We find many pests disgusting German cockroaches are just one of them. When you find evidence of them anywhere, the first thought is probably yuck, why do I have them? Fact is many premises in Barking are seeing an increase in cockroaches
German cockroaches increasing in Barking can be easily accounted for. Due to the high volume in goods deliveries locally and from abroad, it is very easy for them to get around. They are also a problem in high rise residential tower blocks and hostels due to its ability to travel between rooms and floors looking for new harbourages.
Although German cockroaches are thought to be a hygiene associated problem, this is not always the case. Providing there is a food supply and water close by, a warm, dark moist environment to live in, they will populate pretty much anywhere. Due to the need for a constant food and water supply, kitchens are a very popular residence for cockroaches, especially German cockroaches. This is due to the cracks and crevices, loose tiles, ill fitting cupboards and worktops, appliances and the warmth generated from ovens, fridge motors and hot water piping.
German cockroaches are light tan to dark brown in colour with adults usually being ½ to 1 inch long. The German cockroach can be easily identified by its brown colouring and distinctive twin brown stripes running just behind the back of the head. The young look a lot like the adult German cockroach just a lot smaller in size and much lighter in colour.
The German cockroach has always been a very fast spreading, resilient species and infestations do not take long to happen. The adult female German cockroach carries egg cases that can carry up to 48 eggs. These egg cases look almost rectangular in shape with all the corners rounded making them look oval like. The cases are light tan in colour and are usually less than quarter of an inch long. The egg cases are carried protruding from the abdomen of the female until they are ready to hatch, approximately four weeks, when they are dropped. When ready to hatch, the female releases the egg case in to a small crack or crevice where it is moist and warm and close to food and water. Each female can produce between four and eight egg cases in their lifetime, at approximately six weekly intervals.
Because they are mainly a night time creature, looking for food and looking to mate, if they are seen during daylight hours this could indicate a larger infestation.
As German cockroaches reproduce in such large numbers, the first female egg case that is laid and hatched can have up to ten thousand descendants from that first female in just one year. That’s a lot of cockroaches from just one female. Just imagine half of each egg case are females, that could be up to 24 females per case, every six weeks and ready to lay new egg cases in just four weeks, infestations don‘t take long to appear.
