact us and find out how we can help you eliminate these pesky insects.