Else Beekman
With the better weather and higher temperatures, uninvited guests are once again tormenting daily life in many Spanish households. Reports of tick infestations, bed bugs and kitchen moths have increased in recent weeks. Now a new pest has joined them: super cockroaches. According to specialists, these cockroaches are stronger and more resistant than in previous years.
An expert from the Spanish environmental organisation Anecpla (Asociación Nacional de Empresas de Salud Ambiental) has issued a warning about the possibility that some cockroach species are resistant to common pesticides and traps. This mainly focuses on the American cockroach (Periplaneta americana). That is one of the largest cockroaches found in Spain. The not very attractive looking insect can grow up to 5 centimetres in length. The name is a bit misleading, because the species does not come from America, but developed in Africa.
Climate change as a catalyst
Jorge Galván, director general of Anecpla, also warned in the British newspaper The Mirror that rising temperatures, mainly caused by climate change, are creating an ideal environment for these insects. According to Anecla, it has been scientifically proven that cockroaches multiply their reproduction speed from 28ºC. Increasingly strict EU rules banning the use of certain pest control products are also making it more difficult for exterminators to destroy the insects. “The warm weather starts in mid-spring and ends in late autumn, which has only increased cockroach populations,” Galván said. He emphasised that this increase has also led to greater resistance to some chemical pesticides.
Tackling pests
“Environmental health professionals always evaluate the costs and benefits of each situation and prefer physical and biological measures over chemical ones whenever possible,” Galván told The Mirror. “But when there is no other solution for adequate pest control, as in the case of cockroaches, the use of chemicals is unavoidable,” he added.
Also read: How Spain tackles a plague by eating it
Health risks and prevention
The main concern with these pests is the transmission of diseases and bacteria that can also be transmitted to humans. Cockroaches are mechanical vectors that transmit diseases such as salmonellosis (infectious intestinal disease), infectious hepatitis, dysentery (severe form of diarrhea) and many others. This is a major problem, especially in the food industry. The recommendations to prevent these include:
1. Maintain cleanliness and avoid leaving food residues
2. Avoid water leaks and other moisture spots.
3. Seal cracks, holes and crevices.
4. Store edible products properly and as inaccessibly as possible.
5. Use waste containers with tight lids.
6. Have periodic anti-pest maintenance performed by environmental health professionals.