If you’ve ever had to deal with cockroaches it can seem as if they’re almost impossible to kill. In a sense this is true. Cockroaches in London are definitely becoming hardier. Not only that, they’ve been developing an ever increasing immunity to common insecticides.
Anyone who has ever used over-the-counter, shop bought insecticide will already know that it is fairly ineffectual. Hitting cockroaches with insect spray rarely does anything for an infestation. And in most cases they simply thumb their noses at you, and scuttle off.
Why are cockroaches in London so tough?
Part of the reason why is that London is an incredibly tough city. This means that the cockroaches are equally as tough. That being said, there are several other reasons why cockroaches in London are getting more and more difficult to kill.
Cockroaches are ancient and highly evolved creatures. In fact, these pests date all the way back to the carboniferous period, which means they are about 320 million years old. They are able to survive in a wide variety of environments. Cockroaches are able to live equally well in below freezing artic conditions and blistering tropical heat.
The legendary hardiness of cockroaches
And if you’ve had to deal with these pests you’ll know how true this is. They are able to go for an entire month without food. And survive without air for almost an hour. What’s more, they are able to live for several hours after being decapitated.
Part of the reason why they are able to survive so well is that they are incredibly well adapted insects. They are also an extremely simple and primitive type of creature. There’s nothing complex about cockroaches, and this is what allows them to survive so easily in any type of condition. It’s also why they have been able to adapt to pesticides so easily.
Cockroaches in London are able to live on almost anything. There are very few things they do not see as food. This includes organic and nonorganic items, and even synthetic materials.
Not only that. There is a common belief that cockroaches can even survive a nuclear blast. Turns out that this is only sort of true. While they are not able to survive the direct blast, they have a far greater resistance to radiation than humans. Cockroaches are able to survive about 6-15 times the amount of radiation that we can.
London cockroaches adapt to pesticides
It’s basically simple evolution at work. Any time an organism is exposed to stress, it will simply adapt to that stress. The fact is that cockroaches genetically mutate and adapt fast to environmental threats to their survival as a species. Therefore, it’s easy to see why cockroaches are now resistant to a range of pesticides.
According to researchers, exposing cockroaches to insecticides over a period of time eventually makes them immune to them. What’s more, they are also able to pass this immunity on the subsequent generations. Exterminators often use a combination of pesticides. That way, if the insects are resistant to one type, the others should do the trick.
What does this mean for pest control?
Basically, it means that cockroaches in London are getting more and more difficult to get rid of. And all of this is forcing pest control product manufacturers to come up with stronger and more effective pesticides.
The thing is though, that today’s stronger pest control insecticide solutions are harmful to humans and other animals. And it’s becoming clear that pesticide alone is not always enough to kill cockroaches. Which is why other methods such as heat treatments are becoming more and more popular.
In addition to this, exterminators must now use a combination of control methods. These can include physical solutions like traps and high power vacuuming, plus preventative solutions.
The bottom line is that you need to hire an exterminator who is aware of these problems. You need a company like Empire who is up to date on what actually work. Someone who understands the issues surrounding the fact that cockroaches in London are increasingly resistant to insecticide. Otherwise you could be wasting your money and still finding yourself with your cockroach problem.
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