You Say Roach…. I say Cockroach

Roach or cockroach….whatever you want to call it, at the end of the day, it is the same pest really. Yes, pest! I am not referring to the other more popular Papa Roach (no, not the “daddy” of all cockroaches!) music band.

Whilst us Brits and our American friends may refer to the same pest by two different names, there is indeed a distinction made in the names of certain species, such as the American Cockroach and British Cockroach or the German Cockroach and Oriental Cockroach. No, they don’t have an image of their namesake’s flag on their skin……though that would certainly be unique. They do look quite different to one another and they have their preferred habitats, like most creatures (mine, is my bed!)

Either way, cockroaches make my skin crawl.

My one and only experience of cockroaches dates as far back as to my school days, when I came across them in the outdoor girls toilets! Disgusting, I know.

Like most pests, cockroaches are attracted to food and this may be why you could find them in your property, in the kitchen perhaps. I hear that the German cockroach is quite partial to food crumbs (don’t let the name fool you, they will not only go for German cuisine!).

Businesses in the food industry, like bars and restaurants, need to be especially aware of cockroach control, as cockroaches can damage stored food products and in this way spread diseases. Even worse, they could crawl into a fruit bowl which really would not be good for business.

On doing research on roaches, I found out two bits of interesting facts:

• Did you know that cockroaches are also known to attack organic materials, such as books and leather? (can’t think how that could be appealing in any way)
• Did you also know that a large established cockroach problem can sometimes be identified (I suspect only to the trained nose though!) by a distinctive musty smell?

Like the recent blog on public pest awareness suggests, education about all pests is really important, especially if you want to avoid them damaging your business, reputation or home!

But one thing is for certain. Unlike Papa Roach, cockroaches do not rock.