Cockroaches are an introduced pest and of the 400 or so species found in Australia only 10 types are native. While the Australian varieties can be found happily sifting through rotting vegetation in our great bush, the introduced species include some that just love to invade our homes.

Cockroaches of the imported variety love dirty low down places such as sewers and garbage dumps and about 5 varieties will happily take up residence in your home if given half a chance. These cockroaches are extremely cheeky and once established, they are incredibly difficult to shift without professional help. They lay their eggs inside the house´s hollow walls and if there are any crumbs to eat or the garbage can is undcovered, they will thrive and prosper happily and can live up to a year. Being able to live one month without food or remaining alive headless for up to a week, cockroaches are one of the hardiest insects on the planet.

The main concern with cockroaches invading your home is that they collect germs and bacteria such as Salmonella in their wanderings in unsavoury places and then spread these bacteria to areas that may come in contact with our food (cutlery, crockery, bench-tops etc.) which is a danger to humans, particularly the young or the elderly.

All Cockroaches that are considered a pest in Australia are scavenging experts. They can eat anything we can and most homes produce enough crumbs and morsels to feed a virtual army of mouths hiding in your homes nooks and crannies and the elimination of this easy access food supply is the key to cockroach prevention. The following checklist should help you keep your home cockroach free.

  1. Don´t leave food scraps out on benches.
  2. Ensure all garbage is bagged and removed daily.
  3. Put unrefrigerated food such as biscuits and bread in sealed plastic containers bags.
  4. Rinse dishes or wash immediately so as not to leave a food supply in your sink
  5. Regularly clean counters, sinks, tables and floors to safeguard against food spills.

If you have a cockroach problem, the best course of action is to get professional help to target the nest safely and efficiently to see them eradicated as quickly as possible. Self-treating nests with consumer level products rarely solves an infestation and may leave you with months of exposure to these most hardy creatures.

It is relatively easy to keep a house cockroach free but units can be more prone due to infestations close at hand in communal garbage dept or worse still, in your neighbours unit. In these cases perimeter protection can assist in keeping your home cockroach free.

Ring today for our special total home protection offer, get a $50 discount when combining any general pest spray with a full house inspection.