Articles

Roaches

Why the cockroach? The creature causes chills and disgust. It is associated with filth. Yet the roach has survived millions of years and its system is amazing

Cockroach Characteristics

The cockroach smells with its legs and antennae. Some roaches have special suction on the bottoms of their legs, enabling them to walk on flat, vertical surfaces such as glass. A roach brain is distributed throughout its body and researchers believe brain capacity is underrated in current society. They have an outer skin that protects from dehydration, beneficial to those bugs inhabiting dry, desert regions. The roach recycles, consuming its own, molted exoskeleton for protein

In Arizona there are five common cockroaches in Arizona: German, American, Turkestan, Brownbanded and Desert cockroaches.

The German cockroach is commonly found in kitchens and favors hot, humid places. American and Turkestan cockroaches can be excluded from buildings by pest proofing, both species are attracted to lights and enter under doors and via dry floor drains. Desert cockroache males are also attracted to lights and most often if after dark lighting draws the flying males into areas with open access. In general, daytime sightings of most cockroach species, indicates a significant infestation. The single most critical step in cockroach management is careful monitoring. Filth and poor sanitation may help sustain cockroaches, but even clean environments can harbor roaches.

Monitor

An approach that integrates several strategies is required to deal with cockroaches, beginning with regular monitoring. Only monitoring can give you the information needed to efficiently and effectively deal with the situation, i.e. which cockroach is present, how are they arriving (as invaders from outside, or in food supplied from a distributer), how many are there, and are they breeding - as indicated by the presence of both adults and nymphs? Regular monitoring will let you know early on if you have cockroach invaders, and the problem can be dealt with before it becomes extensive. Some cockroaches do not move extensi e distances. German cockroach nymphs will only move a few feet from where their egg case hatched. Finding nymphs in a monitoring trap indicates that you are exactly where the cockroaches are infesting, this is the location that needs to be cleaned, uncluttered, and possibly treated with a bait.

Exclude and sanitize

Next to monitoring, exclusion and sanitation can especially help in preventing outdoor species (Turkestan, desert, and American) from entering. The German and brownbanded species are mostly indoor pests, and the most difficult to get rid of; they enter as hitchhikers on corrugated cardboard, clothing, backpacks, etc. Once inside, the German and brownbandeds will feed on food items not typically addressed by improved sanitation (Germans are notorious feeders of leather, wallpaper paste and book binding; brownbandeds dine on starchy glues found on envelopes and art supplies). The best approach to managing both indoor and outdoor cockroaches is to replace corrugated cardboard with plastic bins, educate people as to their role in reducing clutter and improving sanitation, monitor, exclude and sanitize.

Good exclusion and sanitation include:

Place (metal) baskets in all floor drains, and keep drains super clean;

Check exterior doors have intact door sweeps that seal against the threshold;

Outdoor lights should have yellow/bug bulbs instead of white bulbs (the yellow bulbs do

not attract insects);

During periods when the facility or building is empty, arrange for someone to run water

once a week in all toilets and sinks.

Fix outdoor water leaks (leaky faucets, irrigation, etc.);

Remove vegetation and debris that is against buildings

Do not use cardboard boxes to store things in (German cockroaches thrive in cardboard

boxes).

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