Chapter 2 - Cockroaches

Cockroaches

• Cockroaches is a member class of insect
• 3 Stages of life - egg , nymph and adult (incomplete metamorphosis)
• Hardiness species - withstand radiation doses 50 times which can kill a human
• Reliable to be source of allergens to many people
• Cockroaches also harbor in cracks and crevices in and around human habitats
• Travel between sources of disease pathogens and food intended for human consumption
• Carry Salmonella typhimurium, Entamoeba histolytica and virus for poliomyelitis
• They carry organisms on their feet, body hairs and mouthparts and also in their intestines
• Cockroaches eat almost anything and like starchy items such as cereals, bakery products and bookbinding's
• The also feed upon beer, cheese, leather and dead animals
• They discharge a nauseating liquid from mouth and thoracic glands which imparts an unsavory odor and taste into infested food
• They vomit partly digested food from their mouths and defecate while feeding, both of which are loaded with microorganisms
• Cockroaches DO NOT fly but can move by gliding motion
• They are very active at night. Only appears during daylight only if disturbed or very hungry
• Their habitats is in warm, moist area such as cracks and crevices near stoves, refrigerators, hot water heaters, coffee urns and warm water pipes.

Cockroaches Facts

• Been around since age of dinosaurs. (Seriously?)
• Can live a month without food
• Can live two weeks without water
• Female cockroaches only mate one and stay pregnant forever
• Can live for up to one week without its head
• Can hold their breath for up to 40 minutes
• Can run up to 3 miles an hour
• Can pretend to be dead
• Hardiest insects on the planet
• Some species capable of remaining active for a month without food
• Some can go without air for 45 minutes or slow down their heart rate.
• Cockroaches were able to recover from being submerged underwater for half an hour

Types of Cockroaches

- American Cockroaches

• Largest pest species
• Adult cockroaches size is 1.5 to 2 inches length
• Reddish brown in color with yellowish band behind the head
• Lives in subfloor, basement, in sewer and other warm, dark, moist locations
• They always avoid cold area but do not withstand temperatures above 80F
• Often stays around hot water pipes, fridge motors, boilers and other heating appliances
• The female lifespan is up to 1.5 years
• Incubation period of eggs is 6 to 8 weeks

- German Cockroaches

• Commonly found in restaurants, homes and hotels
• German cockroaches including eggs are carried on man's belongings, luggage, boxes or packages
• All it takes, is bringing in one egg capsule, six months later you do have a birth.
• German Cockroach adults are 1/2 inch to 5/8 inch long
• Light to medium brown in color with 2 dark stripes behind the head
• The young (nymphs) are wingless, smaller and much darker in color, with a light stripe on their backs
• Will eat anything, will stay close to food and water source
• German cockroach give birth usually in bathrooms and kitchens. They like to hideduring the day in tight secure places.
• Daytime harborage areas are usually near a food and moisture source, such as, inside wall cavities, behind baseboards, cracks and crevices in pantry, kitchen and bathroom cupboards, and under electrical, heating and cooking appliances

- Oriental Cockroaches

• Black species and brown in color
• Rarely found (less domesticated) - habitat include sewers, damp basement, outbuildings etc
• Have strong, repulsive odor
• Longest life cycle
• Tends to favor colder climates

Chapter 1 - Intro to Vector and Pest Management

History

• In early age salt, smoke and insect repellent plants are used in keeping away organism and preserving food
• Summarians controlled insects and mite with sulphurs 5000 years ago
• Roman and Greeks use oil sprays, ash, sulphurs ointment and lime to protect themselves, livestock and crop pests.
• Roman also burned fields and rotated crops to reduce crop disesases
• Chinese controlled body lice and other pest with mercury and arsenic 2500 years ago
• Ducks and geese were used to catch insects and control weeds
• In Malaysia, cats were used to control and catch rats and mice

2 types of pest:-

Welcome Pest

• Bees, flies and butterflies - carry pollen from plant to plant and help to pollinate flowers and crops
• Ladybirds - eat caterpillars and aphides (greenflies and black flies) that kill plants
• Moth - moth caterpillars make silk used to make clothes
• Dung beetles - beetles and flies clean up animal droppings and the rotting bodies of dead animals
• Honey bee = provide honey to eat and beeswax to polish furniture

Unwelcome Pest

• Mosquitoes - spread diseases
• Bees, wasps and hornets - painful sting –dangerous to some people.
• Termites and woodworms - damage furniture and buildings.
• Colorado beetles - eat and ruin potato crops
• Locusts - gather in huge groups can eat all plants
• Cockroaches - infest food stores and spread germs
• Rodents - transmit diseases and destroy materials

Vector is any insect or arthropod, rodent or other animal which capable of causing discomfort injury or capable of harboring or trasmitting the causative agents of disease to humans or domestic animals.

Or in other word, vector is like a taxi. Which a transport. Example mosquitoes, cockroaches, flies, fleas and ticks are vectors of disease. Vector also carries a pathogen in it.

Pests are living things which can be troublesome or unwanted. Some pests are vectors because some of them can transmit disease and cause public health concern. Pests are in themselves the problem and usually refer to insects or animals that destroy crops.

Pest and Vector Control

Activities design to identify, reduce or eliminate pest or vector populations in given situation.

IPM (Integrated Pest Management)

Is a process involving common sense and sound solutions for treating and controlling pest.

Three basic step of IPM :-

1. Inspection
2. Identification
3. Treatment

Treatment options vary from sealing cracks and removing food and water sources to pesticide treatments when necessary.

"Optimum combination of control methods including biological, cultural, mechanical, physical and/or chemical controls to reduce pest populations to an economical acceptable level with as few harmful effects as possible on the environment and non-target organisms."

-R.L. Hix,CAAgric. Magazine, 55:4 (2001)

Control Method of IPM

• Physical control - fly screensor trapping
• Cultural control-improving ventilation, hygiene and sanitation
• Biological control-parasites or predators to eradicate a particular pest
• Chemical control-appropriate pesticide

Why do we use IPM?

• To prevent the spread of the disease
• To prevent the wastage of food
• To prevent damage of house, crops and many more

Law to Comply 

• Pesticides Act 1974 (Pest Control Operators) Rules 2004
• Plant Quarantine Act 1976
• Plant Quarantine Regulations 1981