Three common cockroaches are found around homes. They are the American cockroach, Periplaneta americana, the Australian cockroach, Periplaneta australasiae, and the smallest but worst little critter, the German cockroach, Blattela germanica.
Cockroaches are among the most difficult pests to eradicate due to their adaptability, ability to become resistant to insecticides quickly, and prolific reproductive habits. Whether indoors or outdoors, cockroaches are guaranteed to be near any inhabited building in Australia.
American cockroaches (Periplaneta americana)
These are the largest of the cockroaches found here in Perth and can grow up to 4cm in length. They are red brown in colour and have a pale edge on the pronotum and can fly. They prefer dark, moist areas, and are commonly found in restaurants, supermarkets, basements, sewers, and drains.
Australian cockroach (Periplaneta australasiae)
The Australian cockroach is 3 to 4cm and is similar to the American cockroach, but can be distinguished by a yellow band on the thorax and yellow along its sides near the wing base.
Unlike other cockroaches these species normally feed on plants and decaying matter in the garden.
German cockroach (Blattella germanica)
The German cockroach are strictly indoor creatures and are the hardest to get rid of. They are bronze, brown in colour, and the adults are only about 1.5 cm in length. They have long antennae, and wings but typically don’t fly. They are prolific breeders and can reach adulthood in 45 days.
German cockroaches love warm moist areas.
When you call in a cockroach treatment, try to describe the pest as best you can because the treatment procedures and areas treated are in some ways different. German cockroach can be difficult to control as they have built up a strong resistance to most chemicals.
Prevention is better than cure, and you can achieve this by following a few simple rules.
Cockroaches are predominately nocturnal, and if you see the scurrying around in the day it can be a sign of a bigger underlaying problem, a high population. Cockroaches like to hide in dark damp places where they like to be in close contact with each other. They feed at night, so deny them this by cleaning up your dirty dishes before going to bed and removing the garbage or tying it up so they have no access.
Cockroaches are prolific breeders; the German cockroach can reach adulthood in as little as 40 days. You could be unwittingly bringing them into your home by transporting them into their new premises via cardboard packaging. The eggs are contained in egg cases, each containing 10 to 25 eggs. These are glued to surfaces usually near food. These could easily be on cardboard boxes bringing in you supplies. Remove them as soon as you can to the outside bin.
Clean all surfaces of a food source, they don’t need much to feed on. Refrigerators provide a perfect spot for cockroach to hide. The back end of the refrigerator has everything they require for a good home, dark, warm, tight little spaces to crawl into and a water supply in the drip tray. Keep this area clean, and pull the appliance out often, not just to clean, but to monitor as well.
When you call in for a cockroach treatment, and you have an infestation, it would be good if you could remove everything out your cupboard in the kitchen area so they can be treated properly.
You will be asked to be out of this treated area until the product is dry as written on the label.