Introduction Cockroaches pose a serious threat to human health Asthma- Cockroaches produce allergens that are major triggers for asthma Disease transmission- Cockroaches can transmit diarrhea, typhoid fever, and food poisoning Dirty & disgusting- Cockroaches invoke a stigma that infested homes and buildings are dirty disgusting Did you know that… Cockroaches are messy eaters and when they return to their harborage, other cockroaches groom them and consume the food and bait remaining around their mandibles. It does not sound like much fun, but some female cockroaches mate just once and are pregnant for the rest of their lives. This enables cockroaches to breed rapidly. A cockroach can live 1 week without its head. A headless cockroach only dies because, without a mouth, it cannot drink water. Cockroaches spend 75% of their time resting. Cockroaches that you see are only a small percentage of the population. Given their shy, resting habits, for each cockroach you see, there can be hundred hiding away that you don’t see. Habits and Behavior Cockroaches are scavengers. They will cheerfully eat any kind of food, including…soiled clothing and fabrics, spoiled food, the smear of grease. Cockroaches are Shy. They are mainly active at night and are rarely sighted during the day unless forced out by overcrowding. Cockroaches breed rapidly. Their numbers can grow from a few to a few hundred in just a few weeks. Cockroaches love to be touched on all sides of their bodies at once. This drives them to seek out small cracks and crevices that are safe for them. Hundred of cockroaches can remain hidden behind small cracks and crevices, where you don’t see them. Cockroaches are spread easily. They are often introduced through packing materials, other supplies, or enter via drains and pipes. Given that they can survive for long periods without food or water, they can travel and be spread across long distances. Sources of cockroach infestation Shipped in with goods and packaging materials Some species can fly from the outside Enter and move around a building via cracks and crevices, pipes etc. Carried along with garbage Prevention Prevention is always better than cure. Inspect goods brought into the premises Maintain good cleanliness and hygiene Reduce cockroach harborage sites by sealing cracks and crevices Destroy any egg capsules that you see