'Intelligent' cockroaches invading Melbourne's gardens

In this mornings paper

March 20, 2009 12:00am

BIG, ugly cockroaches are invading Melbourne. The black bugs are breeding in suburban gardens thanks to the growing use of mulch to save water.

But before you panic, that intruder in your kitchen sink, bathroom or barbecue is probably a harmless native attracted to light or hunting moisture.

Pest controllers and Museum Victoria are reporting more roach sightings from freaked-out residents fearing their houses need fumigation.



But, unlike the nasty little German roaches that thrive on filth and food scraps, hide in the dark and carry disease, the common shining cockroach munches on organic matter and breaks down leaf litter.

Museum Victoria entomology expert Simon Hinkley said the large critters were migrating from the bush to suburbia and the CBD's edge as mulch was dumped on gardens.

"These ones seem quite stupid and don't run when they see you," Mr Hinkley said. "They are not as cluey as the pests that use the cover of darkness.

"If you can, try to return the natives outside rather than killing them because they help return nutrients to soil."

Adams Pest Control supervisor Colin Price said more smokybrown cockroaches, an introduced pest that mainly fed on plant matter, also were crawling into homes seeking water. Mr Price said more city dwellers were seeing cockroaches for the first time.

Some of the insects were transported in egg sacs in mulch that was bought in bulk and put in planter boxes.

Mr Hinkley said there had been a frenzy of cockroach activity over the hot, dry summer. But the home intrusions should die down with more rain and the approaching colder weather.

Householders could also reduce invasion risk by fixing leaking taps, sealing cracks and crevices, and removing stacks of newspapers and magazines.

The common shining cockroach is among 400 species of native Australian cockroaches.

i get lots of native cockroaches in my garden and i leave them be. for some reason there is always one on top of the shadehouse door and jumps on me when i open it

We get plenty of those native ones here but they usually stay outside... they are fine and welcome here... different if we spot one of the other ones though

Here are a few natives
http://www.austmus.gov.au/factSheets/cockroaches.htm

Third one looks familiar

Problem is Gail I put my on the big black coffee table and it walked off

Oh dear Ota, I have them in the house, on the walls etc.... ewwwwww

We dont get any big ones in the house only the small ones. I Mortein Surface Sprayed all the cupboards, behind the bookcases and wardrobes and all the rooms one day last week kept the house shut up for a few hours went food shopping when we came back I had to get Tony to open all the doors and windows but the smell wasn't too bad at all as I used the Low irritant one.. Haven't seen one yet but that's not to say there isn't any there..

Actually I have flea bombs in the cupboard, maybe I should use them and surface spray the entry points

I would spray around the doors/windows inside and out forget about out though you need rain

Yep spray outside as I bet it will rain after you have done it..

bit like in the old days when you could wash your car

Oh Yeah...

Thanks Cheryl for that news item,and Gail for that site you posted, some
really pretty roaches there.

Wow 400 native aussie species,that's a lot.
New Zealand only has a couple and they are in the North Island,thank goodness we dont get to see any down here.

I wish I could surface spray outside for the spiders but too many frogs here.

There are none of the house cockroaches here - in fact the only thing that can get inside are the weeny spiders with hair like legs. None outside either but I have seen some of the native bugs when I have moved mulch. I see piles of dirt in the manure this morning so must have dung beetles - hooray! But I am about to worm the horses so hope it doesn't upset the beetles but I will keep the dose to the lowest possible and maybe put the horses up on the hill for a day or two until it is out of their system so that they do not upset the tummy of the nice dung beetles.

duplicate removed

sounds like a busy day Pamela those spiders if I am right I call em daddy long legs

No these are the tiny spiders Cheryl that have legs about a cm long that are thinner than a hair and their legs are usually bent. For some great reason on the design of this house these tiny thin little spiders are the only ones that can squeeze in here as the place is very well sealed. But they are a nuisance and make webs on the ceiling none the less. And my living room ceiling is ??20 foot or so at the peak.

Need a cherry picker to clean the cobbies Pamela Does it help to keep the house cool, the high ceilings are 8 - feet and when I go into the new homes I feel my head is gunna hit the ceiling and that is all 5 foot 4 of me as well

Hey Cheryl you are taller than me..

Mary-Anne wrote:

Hey Cheryl you are taller than me..

GeeezzzzI feel so tall now

Really...