You’ve probably heard that if there ever was a total nuclear war, it would be cockroaches that inherited the planet. While the gallows humor of the statement is debatable, it is true that cockroaches are one of the hardiest species to inhabit our planet. They have several adaptations which make have helped them to become either first or second on the list of pests in the United States, depending on where you live. These adaptations are also very useful when it comes to pest control, for the cockroach that is. Let’s take a look at what makes the cockroach so hardy and how you can control the population in your house without the use of atomic weapons or others that are overly threatening to your own existence.

The cockroach and its biology

 

As with most other insects and in fact most common pests both vertebrate and invertebrate, cockroaches are very prolific. A female cockroach may live up to one year, during which time she may lay anywhere from four to eight egg sacks. Each egg sack contains 30 to 50 eggs; with no mortality this means a single female cockroach could have 400 babies in one year. And if three quarters of those are female, the numbers skyrocket into infestation.

 

Moreover, each of these baby cockroaches is an insect version of a highly advanced submarine. They are covered in armor which is very difficult to penetrate, and their sensory arrays (antennae) are so sensitive that they can detect toxic substances and avoid them. They even taste test their food to see if it is actually good for them! Moreover, they operate in a clandestine fashion; if you see a cockroach during the day, the odds are that you have a very serious problem.

 

Getting rid of your cockroaches

 

Obviously, cockroaches probably pose the biggest problem to the integrated pest control philosophy, because they are so darn tough. The most important step that you can take is to make sure that your living space is clean, totally devoid of anything which the cockroach population can use as food. This requires a lot of commitment and diligence, often in cooperation with neighbors.

 

While getting into good food denial habits, it’s time to begin an elimination program. Lye and borax seem to be the most effective chemicals when it comes to destroying cockroaches. Both are quite toxic, although lye found in soap is minimized, so this is likely where you want to start or where your pest control expert will start when killing cockroaches. Soap can be used as a toxic attractant, or as a spray that can penetrate cockroach armor.

 

Borax is a major escalation of the war against cockroaches, because it will prove dangerous to other living beings within the household as well. You can see where cockroaches pose a big problem for an organic pest control approach and can really only be taken care of by an integrated pest control plan; they are simply immune to all but the strongest measures.

 

Roach traps will also help to eliminate the cockroaches in your home, but it will take a lot of time and will likely have to be repeated over and over. Four traps in a room for weeks on end are necessary to trap the roaches out totally.

 

Aside from their physical repugnance, the tendency of cockroaches to eat from garbage, etc., means that they can potentially carry harmful bacteria into other foodstuffs if they are not eliminated. These insects are by far the most difficult to control using organic measures, and it is definitely important to consult a pest control company in order to create a least toxic elimination plan.

This entry was posted on Monday, May 5th, 2008 at 2:27 am and is filed under Lawn and Garden, Natural Pest Control, Roaches. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.