Cockroach facts
- Cockroaches are from the Blattodea order and have been around for 320 million years!
- The most common cockroach species in the UK are:
- German (brown with cream stripes)
- Oriental (black).
- They have long antennae and are 20-30mm long.
- Cockroaches crawl around contaminating their whole habitat with pathogens including E. coli and salmonella.
- They will eat anything available to them! Although preferring sugars, proteins and starches, they will consume any organic matter, such as decaying wood, pet hair and sewage.
- Exposure to the moulted skins of cockroaches can trigger asthma and other allergies.
What you can do
- Poor housekeeping can encourage cockroaches
- Keep floors and worksurfaces clear of food debris.
- Keep bins clean and emptied frequently.
- Some species of cockroach prefer high humidity, so keep rooms well ventilated and treat areas of damp.
- Inspect food boxes coming into your property, particularly if you are not sure of its origin.
If you have a pest bird problem, we will…
- Identify the infestation. The species of cockroach (and its habits) will determine how we treat your property, for example where we put baits.
- We will bait the areas that cockroaches are using with a special gel. We may also use a residual insecticide treatment (spray).
- After several days the bait should be taking effect. We will retreat 2-3 times a few weeks apart as needed.
- Once the infestation has been cleared we will offer you a non-invasive monitoring programme.