Cockroach Control

Cockroaches usually evoke disgust within residents as they reside in the cracks and crevices of Australian homes. This makes it hard to control a cockroach infestation on your property. There are various species of cockroaches that can be found at your home or business, which can make it hard to decide if you need to book professional cockroach pest control to organise the removal of roaches or not.

The most common roaches in Melbourne are German cockroaches and the Australian cockroach. They are usually dark brown in colour and can be found around cupboards with food as well as cracks and crevices around your home or business. Organising pest control services and chemical treatment methods is the best way to control species of cockroaches from your home.

Everything You Need To Know

Cockroach Control in Melbourne

Cockroaches are loathed by most due to their unsightly appearance as well as the fact that they thrive in bacteria and unhealthy environments such as cupboards, cracks and crevices. Most of the cockroaches in Melbourne are native to the state of Victoria, with only a few of them actually carrying diseases or being classed as a pest. If you’re looking for a cockroach exterminator to control and eliminate cockroaches in Melbourne, feel free to call our pest control services right away – or you can read further and learn a little bit more about cockroaches and find a solution that works for you.

Types of Cockroaches

The Australian Cockroach (Periplaneta Australasiae)

These cockroaches will often enter buildings when it’s dark and originate from the garden/debris. They are also found hiding in areas where the climate isn’t too cold.

One hatched, it can take from 6-12 months for these cockroaches to reach full maturity.

The German Cockroach (Blatella Germanica)

German cockroaches are basically all over the world. They’re easily identifiable due to their stripes, with adults growing to around 1.5cm in length. German cockroaches can develop into adults within 6 months and are often found indoors where it is mostly humid, such as bathrooms and kitchens.

Oriental Cockroach (Blatta Orientalis)

Oriental roaches are highly adaptable cockroaches that are very good at surviving in the natural environment. They love damp, cool and dark environments such as drains, where they can remain in hiding. They feast on things like rubbish and any other decay. They take longer to fully develop – up to 18 months.

American Cockroach

The American cockroach is also extremely common amongst commercial and residential properties. The size can range from 1cm up to 4cms long and is of a red/brown colour. They can even fly at times with their wings.

This species of cockroaches are often found on trees and will also prefer dark, damp and areas where they can continue hiding with little disturbance.

Signs Of A Cockroach Infestation

Cockroaches certainly leave a trail that allows you to identify them fairly easily, usually before even seeing the pest themselves. Cockroaches are nocturnal, which means that they’re usually hidden during the day and then come out at night when it’s dark. It’s important that you take action quite quickly after seeing signs of cockroaches as they can come with a series of health risks and diseases.

Cockroach Droppings

Cockroaches are known to produce and leave a trail of droppings that looks like coffee, which has been ground. They are quite small, up to 1mm wide.

Smear Marks

If the area of infestation is usually wet, you are likely to see smear marks which come from the cockroaches resting or crawling across the surface. Make sure to check where the wall and floor meets, horizontal surfaces as well as around cracks and crevices for this sort of mark.

Skin Shedding

Cockroaches are a species of insect that are also known to shed their skin up to 8 times throughout their lifecycle. This includes the nymph stages at the beginning when they’re just an egg, all the way through to the fully matured cockroach in the adult stage.

Damage

Another common giveaway for Cockroaches is damage across food packaging as well as leather, books and any other organic surface/goods.

A Strange Smell

Cockroaches are known to produce a pheromone that draws other cockroaches to their position. They usually do this via defecation (droppings) in the areas that they live and sleep. What it actually smells like is an unpleasant, musty scent which gets worse as the infestation deepens.

Live Cockroaches

This goes without saying: seeing a cockroach will mean that there are others nearby. You’re most likely to see cockroaches late at night after you’ve turned a light on. Depending on the species of cockroach, you’re also likely to find them hiding around bathrooms/laundry areas as well as kitchens, basements and drains. Read further to learn what cockroaches look like.

How To Get Rid Of Cockroaches

Cockroach Baits

This is one of the most common forms of cockroach removal and prevention. This form of pest control has a huge impact in environments that are located indoors such as hotels, hospitals and kitchens (or any other residential/commercial food handling area).

The cockroach bait comes in three forms:

• Gel
• Solid
• Liquid

The bait stations are placed in areas where cockroaches are known to roam, which ends up poisoning the cockroaches that come into contact with the baits. It also poisons cockroaches that come into contact with infected cockroaches.

Eventually, as the infection spreads from cockroach to cockroach, the colony will end up poisoning itself and therefore solve the issue of cockroach infestation.

Cockroach Fumigation

Another common, and perhaps more traditional method of cockroach pest control in Melbourne is cockroach fumigation. Insecticides are used in a gas to exterminate the cockroaches in a confined space. This usually requires the area to be completely sealed-off with the gas then introduced. If the infestation is quite severe, fumigation is used in tandem with other cockroach repellents.

This method of cockroach control is often used in warehouses, manufacturing plants, mills as well as several agricultural set ups.

How To Prevent Cockroach Infestations

Be proactive! Most cockroach infestations are much better off being prevented rather than organising pest control, particularly in businesses where food is handled. Cockroaches are a food regulation nightmare!

You can help eliminate the instance of cockroaches whilst also preventing by following the steps below:

Eliminate Food Sources

Make sure you are removing liquids and any exposed food. You should also look to store food away safely as well as rinsing any spare bottles, cans and containers. This will limit the attraction that cockroaches show towards food and any other sort of bottle and container.

Clean Surfaces

This one is fairly straight forward, however, you should always be looking at keeping surfaces throughout your home and business clean. This means that the cockroaches will be less inclined to choose your home or business as a home because there is less filth for them to thrive in!

De-clutter The Area

Once cockroaches have found a safe place to live, they tend to alert other cockroaches via pheromones. They will choose to nest in anything – cardboard, packaging, newspapers, magazines and even clothes.

House Maintenance

Making sure you seal any entries into the house, along with checking pipes and drains as well as shelves throughout the house to prevent a cockroach infestation. If you suspect that there are cockroaches in there, make sure you look at purchasing some cockroach bait or have All Guard Pest Control come out to provide an inspection and service the issue.

Cockroach Control In Melbourne

If you’re still wondering how to get rid of cockroaches, make sure you contact us today. All Guard Pest Control are very effective in delivering professional cockroach pest control. We’re able to quickly get rid of cockroaches and pests at home or within your business.