By Scott Linde of PestPlus

Over the last few years the big commotion has been about the uprising of bed bugs.  And while bed bugs are a major concern, the good ole cockroach seems to be thriving and doing quite well. The most common cockroach we come across in multi-family housing is the German cockroach.

The German cockroach is light brown with two dark longitudinal stripes on the thorax. Adults are about 5/8-inch long and both sexes have fully developed wings. The number of eggs in the ootheca varies from 18 to 50 with a mean of 32, and the female carries the eggs until shortly before hatching. Female German cockroaches may occasionally help the nymphs emerge from the egg capsule.The average life cycle takes 60 days at room temperature. The German cockroach is the species most commonly found in households for several reasons: (1) it has a larger number of eggs per capsule, (2) nymphs reach sexual maturity more quickly than other cockroaches, (3) the female carries the egg capsule and protects the embryos until hatching, (4) German cockroaches are small and can conceal themselves easily, and (5) they can rapidly build up resistance to insecticides. This species is very active.

Both sexes are fully winged although they rarely fly. They're often carried from place to place in items such as bagged potatoes and onions, bottle cases and cartons and food packages. They travel readily from one location to another and pass through very small openings.

Places where German cockroaches are found often share many common characteristics; they'll usually be warm, dark, and have small cracks and crevices or other small openings into dark confined areas. Such places will generally be rather moist or located near water sources and food supplies.

German cockroaches usually cluster closely together. Adult female cockroaches with oothecae are found deeper within a harborage than other life stages. This makes it extremely difficult to eliminate this species unless extreme care is taken in thorough pesticide treatments. In populations which have developed pesticide resistance, individuals may scatter widely throughout a building. Although German cockroaches are normally most active at night in dark areas, people may see them out of their normal hiding places wherever they aren't disturbed.  Cockroaches are here to stay, a heavy cockroach infested apartment will trigger asthma attacks, create children and older adults to get sick more often. 

In order to safe guard your buildings, strategies MUST be changed on an on-going basis; proper time must be spent in an apartment to accomplish results. A 30 second walk through and a quick spray in the kitchen and bathroom by a pest technician just isn’t going to cut it.   Cockroach services in residential buildings take time and proper procedures.  Implementing a successful pest program is an investment and not an expense!

If you would like to re-evaluate your current pest control program, PestPlus (a 3+ year member of POA) can be reached by calling Scott at 732-777-6857.