Leaving for work last week, my son and I discovered a large dying American Cockroach at our front door of our Capalaba home. Given my chosen line of work, the odd Cockroach does not have a long life expectancy once voyaging into our humble abode. Much to my sons delight, I thought it would be interesting to send the little guy (the American) into kindy for the day, where my sons class were coincidentally learning about insects. Needless to say, the kindy teachers were none to impressed and I was greeted by a few disgusted looks and even a squeal.
Cockroaches are the ultimate pest. We all hate them, think they are disgusting and I think every one will agree the second they see a cockroach its definitely time to call in the pest controller.
Despite our distaste for the dreaded cockroach, looking into the facts, we learn they are quiet an interesting little creature. Here's what most people probably already know about Cockroaches....
- They are resilient little buggers, supposedly capable of surviving the explosion of an atomic boom (or so the legends say)
- There are more then one species of cockroach. Most commonly we see the American Cockies (pictured above) that are approximately 3-4cm long and Brown in colour. Or the dreaded German Cockroaches, tiny little cockroaches (and lots of them), that breed very, very quickly.
- Our kitchens and their endless supply of food seem to be their favorite places to hang out and inflict aforementioned terror on said hosts. We tend to find the Germans places with warmth and a food supply, like the dishwasher, oven or fridge.
- It almost always takes a whole can of spray (off the shelf from Woolies Brand Spray) to kill one cockroach.
- They are creepy looking, move swiftly and quiet easily will send most women, children & the occasional man into a screaming, shuddering fit, followed by a swift tumble out the first available exit to freedom.
But here's a few facts that you may not know....
- Cockies are capable of living in extreme conditions. Yes they definitely enjoy south east Queenslands humidity, warmth and sunshine, which makes sense as they enjoy the tropics and subtropical regions of the world. In fact, Cockies can also withstand all different climates including extremely cold environments allowing them to live in places such as the Artic.
- Thinking about getting a new pet? Your in luck. Australia is home to the world's largest cockroach, the Australian giant burrowing cockroach (Macropanesthia rhinoceros), which can grow to 9 cm long and weigh more than 30g. That's about the same size as a mouse or a big hermit crab.
- Cockroaches are mainly nocturnal and run away when exposed to light.
- It is said that Cockroaches will "inherit the earth" if we humans destroy our race as a result of nuclear war. As the legend leads us to believe, Cockroaches do indeed have a much higher radiation resistance than humans, with the lethal dose perhaps six to 15 times then that for humans.
- Cockroaches have six legs, two antennae and some have wings. However, most winged cockroaches are not particularly adept at flying.
So now that we know the facts, the important question is how do we get rid of them?
Stay tuned for part 2....
