Fight common cockroach successfully

the essentials in brief

• A cockroach rarely comes alone because it reproduces explosively, but it is nocturnal and photophobic, making it difficult to spot.
• Combating them is difficult, which is why you have to repeat the treatments over and over for months.
• Using a professional pest controller makes sense.
• A cockroach infestation is usually notifiable.

Signs of common cockroach infestation

The common cockroach is a true master at hiding. The nocturnal animals often remain undetected for a long period of time - hundreds of these pests could live in your apartment without your knowledge. This section explains how to track down cockroaches.

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First signs

Many people only notice that you have a cockroach problem when they see a living specimen at night or when they find a dead specimen. In such a case, you can safely assume that you have at least 200 more of these adorable little animals at home - experts estimate that for every cockroach you see there are at least 200 more hiding nearby. These findings also provide further indications of a possible cockroach infestation:

• Skin remnants : During their development, cockroaches molt up to eight times. The stripped skin coverings or remnants therefore indicate a lively reproductive activity.
• Egg packets : Female cockroaches lay their eggs in packets near the hiding places. The egg packets are about half the size of a coffee bean.
• Excretions : The animal feces are also reminiscent of coffee, because they resemble the crumbs of ground coffee beans. The lumps are about a millimeter in size and often run in the form of elongated lines along or on walls.
• Feeding marks : cockroaches are omnivores and not very picky about their food: eaten food (especially fruit and vegetables) and damaged packaging indicate the presence of the pests.
• Sweet smell : The animals communicate via certain scents, which we humans perceive as sweet and musty smells. An inexplicably unpleasant smell in the apartment can therefore indicate a roasted bed sheet.

Digression

What do cockroaches look like?

The common cockroach or cockroach is up to three centimeters long and has a flat, beetle-like body. Their thin antennae are about a third as long as the dark brown to black colored body. The animals are found almost everywhere in the world and are masters of adaptation.

Frequent hiding places

“Roaches love dark, humid and warm places. Let's make them uncomfortable! "

The common cockroach is not called that for nothing, because due to its food preferences it prefers to stay in kitchens. Here she hides in even the smallest cracks and crevices during the day, only to go looking for food at night. The animals can also be found behind and in cupboards, as long as there are enough dark niches and corners. Nests have even been discovered under ovens, behind the refrigerator or in electrical devices such as the toaster. Cockroaches hide practically everywhere, which makes them difficult to find and control.

Tips

Incidentally, the animals not only live in the kitchen, but everywhere where it is dark, damp and warm. This means that an infestation can also occur in the bathroom, boiler room or laundry room.

With these tests you determine an actual infestation

Now the listed indications for a cockroach infestation are quite vague, which is why you should definitely confirm your suspicions with the help of glue traps. These are traps treated with special pheromones that attract and hold the animals. Such traps are of course not suitable for effective control, but you can use the cockroaches caught to estimate whether and how strong the attack with the cockroaches is pronounced.

You can also build such a trap yourself by pouring beer into a bowl and placing it on the floor. The next morning there should be one or even several dead specimens in the liquid.

Digression

Do not crush cockroaches

Even if you are frightened at the sight of the animals: do not step on them! Until shortly before hatching, female cockroaches carry egg packets with them, which you then stick to your shoes and distribute in the rest of the apartment or elsewhere - with the result that the plague only gets worse. That being said, cockroaches are very difficult to actually trample on. The animals are apparently indestructible.

Fight cockroaches effectively

As soon as you are certain about the cockroach infestation, you should act as quickly as possible: Not only do the animals reproduce very quickly, they can also cause diseases (e.g. tuberculosis, cholera, etc.) as well as asthma and allergies and are therefore classified as harmful to health. When fighting it, it is important to be patient and not just rely on a single method. On the other hand, it is important to stir up a whole package of measures and apply this over a period of several months.

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Basic action

It starts with these basic measures, which initially deprive the cockroaches of their livelihood and which ultimately show their effectiveness in combination with chemical pesticides.

• Do not keep open food supplies.
• Neither in cupboards, nor in pantries or in the basement.
• Freeze any food that you can.
• Carry out a thorough cleaning of all rooms.
• You can also clean behind, under and in cupboards and appliances.
• Use a steam cleaner or hot water, because eggs, larvae and even adults die at temperatures above 60 ° C.
• Seal holes and cracks in walls and floors.
• Sprinkle diatomaceous earth behind and under cupboards, appliances and trash cans.

Also make sure that it is extremely clean so that the cockroaches can no longer find food. Crumbs and hairs on the floor must be removed immediately. Also, take the rubbish outside and don't leave used dishes around.

Use of pesticides

Now you can get down to fighting the pests. So-called anti-cockroach gels, poisonous feeding bait and other insecticides, with which a large number of adult cockroaches and larvae can be killed, have proven particularly useful. However, you cannot control the eggs with these measures, which is why new animals hatch from time to time. Therefore, repeat the control at regular intervals. But be careful: these insecticides are poisonous not only to cockroaches, but also to pets and children. Therefore only set them up for their range!

Digression

Which is why sugar traps don't always work

If the cockroach traps you choose don't work, it could be because of the sugar. Cockroaches are extremely adaptable animals that have been able to survive on earth for hundreds of millions of years thanks to this property. But it also means that cockroaches seem to have been repelled by the sweet attractants for a number of years. In this case, switch to a sugar-free bait.

When should a professional pest controller be hired?

The best possible control method - as well as the one that promises the greatest possible success - is simply to hire a professional pest controller or exterminator. This means and methods are available that you as an inexperienced layman do not have.

How to prevent a cockroach infestation

With a few - admittedly not always easy to adhere to - measures you can ensure that the common cockroach will no longer be seen by you in the future.

• Don't leave leftover food standing around openly, put it in the refrigerator.
• Wash dirty dishes immediately.
• Rinse dishes before putting them in the dishwasher.
• Set up trash cans with lids that close as tightly as possible.
• Keep food supplies in secure containers, such as: B. made of glass.
• Ventilate regularly.
• Clean regularly with hot water under and behind furniture and appliances.
• Seal cracks and holes in masonry and floors.
• Do not take cardboard boxes from the supermarket into your home.
• Dispose of this outer packaging immediately.
• Unpack suitcases and other luggage in the bathtub or shower.
• Then clean them thoroughly.
• Wash your laundry immediately after a trip.
• Keep electrical appliances clean and regularly remove crumbs from e.g. B. the toaster.

frequently asked Questions

Are cockroaches notifiable?

Basically, due to the health hazard, there is an obligation to report to the health department as soon as a cockroach infestation has become apparent. This applies above all to the commercial sector as well as to communal facilities - for example in restaurants, cafés or in public buildings - where legal regulations make it mandatory to report to the authorities. In the private sector, it is up to the apartment or house owner to report the infestation. It is important for tenants to know that they can also report cockroach infestation to the health department (and should do so!) If the landlord does not take suitable measures against the plague despite notification of this from the tenant.

Do cockroaches belong to the bugs?

Cockroaches have six legs and very long antennae, which is why they look like beetles. In fact, however, it is an independent order of insects (lat. Blattodea), which has little in common with the order of beetles (lat. Coleoptera). Cockroaches have been around for a very long time because these animals are extremely adaptable. As early as 300 million years ago, there were cockroaches that looked almost exactly like today's cockroaches.

Can cockroaches fly?

In fact, female cockroaches - or cockroaches - can fly. The males, on the other hand, are unable to fly due to their stunted wings.

Are cockroaches attracted to light?

In contrast to nocturnal moths, the cockroaches that live on the ground are not attracted to light, but instead even take flight. As a result, you are unlikely to encounter a cockroach with the lights on.

Can cockroaches bite?

Cockroaches (preferably sleeping people) can actually bite if they cannot find enough to eat - for example because the population has become too large or there is not enough leftover food. However, such behavior has become very rare and usually only occurs when the animals have reproduced too much over a long period of time.

Tips

Cockroaches are not necessarily indicative of poor hygiene. Instead, you may have brought the uninvited guests with you from your vacation or they may have immigrated to you from a nearby food processing company. It is not without reason that the pests are nicknamed “baker's cockroach”.