RI, MA EHS Pest Control Blog

Awesome roach photo courtesy of www.alexanderwild.com 

George Williams,
General Manager - Staff Entomologist

Pest Control, RI, Pest Control, MA 

We saw some big roaches in the basement... ya think! The good old American Cockroach (Americana blatanica) and he is VERY common in major cities. The older the building the better chance you have of seeing this guy. The are BIG roaches! Many people call them the water bug or palmetto bug.

(click image to enlarge)

Despite their pronounced wings they are not great flyers, they sort of flutter for short distances. They inundate city sewer, septic, steam, etc. pipes and get into buildings this way. In really urban sections they walk the streets on hot and humid days having come out of the underground street pipes. You can treat and suppress their activity but the real solution in those inaccessible pipes.

George Williams,
General Manager - Staff Entomologist

Pest Control, RI, Pest Control, MA 

Cockroach Found in Banana Pack from Coventry Supermarket

A SHOCKED dad got more than he bargained for in his weekly shop when a tropical cockroach jumped out of a bag of bananas.

Nik Holmes says he ‘‘jumped out of his skin” after spotting the unwelcome visitor in the bag of fruit bought from Asda in Walsgrave, Coventry.

While he was unpacking his shopping at home in Woodroffe Walk, Longford, he opened the sealed bag and the cockroach jumped out and scurried along the kitchen surface.

It took Nik minutes to catch the cockroach which was hiding behind his coffee machine.

His 10-year-old son Charlie had chosen the fruit while during shopping on Thursday.

Nik, a warehouse worker, said: “I did the food shopping as normal. My Charlie picked up the bunch of bananas.

“We went home and I opened up the bag to put them on our banana hook and this cockroach came flying out the bag. I’m not usually scared but I jumped out of my skin.

“The cockroach was trying to make a run for it. I tried for a minute or two to catch it. I put it in a glass jar at first but wanted something to seal it in and found a plastic tub.

“When I told my son he freaked out. He was petrified – he didn’t want to see it or go anywhere near it. I don’t think he will be coming shopping with me again after that.

“I’m quite concerned about it – we still don’t know if it could have harmed us. It could have been something poisonous – the cockroach obviously stayed well hidden.

“I’m just glad my son didn’t open the bag. He wanted to help me with the shopping. It would have been even worse – I know it would have had a lasting impact on him. He would usually be in school but it was closed because of the polling.”

There are about 4,000 species of cockroaches, the most common are found in tropical and sub-tropical climates. They can often survive in extreme conditions more that other pests because they are adaptable but prefer warm environments. They can be carriers of bacteria and cause food poisoning in humans by contaminating food.

Some can live up to three months without food or water and air for 45 minutes. They can even tolerate high doses of radiation.

Nik took the bananas back to the supermarket and he was given a £1.35 refund.

A spokeswoman for Asda said: “We will be investigating how the cockroach made its way into the banana pack. It is something we take very seriously.”

George Williams,
General Manager - Staff Entomologist

Pest Control, RI, Pest Control, MA