In our country, the following types of synanthropic cockroaches are most often found in residential premises: red (Blattella germanica), black (Blatta orientalis). As a result of accidental importation from various countries, American (Periplaneta americana) and other species of cockroaches have been discovered.
When the population is high, cockroaches spread throughout the building; when the population is low, they live only in some rooms. The uneven distribution of insects in a building is associated with the presence or absence of favorable conditions for them: temperature, humidity, shelter, food.
The dominant species in the republic is the red cockroach - the Prussian cockroach. The second largest number of species is occupied by the black cockroach.
Cockroaches are heat-loving insects. The optimal temperature required for their life is +24…+260 C. Cockroaches lead a hidden lifestyle and are active at night. Indoors, they inhabit those places where they are least bothered: under tiles, behind panels, under baseboards, in cracks in walls, behind refrigerators, in kitchen furniture, electrical equipment, garbage chambers, garbage chutes, inter-apartment floors, around inputs and along communication systems, and basements.
They mark their shelters and travel routes with pheromones, which attract these insects.
Cockroaches are omnivores: they eat flour, dairy, meat products, and can feed on household waste, excrement, paper, leather goods, etc.
Cockroaches leave their secretions everywhere, in which pathogenic organisms can remain viable for a long time. They are mechanical carriers of about 30 species of pathogens of acute gastrointestinal diseases, anthrax, cholera, plague, leprosy and up to 12 species of protozoa and helminths. It is known that cockroaches secrete a secretion that, when in contact with human skin, can provoke the formation of blisters and abscesses. Dry larval skins of cockroaches, as well as dead dried insects, can provoke allergies in people, including asthmatic phenomena. In addition, house dust mites successfully develop on dried chitinous covers, which cause the development of bronchial asthma, rhinitis, conjunctivitis and other diseases. Allergens are also found in cockroach excrement and extracts.
To increase the effectiveness of cockroach control, you need to:
• carry out minor repairs in a timely manner, seal gaps, cracks in door frames, floors, baseboards, and walls covered with tiles. Carry out systematic daily cleaning of all premises and eliminate clutter. Particular attention should be paid to cleaning kitchens, bathrooms, and toilets. Rinse thoroughly with warm water and detergents and clean the areas where cockroaches have been found. Do not cover the walls with decorative cladding in rooms where cockroaches can breed;
• collect food waste only in specially designed containers (containers, bins, buckets, with a closing lid) and empty it daily, without leaving it overnight;
• keep water taps closed, especially at night; baths and washbasins are dry. Do not leave food products, food scraps, food waste, or dirty dishes in the premises overnight;
• - store food products in closed containers inaccessible to cockroaches.
For extermination measures, mechanical, physical, and chemical control methods are used. The main method for exterminating synanthropic cockroaches is the chemical method.
Extermination measures are carried out in the premises in which cockroaches were found, and, if necessary, in adjacent ones to prevent the migration of insects. All rooms infested with cockroaches in one building are treated simultaneously on one day or for 2 to 4 days in a row.At longer intervals, disinsection is ineffective.
The most effective are combined treatments with liquid preparations and dusts. Dusts are used to treat spaces behind decorative wall cladding, hidden dry places, and electric motors (when not working). Liquid – bottlenecks, cracks behind baseboards, in facing tiles, etc.
You can get advice on the fight against cockroaches and other insects from specialists of the State Institution “Polotsk Zonal Center for Hygiene and Epidemiology” by phone. 8 0214 49 46 42.
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