DIET/MODE OF FEEDING
The American cockroaches are an
omnivorous and opportunistic feeder. It consumes decaying organic matter but
since the cockroach is a scavenger, it will eat most anything. It prefers
sweets and has been observed eating paper, boots, hair, bread, fruits,
book-bindings, fish, peanuts, old rice, putrid sack, the soft part on the
inside of animal hides, cloth, and dead insects (Bell and adiyodi 1981).
MEDICAL AND ECONOMIC SIGNIFICANCE
American
cockroaches can become public health problem due to their association with
human waste and disease, and their ability to move from sewers into homes and
commercial establishments. In the United States during the summer, alleyways
and yards may be over-run by these cockroaches. The cockroach is found in
caves, mines, privies, latrines, cesspools, sewers, sewerage treatment plants,
and dumps (Bell and adiyodi 1981).
Their presence in these habitats is
of epidemiological significance. At least 22 species of pathogenic human
bacteria, virus, fungi, and protozoans, as well as 5 species of helminthic
worms, have been isolated from field collected American cockroaches (Rust et.
al. 1991). Cockroaches are also aesthetically displeasing because they can soil
items with excrement and regurgitation.
CONCLUSION
German cockroaches are the most
important pest in the indoor environment. Peridomestic cockroaches live
primarily outdoors but often invade structures looking for food, warmth or
moisture. The treatment measures for indoor versus outdoor cockroaches are very
different, so it is extremely important that a problem cockroach population be
correctly identified. Once the cockroach and its habitat have been determined,
the magnitude and the location of the population need to be evaluated. These
can be done by performing a thorough inspection in and round the structure and
monitoring with traps. The population
information should then be used to choose treatment strategies. A combination
of treatments is recommended for a complete approach to cockroach management.
Several least toxic treatment
choices are available for cockroach control, they includes: bait products
(available for indoor and outdoor use) insect growth regulators (IGRs),
inorganic ducts and traps. Oothecal parasitoids occur as a biological control
for peridomestic cockroaches.
However, these wasps are very
sensitive to insecticides and should be protected from outdoor applications,
particularly those involving pyrethroids.
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