Cockroaches Developing Pesticide Resistance

If you are scared or cockroaches, or they make you squeamish, you may want to skip this article. Recent scientific studies have only delivered bad news about the cockroach population. German cockroaches, the most common type of household cockroach in North America, is rapidly developing roach superpowers. Read on to learn all about how this household pest is giving the scientific community cause for concern.

German Cockroaches

German cockroaches, also known as, Blattella germanica, are the most common cockroach species in the world. They are most often found in industrial spaces, such as restaurants, hotels, and retirement homes. This species loves warm and humid climates, like maybe…Florida. They are more likely to enter homes during winter temperatures because it is so much warmer inside. German cockroaches are drawn to wherever you may have food crumbs in your house. Their favorite hiding spot is your kitchen, closely followed by the bathroom.

The best way to prevent cockroaches from invading your home is by limiting food consumption to areas that get cleaned regularly. Use airtight containers in your pantry and shelves. Experts also suggest wiping down food preparation services regularly.

Now For The Bad News

The bad news is that everybody’s least favorite pest is becoming increasingly resistant to chemical pesticides. Scientists ran studies on three different cockroach colonies in the Midwest. The colonies were all exposed to many rounds of pesticide of different substances and concentrations. After half a year of treatment, the cockroach population did not budge. It didn’t even decrease a little bit.

Scientists surmise that cockroaches are developing an insane level of resistance to pesticides. The researchers surmount that cockroaches can even develop resistances to pesticides that they have not been exposed to. Household roaches have a life cycle of only about 100 days. So within the span of a year, multiple generations can breed. This quick life cycle means faster evolution and more rapid mutations. These developments lead scientists to believe that cockroaches are ahead of humans in this matter.

So What Can We Do?

There is no questioning that cockroaches building resistance to pesticides is both upsetting and concerning. However, there are other ways to fight back the disgusting pests.  The current plan is to use integrated pest management. Integrated pest management has multiple components that go into controlling a pest.

• Homeowners setting traps. Traps placed in kitchen and bathroom cabinets have been especially effective. Traps have the added bonus of killing huge parts of the colony as well.
• Preventative home maintenance. Cleaning your home is a surprisingly effective cockroach deterrent tactic.
• Physical removal of cockroaches. Which is the nice way of saying you can smash them with a shoe. Another option, for those who don’t want to get that close, is to vacuum them up.
• Chemical spraying. The silver lining is that just because German cockroaches are resistant, it doesn’t mean all cockroaches are. In combination with all of these effective tactics, chemical spraying can remove other species from the equation.