With more than 3500 cockroach species worldwide, luckily only 4 of these are known to be pests in Australia.
German cockroach – Small and brown in colour, they do not fly although their wings are fully developed. The most common species discovered in homes, restaurants and hotels. If left to become an infestation these pests will need a specific treatment as they are more durable than the other species below.
American Cockroach – One of the larger species, also capable of flying. If you discover a huge, black cockroach in your home, it’s likely to be from this group. These guys can also be found in most garages hiding in tarps, cardboard boxes, stored bags & cupboards.
Smokey-Brown Cockroach – These are flyers, generally found in humid locations and are similar to the American cockroach. Also found in garden areas under brick pavers, sleepers & wood chips as well as in your bathrooms & kitchens.
Australian Cockroaches – Although very similar to the American species, these are typically smaller, a reddish brown, with a yellow colouring on the wing base and thorax. These guys are usually what you see in your garages, sheds, and kitchen.
All species of cockroach eat a wide variety of food, including decomposing garbage and it’s understood that they can carry disease to humans including gastroenteritis and salmonella. In addition, some humans present with allergies. It requires a combination of insecticide and good hygiene practices to rid a home of a cockroach infestation.
Cockroach life-cycle
A female cockroach is capable of laying from 10 to 40 eggs at a time, and up to 30 batches of eggs during her lifetime. A newly hatched young cockroach looks very similar to an adult one, albeit smaller with no wings. Preferring to live in humid, warm conditions, these cold-blooded insects thrive for up to 12 months. Hiding spots for cockroaches in your home are generally food preparation areas and kitchens, where they have access to water and food spills. They may be discovered in confined spaces, hiding in walls, below sinks or underneath a pile of storage boxes.
Eliminating cockroaches
Getting rid of cockroaches in house requires persistence, patience and a combination of both nonchemical and chemical procedures. Requiring just 3 basic things for survival, food, water and living environment. Through proper hygiene control and sanitation, if you can eliminate any of these basic necessities, the cockroach population will be forced to either move on somewhere else or die. Once you have control over the cockroaches that you have seen there is a period of time after this when the other can hatch with between 20 – 40 cockroaches which periodically seems like the infestation has come back, once they have contacted the chemical starcyde they will quickly die off the same as the adult cockroaches
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