How to Get Rid of Australian Cockroaches
If you have an active infestation, follow these guidelines to learn how to get rid of Australian cockroaches, and the best products for treatment.
Australian Roach Identification
Australian roaches are similar in appearance to the American Roach but are smaller in size. The Australian roach is common in Florida, and is commonly called "palmetto bug." These types of cockroaches, like the American cockroach, mainly live outdoors. It is similar in appearance to an American roach but has light yellow bands. The American roach is reddish-brown, about 1.5 inches long or longer, winged, but seldom fly. The male wings are longer than the female wings. Click on the button below for more information.
Australian Roach Inspection
They are mostly found in the south and tropical areas like Hawaii and Florida. They have been found in houses in the north due to transportation and shipping. They can populate well when temperatures stay above 80 degrees.
This roach can be found in the northern states in greenhouses (where humidity is present). These roaches find their habitats in locations like trees, woodpiles, mulched areas, or ground covers. Australian roaches are good fliers. They will enter buildings where there are enough food, moisture, and heat available.
Australian Cockroach Control - How To Get Rid of Australian Roaches
Step 1-Prevention with Sanitation and Exclusion
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Practice exclusion techniques; prevent the entry of these roaches into structures.
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Seal any cracks, gaps, or openings with caulking compound, putty, or plastic wood.
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Eliminate pet food outside.
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Maintain tight-fitting screens, doors, and windows.
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If practical, bring only enough firewood indoors for a day or two to prevent insects from later emerging in the house.
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Individual roaches found inside can be collected with a vacuum cleaner or a broom and dustpan and discarded.
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Caulk all penetrations through ground level walls.
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Stop water leaks, screen equipment overflow drains, and take overflow water away from buildings; keep drain traps full or capped.
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Remove rotting leaves from window wells.
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Move garbage cans out of preferred moist habitat.
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Ventilate moist spaces.
Since these roaches live and breed outside, management would include excluding and preventing them from entering the structures. After that, use the recommended techniques outlined below.
Pest Control Products To Use For Australian Cockroaches
Step 2-Outdoor Treatment
Insecticide Sprays: Generally speaking, control measures should concentrate on the outside of the building and points of entry of the Australian Roach. This is called a "perimeter or barrier" treatment.
You may use concentrated residual sprays : Avesta CS, Cyper WSP, or Demon WP inside or outside. Spray a 3-6 foot band around the entire house. Spray outside around doors, windows, pipe openings, and dryer vents.
Avesta CS will dry without a visible residue on sprayed surfaces. Cyper WSP and Demon WP will leave a visible powdery residue against surfaces.
Recommended products are in the table below. They would require a pump sprayer
Insecticide Granulars: You may apply granulars around the base of the house, particularly in areas of pine straw and mulched areas.Wisdom Lawn Granulars or Bifen Lp are the recommended insecticide granulars.
Granular Insect Baits: Insects baits like Invict Xpress Granular Bait or Intice Perimeter Bait can be used indoors, outdoors or in turf areas. Invict Xpress has multiple food attractants to attract not only the Australian Roach, but also Crickets, some Ants, Silverfish, Earwigs and Firebrats.
Step 3- Indoor Treatment
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Apply inside on the baseboards near the entry points (doors, windows, plumbing under sinks).
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On the inside, apply around the plumbing under the sinks and washer and dryer connections. You don't have to spray all the interior baseboards, just the corners and baseboards inside the garage and basement areas.
Insect Baits: If you have these larger cockroaches entering inside your home from the attic area (due to trees that overhang the attic or gutters that are not clean) using baits like Invict Express Insect Baits or Intice Perimeter Baits, would give you very good results. This insect bait would also be an excellent choice for crawl spaces and or attics.
Insecticide Dusts: Using a hand duster, apply insecticide dust in locations that the American Roaches are traveling. Such places would be behind baseboards, wall outlets, wall voids, and underneath appliances. The recommended Dust is D-Fense Dust.
Where To Spray
You may use three residual sprays: Avesta CS, Cyper WSP, or Demon WP inside or outside. Spray outside around doors, windows, pipe openings, and dryer vents. Apply also on the inside on the baseboards near the entry pts. On the inside, apply around the plumbing under the sinks and washer and dryer connections. You don't have to spray all the interior baseboards, just the corners, and baseboards inside the garage and basement areas.
Retreatment
The residual insecticides: Avesta CS, Cyper WSP, and Demon WP as well as the residual granulars, Bifen LP Granules should be repeated every three months during the season. The top recommendation is Avesta CS. It has an improved encapsulated formula to cause it to bond to surfaces better and holds up under ultraviolet light and rain longer. The Invict Xpress Granular, Intice Perimter last about 6 months, free from rain. D‐Fense Dust last from 6 months to a year, if free from rain.
Recommended residual sprays for perimeter treatments, basements and attics
For Additional Treatment
You may apply Bifen LP Granules around the base of the house, particularly in areas of pine straw and mulched areas and or Intice Perimeter Bait as supplemental treatments. If you have these larger cockroaches entering your home from the attic area (due to trees that overhang the attic or gutters that are not clean) using baits like Intice insect baits, would give you excellent results.
Use an insecticide dust like D‐Fense Dust for additional treatment to liquid insecticides and insecticide granular. You may apply an insecticide Dust such as D‐Fense Dust with a duster. This dust would be useful in cracks and crevices, wall voids, electrical fittings, around doors and window frames, etc.
Use a non‐repellent aerosol like Spectre PS. As a non‐repellent insecticide, the insects cannot detect its presence, allowing the insects to cross over its chemical placements, instead of avoiding the area. It has a crack and crevice tip to spray into areas where pests are hiding or living. It does not stain.
Insecticide Granules, Insecticide Baits, and Insecticide Aerosols and Dusts
Biology of Australian Roaches
The female Australian roach drops egg cases in cracks and crevices to hide and protect them. Each one of these cases has about 24 eggs. The nymphs are marked with yellow patches and take about a year to develop.
Habitats of Australian Roaches
They are mostly found in the south and tropical areas like Hawaii and Florida. They have been found in houses in the north due to transportation and shipping. They can populate well when temperatures stay above 80 degrees. The female Australian roach drops egg cases in cracks and crevices to hide and protect them. Each one of these cases has about 24 eggs with a smaller percentage that hatch. The nymphs are marked with yellow patches and take about a year to develop.
This roach is mainly found in the southern United States but can be found in the northern states in greenhouses(where humidity is present). They are good fliers. They will enter buildings where there are enough food, moisture, and heat available.
Australian Cockroach Diet
Australian Roaches will feed on plant material and decaying material. They like starchy material in homes such as book bindings and glue in boxes. They have eaten holes in clothing.
Various Roaches That Invade Homes and Businesses
( American and German Roaches are the most common and have two different types of treatments.)
