Among all species of cockroaches including the Oriental, American and Brown-banded, the most common type of roach found here in the Lower Mainland is the German cockroach. They are mostly a kitchen pest but can be a problem in other areas of the home too. They can carry Salmonella which can cause typhoid and food poisoning. People with asthma can be adversely affected by a cockroach infestation due to their allergens, and others without may develop cockroach asthma by inhaling the cockroach allergens. They are also an extreme annoyance in addition to being an embarrassing pest. The ootheca of a female cockroach contains up to 40 eggs which are fully mature in about two months. To say the least, they are prolific breeders, which makes this a vitally urgent pest problem in need of an aggressive solution.
Physical removal (vacuuming) is a start. In severe cases, a “knockdown” is required to eliminate as many roaches as fast as possible using flushing-out materials and residual pesticides. For minor problems or on-going control, a baiting and monitoring system is the recommended procedure.