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DITCHLING CORPORATION LIMITED
"Supplying professional Pest Control products since 1964"
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DITCHLING CORPORATION LIMITED
"Supplying professional Pest Control products since 1964"
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COCKROACHES are broad and flattened in shape. They have 6 well developed legs and 2 very long, slender antennae or feelers. They vary in color from light to dark brown; some have yellowish markings on the thorax and wings. The adults of most species have wings but are not strong fliers. The young are known as nymphs and resemble their parents except that they are smaller and have no wings.
COCKROACHES prefer moist, damp places and when disturbed will run rapidly for cover. In Ontario, they are found mostly in kitchens, laundries, dairies, warehouses, sewers.
Many species frequent filthy and unsanitary areas and are liable to carry disease organisms on their bodies.
Development
The female COCKROACH lays her eggs in a capsule which she forms at the tip of her abdomen. This capsule may contain from 5 to 40 eggs and is dropped in a secluded place a few hours before the eggs are ready to hatch. The female COCKROACH usually produces several capsules in her lifetime. The young, or nymphs, which hatch out begin foraging immediately and will become full-grown in 3 to 12 months, depending on species and food availability.
Habits
COCKROACHES develop rapidly in unsanitary conditions and where there is high temperature and humidity and plenty of food. They are fond of meat, starches, cereals, milk products; they will feed also on fruit, hides, clothing, live and dead insects, paper, book-bindings - even each other! They emit a foul-smelling liquid from their bodies, as they move around, which is very persistent and will leave a taint on food and dishes for long periods. This taint is difficult to remove even with repeated washings.
COCKROACHES can spread in many ways; most are adept at hiding themselves and can spread from one place to another in cardboard cartons, baskets, luggage, furniture, appliances, etc. They can crawl from one place to another along sewer lines, conduits, water lines and other service connections. Some species of adult COCKROACHES can fly short distances while others merely glide for a few feet within a room.
Kinds of Cockroaches
1. GERMAN COCKROACH (Blatella Germanica). This is the most common species in Ontario. Mature adults are between ½ and inches long, light to dark brown in color with 2 dark stripes on the region behind the head. Both sexes are winged but are not strong fliers.
This species likes warm, dark, damp places and is attracted to foodstuffs: it is nocturnal in habit and prefers kitchens, laundries, bathrooms, restaurants, food stores, etc. and matures in 4 to 6 months, usually having 2 to 3 generations per year, under average conditions.
2. BROWN-BANDED COCKROACH (Supella longipalpa). Slightly smaller than the German COCKROACH, light brown in color with 2 dark stripes on the prothorax. Both sexes are winged; the wings of the female may be mottled reddish brown; males usually have yellowish bands across the wings, one next to the prothorax and the other about midpoint.
They may be in any part of the building where the temperature is usually about 75ºF. They mature in about from 3 to 8 months under average conditions and there are 1 or 2 generations per year.
3. ORIENTAL COCKROACH. About 1 to 1½ inches long; color uniform, very dark brown to black. Females are wingless, males have wings shorter than the body. They prefer basements and sewer lines, foraging on ground floors. They mature in from 6 to 12 months with possible 2 generations per year.
4. AMERICAN COCKROACH (Periplaneta americana). About 1½ to 2 inches in length, tan to brown with light markings on edges of the prothorax. Both sexes are winged, maturing in 6 to 18 months; usually 1 generation per year. They often frequent basements foraging on ground floors of buildings, sometimes in garbage dumps in summer months.
5. WOOD COCKROACH. About to 1 inch long. Usually a chestnut-brown color with prothorax and wings edged with lighter color. The females have wings shorter than the body; males have long wings. They mature in about 12 months; normally found outdoors in wooded areas, sometimes they invade rural homes and summer cottages.
Prevention
1. Examine all cartons and baskets coming into the building for COCKROACHES and egg capsules.
2. Fill up all cracks in walls and floors with crackfiller. Seal openings where waterpipes, conduits and ducts pass from one building to another.
3. Rectify areas of dampness in the building or home.
4. Pay particular attention to cleanliness and good housekeeping practices. Do not allow crumbs, scraps or spilled food to accumulate around cabinets, stoves, sinks or refrigerators.
5. Keep garbage containers tightly covered and dispose of garbage regularly.
Cockroaches and Disease
Domestic COCKROACHES primarily have nocturnal habits, so many people generally are unaware of the extent to which they contaminate food and leave offensive odors. They are important in human health and should be viewed as dangerous potential carriers of disease organisms of all types. Although there is substantial literature on this subject, at present only circumstantial evidence exists linking diseases carried by COCKROACHES with disease outbreaks. The evidence, however, is sufficient to justify immediate control of COCKROACH infestations in areas where they may create a possible hazard to public health.
COCKROACHES are omnivorous insects feeding on a variety of foodstuffs, garbage and biological wastes including sewage. Their habit of regurgitating partially digested food and often dropping feces while feeding are potentially dangerous features to spreading disease. They produce secretions which give a persistent and characteristic odor to those areas they have visited.
The organisms most likely to be acquired and carried by COCKROACHES causing food poisoning in humans belong to the salmonella group of bacteria. These bacteria may be mechanically transported on their legs and bodies.
Recently, two species of COCKROACHES, the American COCKROACH (Periplaneta Americana) and the Madeira COCKROACH (Leucophae maderae), have been found experimentally to excrete normally compounds which are either mutagenic or carcinogenic. The compounds, components of various acids, are present in small quantities in fecal matter. The contamination of human food by COCKROACH fecal material makes these compounds a potential hazard to human health.
Viri and protozoa also are carried by COCKROACHES. Four unspecified strains of poliomyelitis virus have been isolated from the German COCKROACH (Blatella Germanica), the American COCKROACH (Periplaneta americana) and the Brown-banded COCKROACH (Supella longipalpa). Cysts resembling those of Entoamoboea histolyca, the protozoan responsible for amoebic dysentery, have been found among many COCKROACH species from widely separated areas including Egypt, Venezuela and Peru. Fungi also have been found to occur naturally in COCKROACHES. Aspergillus fumigatus and A niger are of interest as these have been associated with pathological conditions.
COCKROACHES serve as the intermediate host for 12 species of Helminths (hookworms and roundworms). The eggs of 7 Helminth species have been found naturally in COCKROACHES. The most well known of these worms is Oxyspirura mansoni, the Eyeworm of poultry. Research has demonstrated that with increased exposure of humans to German COCKROACHES the greater the incidence of allergic reactions; specifically, skin sensitivity to a COCKROACH-produced substance.
The "RoachCatcher" is an effective Non-Toxic Roach trapper.
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CONTROL
BORID powder is an effective long-lasting Roach killer powder.
ATTRAX Roach Killer is an effective Roach killer with no known resistance.
MAXFORCE ( HYDRAMETHYLNON) Bait placements are effective Roach killers.
PROPOXUR 1% is an effective Cockroach spray
PERMETHRIN formulations are also registered for use against Cockroaches.
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