Fossil evidence shows that cockroaches have existed almost unchanged for more than 250 million years and have been described as “God’s Perfect Creature”. They are amazingly adaptable and hard and can live and breed under hostile conditions.
The three main pest types in building are:
- American Cockroach (Periplaneta Americana)
- German Cockroach (Blattala Germanica)
- Brown banded Cockroach (Supella Longipalpa)
They prefer a warm and moist habitat close to food sources e.g. kitchens, rubbish chutes and toilets. Due to their close association with filth (feeding and breeding in highly unsanitary environment like sewers, garbage dumps and drains) and their indiscriminate wandering in kitchens and pantry, they are capable of spreading diseases.
Indicators of their existence are the telltale odor, droppings, egg capsules (ootheca), damage packaging especially of food and moulted body shells.
