ABI PEST experts are trained to find the most common cockroach hiding spots and signs of cockroach activity. If cockroaches are present in your home or business, our Specialist will identify the cockroach species and recommend the most appropriate treatment plan. A number of factors will play into the treatment plan, including:
- Species of cockroach
- Property type (example: a commercial business that serves food versus a hospital)
- Severity of infestation
Depending on these factors, your cockroach treatment plan may include a variety of baiting and non-chemical solutions that are designed to eliminate infestations.
After an initial treatment is applied, our Specialist will schedule a follow-up service depending on the severity of the cockroach problem.
We’re locally based and are familiar with the species of cockroaches that most commonly infest properties in your area. Females can produce up to 30,000 cockroach eggs a year, making them highly persistent pests that require professional expertise to effectively eliminate and keep from re-infesting.
A little bit about our Cockroaches
Cockroaches are the oldest surviving insects on the planet. There are around 4,000 cockroach species in the world and in Australia alone there’s about 450 different types of cockroaches, but there are only 6 species that are the most commonly encountered household cockroaches in Australia:
- German cockroach (Blattella germanica)
- Australian cockroach (Periplaneta australasiae)
- American cockroach (Periplaneta americana)
- Oriental cockroach (Blatta orientalis)
- Brown-banded cockroach (Supella longipalpa)
- Smokybrown cockroach (Periplaneta fuliginosa)
Identifying the cockroach species will help deal with an infestation more effectively. See below for descriptions of the appearance, lifestyle and habits of the cockroaches common in Australia:
The German cockroach (Blattella germanica) is a species of small cockroach, typically about 1.1 to 1.6 cm long. It varies in colour from tan to almost black and it has two dark, roughly parallel, streaks on the pronotum running anteroposteriorly from behind the head to the base of the wings. Although the German cockroach has wings, it can barely fly, although it may glide when disturbed. Of the few species of cockroach that are domestic pests, it probably is the most widely troublesome example.
The German cockroach occurs widely in residential buildings, but is particularly associated with restaurants, food processing facilities, hotels, and institutional establishments such as aged care.
Though nocturnal, the German cockroach occasionally appears by day, especially if the population is crowded or has been disturbed. However, sightings are most frequent in the evening, when someone suddenly brings a light into a room deserted after dark, such as a kitchen where they have been scavenging.
The Australian cockroach (Periplaneta australasiae) is a common species of tropical cockroach, with a length of 23–35 mm. It is brown overall, with the tegmina having a conspicuous lateral pale stripe or margin, and the pronotum (head shield) with a sharply contrasting pale or yellow margin. It is very similar in appearance to the American cockroach and may be easily mistaken for it. It is, however, slightly smaller than the American cockroach, and has a yellow margin on the thorax and yellow streaks at its sides near the wing base.
It prefers warmer climates and is not cold-tolerant, but it may be able to survive indoors in colder climates. It does well in moist conditions, but also can tolerate dry conditions as long as water is available. It often lives around the perimeter of buildings. It appears to prefer eating plants more than its relatives do, but can feed on a wide array of organic (including decaying) matter. Like most cockroaches, it is a scavenger.[citation needed]
It may come indoors to look for food and even to live, but in warm weather, it may move outdoors and enter buildings looking for food. This species can be found in nature in tropical parts of Australia; it has also been found along the east coast of Australia, from Cape York to the Victorian border.
The American cockroach (Periplaneta americana) is the largest species of common cockroach, and often considered a pest.
Of all common cockroach species, the American cockroach has the largest body size; molts 6–14 times (mostly 13 times) before metamorphosis; and has the longest lifecycle, up to about 700 days.
It has an average length around 4 cm and is about 7 mm tall. They are reddish brown and have a yellowish margin on the pronotum, the body region behind the head. Immature cockroaches resemble adults except they are wingless.
Cockroaches can pick up disease-causing bacteria, such as Salmonella, on their legs and later deposit them on foods and cause food poisoning or infection if they walk on the food. House dust containing cockroach feces and body parts can trigger allergic reactions and asthma in certain individuals. At least 22 species of pathogenic human bacteria, viruses, fungi, and protozoans, as well as five species of helminthic worms, have been isolated from field-collected American cockroaches.
The Oriental cockroach (Blatta orientalis), also known as the waterbug (as they live in damp areas) or black beetle (as their bodies are mostly dark), is a large species of cockroach, adult males being 18–29 mm and adult females being 20–27 mm. It is dark brown or black in colour and has a glossy body.
Oriental cockroaches tend to travel somewhat more slowly than other species. They are often called “waterbugs” since they prefer dark, moist places. They can often be found around decaying organic matter, and in sewers, drains, damp basements, porches, and other damp locations. They can be found outside in bushes, under leaf groundcover, under mulch, and around other damp places outdoors.
The Brown-Banded cockroach (Supella longipalpa) is a small species of cockroach, measuring about 10 to 14 mm long and the most well-known in the genus Supella. It is tan to light brown and has two light-coloured bands across the wings and abdomen, they may sometimes appear to be broken or irregular but are quite noticeable. The bands may be partly obscured by the wings. The male has wings that cover the abdomen, while the female has wings that do not cover the abdomen completely. The male appears more slender than the female, the female appears wider.
The brown-banded cockroach has a fairly wide distribution. They need less moisture than the German cockroach so they tend to be more broadly distributed in the home, such as in living rooms and bedrooms. They can often be found in homes and apartments, but are less common in restaurants. They tend not to be found in the daytime, since they avoid light.
The Smokybrown cockroach (Periplaneta fuliginosa) is a large species of cockroach, winged, and growing to a length of 30-38 mm.
Although closely related to the American cockroach (Periplaneta americana), the Smokybrown cockroach is readily distinguishable from it by its uniformly light to dark brown–mahogany coloration. Furthermore, unlike the American cockroach, which possesses a light-rimmed pattern on its thorax, the Smokybrown cockroach’s thorax is dark and shiny.
Smokybrown cockroach are considered pests in many geographical areas around the world, as they are very effective at invading urban homes, restaurants, hospitals, and many other crowded places. With their rapid invasion into homes, they are known as sanitary pests and have adapted to toxic bait traps being ineffective at eradicating these species.
Smokybrown cockroaches can be detrimental to human health, thereby due to their proximity of inhabitance to humans they are a vector for diseases from the parasitism of nematodes. They are harmful due to humans through their ability to feed on fecal matter, which transmits parasites and many diseases. The parasitic nematode, Leidynema appendiculata, is known to parasitize the Smokybrown cockroach, in which they invade and live in the cockroach’s gut.
The invasion of homes by these cockroaches greatly increases the prevalence of asthma, pathogen exposure, and allergens seen. Exposure to the cockroach’s feces, the shed outer layer of the exoskeleton, and other body parts mainly cause the transfer of parasites and allergens. In addition, human exposure to these parasitic nematodes can cause conditions such as colitis, and infections of the female reproductive tract.
Have you seen one or more types of these cockroaches in your home or business?
