A PEST CONTROL company has said there has been an increase of 75% in calls about cockroaches in the last ten years.
Rentokill said the summer is a busy season for them as visitors at hotels and restaurants are more likely to come into contact with the ‘high-risk’ pest. These creep-crawlies carry salmonella, dysentery, gastroenteritis and typhoid.
They also produce an obnoxious odour, which taints food and objects they come in contact with and their droppings cause eczema and asthma.
The company said many restaurant staff do not recognise when incoming stock contains a cockroach infestation and householders can also provide food supplies for them by allowing grease to build up in their kitchens.
Waste packaging, especially corrugated cardboard, can help a colony of cockroaches grow rapidly by offering shelter.
Dr Colm Moore, area technical manager at Rentokil Ireland advised anyone staying in a hotel this summer to check it thoroughly as soon as they arrive and store luggage on a high shelf.
In your own home, keep an eye out for egg casings and cast skins as cockroaches shed their skin 5-8 times as they mature. Look for droppings and if you smell an unpleasant, musty odour, you may have some unwanted house guests.
To embed this post, copy the code below on your site
have your say