German
cockroaches are tiny indoor cockroaches that is found almost all over the
world. Adults are easily recognized by their light brown or tan coloration with
two black horizontal stripes located on the pronotum immediately behind the head, and growing to a
length of 13-16 mm. The much smaller young, or nymphs, are darker, almost black
in colour, also with the black stripes behind the head.( it probably the most widely troublesome. ) They were previously
thought to be a natives of Europe, and later was considered to have emerged
from the region of Ethiopia in Northeast Africa, but more recent evidence
suggests that they actually originated in Southeast Asia. . they accordingly have been given various names in
the cultures of many regions. For example, although they are widely known as the "German
cockroaches" in English-speaking countries, in Germany in turn, they are known
as the Russian roaches and in west Africa they are known as imported roaches because they are
more or less recent trends and are
different from the traditional big cockroaches that are found all over
West Africa. German roaches are the cockroaches
of nightmares. They are the most destructive and probably the most widely troublesome to homes and offices
and the hardest to eliminate.
HOW IT CAME
INTO NIGERIA
German
roaches were said to have invaded Nigeria and indeed west
Africa through the importation of goods (mainly used goods popularly known as
tokunmbo )into the country from other regions especially the western world .They are
more of recent t things than before considering that before the mid eighties there were less
of this particular specie of roaches in circulation than as they are now. Then
(before themed eighties) We had more of the big cockroaches rather than these
tiny ones and the reason is not farfetched, the govt then, made it mandatory
for all vessels coming into the country to be fumigated right in the sea before
dislodging there content at the ports and this was to get rid of all pests that
could have accompanied the goods into the country. Recently when the order was
relaxed and there is no such activity, all vessels are coming in and dislodging their contents( including the German roaches
and others) without being fumigated and this has led to the invasion of homes and offices
by these unwanted guests.
- Avoid stuffing your house (especially kitchen) with nylons waste papers, rags etc
- Keep trash dumpsters clean.
- Make sure food is not left in sink strainers and frequently run the garbage disposal.
- Keep dishes clean, no residue of food remaining.
- All kitchen appliances (microwaves, toasters, ovens, refrigerators and stoves) should be maintained in a clean condition so that it is food free and grease free.
- Avoid snacks crumbs like biscuit,sausage etc
- No food left out.
- Sweeping or vacuuming of any food particles or crumbs.
- Clean any crumbs or food particles in your kitchen cabinets.
- Remove indoor trash or keep them emptied.
HOW TO GET RID OF THEM
Once they have invaded your home and if not tackled immediately,they will
spread all over the place, reason being that German roaches are known for their
ability to reproduce quickly. Female German cockroaches only need to mate once
for the production of young. After mating, and under normal conditions, they
will produce, on average, 4 to 6 egg cases during the course of their lives,
with each egg case, or ootheca, containing approximately 30 to 40 eggs. This
egg case is then carried by the female until 1 to 2 days before hatching.
Depending upon the conditions, the average time for development, from egg to
adult can range from 54 to 215 days, with an average of approximately 100 days.
As adults, German cockroaches can survive anywhere from 100 to 200 days. Their
small size allows them to hide more efficiently, and they have few natural
predators inside human habitats. For these reasons, German cockroach
populations tend to grow rapidly and require professional treatment.Because of their rugged lifestyle sometimes they are a bit difficult to be completely wipe tout at once but with gradual process you will definitely get rid of them. As a pest controller, don’t be surprised after doing your best for your clients to get rid of these pests in their homes and in a short while your client calls you back to complain that he/she spotted the roaches just not too long after you had completed your job. This is because they have the same survival lifestyle like the bedbugs and unlike our big traditional cockroaches which die by inhaling of chemical during fumigation, German roaches hide where it is almost impossible for them to inhale the chemical and resurface when the chemical would have died down. So the best way to get rid of them is by making sure that their body get in contact with the chemical, through baits consumption or gum trap
RESIDUAL SPRAYING , BAITS AND GUM TRAP
RESIDUAL SPRAYING
Residual spraying
is one of the best and most effective
way of getting rid of German roaches
because it allow the liquid chemical to get in touch with their body. Spray all
the flashpoints like the kitchenette, drawers cupboards stores etc. Please take
precaution while doing this , make sure that all food stuffs are well covered
and protected .
BAITS
Bait
products are the primary pesticides used to treat cockroach infestations. They
can be packaged as pastes, gels, granules, or dusts. Most insecticides used in
baits are slow acting. Consequently an effective bait program does not give
immediate results, but may take 7 days or longer. Baits can be quite effective
for long-term control of cockroaches unless the cockroaches have other food
sources available to them.
Baits do
not control all cockroaches equally. Female cockroaches with egg cases do very
little feeding and avoid open spaces; consequently they are less likely to be
immediately affected by a bait.
GUM TRAP
This
works with baits, just spray some food particles like snacks crumbs on rat gums within days alot would have been trapped. This
does not totally wipe them out.
Stay Healthy,
Stay Clean
Courtesy,
Somplus Environmental and Facility Mgt Services
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