Oriental cockroach
Description:
Usually dark reddish brown in colour, the adults are about 25mm long and the immature cockroaches (nymphs) resemble adults except that they are wingless.
Biology:
Unlike other pest cockroaches, Oriental’s cannot climb up smooth surfaces. Oriental cockroaches generally live in moist areas, but can survive in dry areas if they have access to water. They tend to prefer cooler temperatures and thus are common in basements, boiler houses and walkways adjacent to buildings. The Oriental cockroach breeds well in unventilated crawl spaces or basements where humidity is high. Adult cockroaches can live up to one year, during which females produce an average of 150 young. This cockroach prefers to feed on starchy foods but will adapt to survive.
Control:
Use of monitoring traps to physically catch and determine the extent and distribution of an infestation, along with insecticidal gels and well targeted use of residual insecticides where appropriate is recommended.