ANIMAL MANAGEMENT
The cockroach who came in from the cold Just as the hot weather sets in,
extreme conditions for short periods of
another cold front sneaks up
time and will survive for months without
leaving you longing for some more
food and weeks without water. This
sunshine. The effect of cold, wet
makes them very difficult to get rid of.
weather is even more pronounced
Cockroaches undergo 3 stages of
on insect populations and
development: egg, nymph and adult.
unfortunately can drive insects into
The adult female cockroach lays what
habitats they don’t normally occupy
appears to be a huge egg. It’s actually
in summer.
an ootheca which contains 20-40
While some cockroach species will occupy indoor spaces right throughout the year, other species will tend to move indoors only during colder periods. This is especially true of the Gisborne and native cockroaches which favour outdoor areas but will move inside if they need to. Many home-owners are blissfully unaware of the presence of cockroaches in their homes, as a lot of their movement only occurs at night. While more cockroaches live in the north of the South Island and in the North Island a good number of places in the lower South Island are now also considered home by cockroaches.
| German cockroach.
eggs in one outer egg case. The actual number varies for different species. The eggs hatch into nymphs, which look similar to adult cockroaches. The nymphs undergo a series of moults before developing into fully reproductive adult cockroaches. The length of this process varies and may take anywhere between a few weeks to a year to complete the cycle. A female cockroach can lay up to 20 oothecae during its lifespan.
| American cockroach.
Awareness is an important part of cockroach management but high
No Pests Crawling Insect Spray will
population numbers can be reached
control a serious infestation.
before they are finally noticed and a control strategy implemented. Monitoring with Lo-Line sticky traps will
Baiting and spraying techniques can both be used for large populations and
Cockroaches can impact our lifestyles
help ensure early detection, enabling
can be complementary to each other.
too, as they carry diseases, give off
prevention and management of a
As with all the crawling insects it is
unpleasant odours, aggravate allergies
cockroach population.
important that spraying is done with a
(especially in children) and ruin food. In
Both baiting and spraying can be used
non-repellent insecticide. Dealing with
to treat cockroach habitats. Baiting is
Gisborne roaches on the exterior areas
New Zealand has three main species
very successful for both American and
of cockroach — the German, American
of a building can be achieved using No
German cockroaches but unfortunately
and Gisborne cockroach, as well as
the Gisborne cockroach is not readily
Pests X-IT Ant.
a number of native bush cockroach
attracted to bait. Using a bait such as
For further information, contact your
species which are not generally
No Pests Roach Bait or Vendetta will
Farmlands Technical Field Officer
regarded as pests — but are starting
be very effective to control populations
or the friendly team at your local
to be a problem in some areas.
of German or American roaches
Cockroaches thrive in warm, damp
Farmlands store.
indoors but for high populations and for
conditions, however, they can live in
Gisborne roaches, spraying with
extreme cases, they can even bite.
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Farmlands Co-operative Society Limited | © February 2021. All rights reserved.
THE FARMLANDER | 51
