Reports have been flooding in of an odd influx of cockroaches in several areas of Cape Town, with many noting the nymphs in particular are abundant.
Speaking to John Maytham on CapeTalk, Sebastian Seelig of Pest Free SA has explained why there are suddenly so many.
“It is a seasonal change. The epidemic that we discussed in October, opened people’s eye to these bush roaches as many had been unaware what they were, and as soon as they found out they had their houses treated. But it was a bit too late because the females had laid the pods which each contain about 40 to 50 babies that will hatch – and this is where the babies or nymphs are coming from,” Seelig said. “We see it on a daily basis and the reports, bookings, and callouts definitely have lent itself to quite an early increase in the season.”
While the adults were killed off in October, the nymphs were left behind and have matured, and as a result, are now ready to breed.
“Nail them now before they can breed,” Seelig advised.
The breeding period usually begins in August, and he noted that the number of reported cockroach infestations have increased since the drought, as the pests moved into human dwellings to find water.
“It is not so much about what you use, but how and when you sue it…studying the life cycles of …otherwise you are treating the symptoms and not the cause,” Seelig said.
Picture: Mortein Target
