Cockroaches, German cockroaches and Pharaoh ants are repulsive and spread germs. They can literally poison our lives. To get rid of cockroaches and ants, you need to know their nature and habits.

Cockroaches ,German cockroachesandPharaoh antslike dark corners, pantries, basements and attics . We can expect these uninvited and unpleasant guests to visit us all year round. Both in a multi-story block and in an exclusive villa. Unfortunately, intruders usually stay with us longer.

Cockroaches, i.e. German cockroaches and cockroaches

Prussians and cockroaches belong to the cockroach family. Prussians are yellow-brown or red-brown in color and are approx. 15 mm long. Cockroaches that visit our homes much less often are darker, almost black and twice as large. On average, they are 30 mm in length. All cockroaches lead a nocturnal lifestyle, they like warm and humid places, e.g. the space behind the kitchen sink or under the bathtub. They eat what the hosts eat, i.e. fruit, vegetables, cooked dishes, meat, and chocolate. They also like flour and sugar. When they find nothing in our kitchen, they will be satisfied with the glue from the book binding. Sometimes they take us home with us when shopping in the store or hide in a travel suitcase when we are on vacation. In apartment blocks, they move from apartment to apartment, e.g. along pipes.

Are cockroaches dangerous?

They may be carriers of the parasite that causes the zoonotic disease in humans - toxoplasmosis. In an infected woman, the parasite imitates the uterus and remains there in spore form. Surrounded by a cyst, it "dozes" and does not hurt. However, when a woman becomes pregnant, the parasite can endanger her baby, causing hydrocephalus, blindness or severe liver damage.

It's hard to get rid of cockroaches

Prussians and cockroaches, once they come to us, are reluctant to leave. Therefore, it is best to deprive them of food, i.e. to take care of hygiene at home: keep food tightly closed, clean up leftovers, throw away garbage every evening. It is also worth using preparations to combat cockroaches. The most effective, however, are treatments performed by specialist companies dealing with apartment disinfestation. In fact, it has to be carried out at the same time and throughout the building. There is another cockroach repeller out there, but rather himwe do not recommend: cockroaches leave our apartments when they sense the presence of pharaoh ants.

Where to go for help

Polish Association of Disinfection, Disinsection and Deratisation Workers, www.deratyzacja.com.pl

Pharaoh's ants clean up crumbs

They have a nice golden reddish color and are tiny, not more than 3 mm in length. They come from Africa and that's probably why they love to bask. They are happy to live where there is central heating. They are placed in recesses, wall crevices and make nests. They also like all gaps in furniture and drawers, even in home appliances (e.g. in an iron, coffee machine, thermos), they are also under wallpaper, in starched bedding (they eat starch). When the pharaohs come to us, we must hide food well from them. They also like to eat in our kitchen. They like everything we do. They smell the crumbs of the cake, and they appreciate the contents of the dog or cat bowl, but they love raw liver.

Hungry pharaohs attack

Ants, although tiny, can bite us painfully when they are hungry and find nothing to eat. In Great Britain they were considered a household pest, in Germany - even sanitary. Not surprisingly, since they can carry numerous bacteria and viruses that cause disease, including paratyphoid, tuberculosis and dysentery. Infants with cradle cap and people with numerous pimples and abscesses are particularly vulnerable to their bites.

How do I get rid of Pharaoh ants?

Fighting ants is not easy at all. They can perfectly avoid the traps set for them. If we want to deal with the pharaohs ourselves, let us take measures such as against cockroaches. Another way is to line bait (e.g. raw liver or biscuits) mixed with food poison. The ants take such food to the nest and feed it to the larvae. Unfortunately, very often we only have to use the help of specialists.

You must do it

If you decide to call professionals (the deworming treatment does not last long, from 5 minutes to an hour, depending on the area of ​​the room):

  • it is best to choose a company that belongs to the Polish Association of Disinfection, Disinsection and Deratization Workers
  • you can also ask the person who provides the service in our apartment to show the membership card, it is issued for a year - this is important, because there are unreliable companies, not affiliated with a union, which use, for example, water instead of insecticides
  • pay attention to whether these measures are certified, whether they are originally packed - a protocol must be requested from the company providing the service, because it is on its basisyou can submit complaints
  • before the "operation" you have to hide the food, tightly pack, for example, jars with spices, and take your pets to friends

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Category:

Parasitic diseases