Why do we allow insects, scavengers at that, into our homes? Never mind letting them in, sometimes we invite them in! They do not make good pets! My guess is, if we really want to get rid of them, we have to work at it.
Cockroaches in this area are the most annoying and common insect we let in. They have been around for 300 to 400 hundred million years. Some biologists consider insects one of the most successful groups of animals to ever inhabit this planet and cockroaches are one of the most adaptable and successful insect groups. They are more than just a pest. In the worse case scenario, cockroaches can be involved in the spread of salmonella, a causative agent of food poisoning.
There are five different types of cockroaches that are common in the United States. The German cockroach is the leading culprit because it has a high reproductive potential and a short period of development from hatching to sexual maturity.
YOU NEED A PLAN
To get rid of them a plan must be developed. The plan should start with a survey and obviously the survey starts with finding out where they are living. When looking for cockroaches, a night inspection is suggested as this is when they normally come out. In rare occasions they are out during the day. When food, water or mates are scarce they tend to make daytime visits. A good hint for finding them is to use a yellow filter over a flashlight lens. This gives you a better chance of seeing them without startling them. Since cockroaches are good climbers, searching the floor is not sufficient. They are omnivorous which means they will eat almost anything, so look carefully.
A source of food and breeding ground is buildings with compactors. Until the 1970's, most garbage generated in New York City high rise buildings was burnt in incinerators. This made the environment for the cockroaches, a/k/a the king of household noxious insects, unfriendly. Burning garbage was an efficient way to solve the problem. This left no food or liquid laying around for insects to eat. Ash from an incinerator is not a thriving diet, even for an insect.
Compactors that are not properly cleaned become an excellent food source for insects, thus making good sanitation practices important. Food particles must be removed from all surfaces. Insecticide applications provide excellent initial control and have better residual action when proper sanitation procedures are first applied and then routinely followed. A professional service should be used to thoroughly clean compactors annually.
There are other areas in buildings that might not come to mind immediately but are important to review. Over-watering plants is another danger, soggy soil is a delicious cocktail for cockroaches. Devoid of any other food source cockroaches can survive a month on just water. Without food or water adult cockroaches die in less than two weeks.
OTHER COMMON INSECTS
Silverfish and firebrats are very similar in appearance. The easiest way to tell the difference is the environment in which they thrive. Silverfish prefer damp, cool places such as basements, laundry rooms and under sinks. Firebrats thrive in warm, moist places such as around ovens, heating units, fireplaces, hot water pipes, in the attic in the summer and near the furnace in the winter. Both silverfish and firebrats travel at night to find sites that suit them best. In a general building environment, you can get rid of them by eliminating their food source and clean up areas of moisture.
Houseflies develop in materials, like garbage, which are not properly handled. Females lay 75 to 150 eggs at a time and reach adulthood in less then a week. In the summer months this adds up to as many as a dozen generations.
Fleas, like houseflies, are more of a seasonal problem. Dogs and cats that are let outside are the usual carriers of fleas. If an animal is scratching more than normal, it would be a good idea to vacuum pet areas and dispose of the vacuum bag immediately.
GOOD INSECTS
In this area of the country most common spiders are not poisonous. Spiders are predators of insects and most can be beneficial around the house. If you wish to eliminate them, sweep out webs and use a residual spray that has a long after life after application. Ridding the household environment of the insects can also limit what spiders need to feed on.
There are no short cuts or easy solutions to getting rid of all of the described unwanted intruders. The process begins with a good survey to find them. Your best bet in keeping them away, is proper and regular sanitation procedures.
Steve Wolfson is President of Environmental Cleaning Systems, Inc. (ECS) providing a variety of indoor environmental services. ECS uses state-of-the-art equipment and patented processes to maintain environmental standards in all types of structures. Steve can be reached at 888-CLEARAIR (888 253-2724) or on the Internet at www.ecsclearair.com.