Sydney is known to be the cockroach capital of Australia. Almost all Aussie homes have been bugged by pests for the past five years. Unfortunately, the warm temperature of Sydney during Spring is the reason why cockroaches gain more energy to invest in this city. Aside from being a filthy creature, cockroaches can scare you to hell.
Cockroaches are commonly found in homes and buildings. Particularly, they prefer humid environments such as bathrooms, roof voids, subfloors and kitchens. They bring serious health risks to humans. Of all insects, they are the hardiest to eradicate for they can survive a month without food. There is no doubt that hiring a professional cockroach removal in Sydney is the best option of all.
The Cockroaches of Sydney
Cockroaches being there on Earth for 300 million years come in varieties. Surprisingly, cockroaches have 4,500 species where 30 of them are considered pests. While getting rid of this pest is your top concern, identifying what kind of cockroaches infest the city of Sydney is also a big help in deciding how to get rid of them.
These are the common Sydney cockroaches:
- German Cockroach
The German cockroach’s colour is light brown with dark brown lines along the edge of the body. They are smaller with a length of 13-16 mm. This type of cockroach is the fastest among the 5 types. German cockroaches are considered the worst cockroach in Sydney. Specifically, it is because they love moist, warm indoor places. So, they are likely to live under one roof with you.
Another thing that makes them problematic is the fact that they consume both human and pet food as well as decaying matter. They breed faster at a good temperature with food and water. For instance, a single female German cockroach can breed about 35,000 cockroaches. Therefore, they are prone to infestation.
- Australian Cockroach
Australian cockroaches are brown with a yellow line around the head. Its body’s length is between 23-25 mm long. This cockroach usually hides in dark corners such as cracks and crevices. Preferably, they want damp and moist climates like areas of the home that have access to water such as sinks and drains.
In addition, the sign of Australian cockroach infestation is the nymph, adult or egg appearing on your property. An Australian cockroach can lay 12-30 ootheca in a lifetime. Each ootheca has 16-24 eggs inside.
- Oriental Cockroach
Oriental cockroach’s colour is black ranging from 20-25mm in length. Mostly, they create a population around garbage cans where food is convenient. Aside from inhabiting the house, oriental cockroaches are also found in the yard hiding beneath the leaves and flowers.
Moreover, this type of cockroach lays eggs from spring to summer. A single female oriental cockroach can lay hundreds of eggs in a year. These insects are dependent on water. Thus, they can be seen wandering in and around your pipes and sewers.
- Smoky Brown Cockroach
Smoky brown cockroach’s appearance is brown mahogany in colour. This one is considered to be larger than those mentioned above. Specifically, its length is 30 mm. They are a threat to your garden because they prefer plant materials.
In addition, smoky brown cockroaches like to invade homes during summer. At night, they fly around your lights. Since their wings extended beyond their body, it is not difficult for them to enter houses through windows and ceiling cracks. These cockroaches are prone to dehydration. Thus, they are mostly found in moist areas.
A female smoky brown cockroach can produce 32 ootheca in her lifetime. Each ootheca has an average of 20 eggs. They love to inhabit greenhouses. In some cases, they died of dehydration. Therefore, they cannot survive without invading your house for water.
- American Cockroach
American cockroaches are reddish-brown with a length of up to 50 mm. This is the largest cockroach of all types. An adult female can produce 150 young cockroaches in her lifetime.
American cockroaches are the most noticeable of all. Unlike other cockroaches, this one likes to be in an open area. Usually, they are found in food businesses such as bars, supermarkets, bakeries and restaurants. Most of the time, they are seen to damage wallpapers, clothing and books.
Furthermore, American cockroaches produce pheromone or known as a ‘musty’ smell. Their smell serves as a sign of infestation. They are fond of leaving droppings in dark areas they mostly hide.
Diseases Caused by Cockroaches
Naturally, cockroaches do not have the diseases themselves. Their nature of consuming decayed matters and moving from one place to another made them the carrier of bacteria. Cockroaches love to contaminate the food that is why it is easy to transmit pathogens from contaminated to uncontaminated ones. Worse, cockroaches are able to eat animal feces and dead insects. Specifically, a person whose food was contaminated by cockroaches may suffer:
- Diarrhoea
- Dysentery
- Cholera
- Leprosy
- Plague
- Typhoid fever
- Viral diseases such as poliomyelitis
In addition, cockroaches’ saliva, feces and shedding body parts can trigger asthma and allergies for children. Cockroach allergy symptoms include coughing, skin rash, wheezing, ear infection, sinus infection and nasal congestion. In some cases, cockroaches also cause serious food poisoning.
If you run a business with cockroach infestation, you are putting the lives of your employees at risk. Knowing that some people already have health issues like asthma, cockroaches will trigger them. The most effective solution for this problem is contacting a professional pest control expert for cockroaches’ removal to put your people and business in good hands.
Destruction Caused by Cockroaches
Aside from diseases they carry, cockroaches are a nuisance to someone’s property. Once a cockroach infestation begins, you will get frustrated by their droppings. Even though their droppings are as small as coffee grounds, it is disgusting seeing them in your kitchen areas. Sometimes, their droppings can be found in your closet where they mostly hide and lay eggs.
Aside from droppings, cockroaches’ urine smells so bad. The last thing you realize is that you lost appetite to eat. The smell of their body is also terrible for they dwell in garbage and decayed materials. Unfortunately, cockroaches could ruin your living.
Physical damages are also one of the common problems with cockroaches. Due to the ability to eat just anything, roaches are capable of tearing your clothes, wallpapers, books and furniture. An extreme infestation will surely give you trouble.
Tips to Prevent a Cockroach Infestation
One reason why cockroaches appear on your property is poor hygiene practices. These pests are searching for food, shelter and moist places to survive. Preventing them to enter your house is the best way to not establish an infestation. Here are the tips to prevent them from invading your property.
- Remove food sources
Cockroaches are dependent solely on leftover food. Liquids from buckets and sinks are an attraction to cockroaches. Removing all of it and cleaning moist areas can help prevent these pests from entering your home and business.
Furthermore, eliminating leftover food on tables, kitchen counters and desks can lessen the appeal of your area to cockroaches. The fact that these pests only need a very small amount of food to live, anything they find on the floor will surely attract them.
Another thing is, emptying trash bins daily should be done. One of the cockroach’s favourite spots is garbage cans for it offers them different kinds of food. Emptying bins also prevent cockroaches from bringing bacteria to uncontaminated foods and surfaces.
- Clean regularly
One thing to consider in preventing pests from destroying you is proper hygiene. Not just inside the house but outside as well. Debris and crumbs on surfaces should be removed for cockroaches not to track your area. Most of the time cockroaches get out of their hiding place at night in search of food. Usually, their target is pet food, water bowls and litter trays. You can clean them all before going to bed.
The smell is also one of the factors that attract cockroaches. Aside from storing your food in airtight containers, a regular vacuum is also helpful. Cockroaches will move to another place if they don’t benefit your property.
- Fix possible entrances
Cockroaches wouldn’t get their way into your house if there are no cracks and crevices. Sealing them can hinder these pests from sheltering your property. Closing of windows tightly is also a great idea.
Additionally, fixing the pipes and blocked drains is also an effective preventative measure. As stated, cockroaches love to be in damp and moist areas. Surely, they love to be in that area to search for water.
- Declutter
Old newspapers, magazines, packaging and cardboard are cockroaches’ favorite spot to hide. It offers them both food and shelter. They also love dropping in these materials. Decluttering these things will prevent cockroaches from building an infestation on your property.
Cockroach Infestation Treatment
Cleaning is not enough for the total disappearance of cockroaches on your property. In some houses and buildings, no matter how much they observe proper hygiene, pests are just hard to eliminate.
Insecticide treatment
Insecticide treatment is effective in killing cockroaches but should be used properly and correctly. Applying such treatment comes in different ways such as spraying, using dust or powders and baits.
- Sprays
Spraying comes with a thorough inspection. Before spraying the area, make sure to check whether cockroaches are present or not. Use a flashlight for dark areas such as cracks and crevices. You cannot just spray all areas of your house. It is not safe for your children and pets. Another thing is, always make sure that cockroaches die after treating them or else they’ll just come back over again.
- Dust
There are also insecticides in the form of powders. This treatment is best applied on the edges and corners of cabinets, floors and walls. It is also useful within the opening of cracks, crevices and sinks. In the kitchen, it can be applied on the floor junction behind the refrigerator, stove and dishwasher. The most familiar among household dust treatments is boric acid. It kills cockroaches right after they crawl over treated surfaces.
- Baits
Baits tend to be more effective when applied properly. When cockroaches ingest a bait they crawl to death. Some baits are mixed with water and food. Some are in the form of a gel. This treatment should be set up where cockroaches mostly hide and where they are always seen. Baits also eliminate those female cockroaches carrying eggs.
Cockroach trap
If you want to eliminate cockroaches without the presence of poisons or toxins, you can use a trap. Glue traps lure cockroaches inside a container keeping them until they die with sticky glue. However, this should come with good monitoring skills. As a homeowner, you should know the area of activities of these pests. If you fail to identify them, your trap is unlikely to be successful. Even though this method is not harmful to health, it is also not that effective in catching cockroaches. But still, this can lessen the infestation.
Why Should You Have a Professional Cockroach Removal Service?
Even though insecticides and traps work, extreme infestations need professional cockroach removal. Cockroaches not eliminated will still establish infestation after. If this happens over and over again, you are wasting money on treatments that are not effective.
Sydney is known to have the best cockroach removal services. If you find it tiring and exhausting to apply treatments yourself, you can hire ABC Pest Control Sydney to cater for your needs. ABC Pest Control is Sydney’s top pest control with over two decades of experience. This company’s experts are amazing in dealing with a cockroach infestation. Thus, giving you effective and affordable services.
More information about the amazing work of ABC Pest Control can be seen on the customer testimonials. Most importantly, you can book them in under 60 seconds.
