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Three Signs of Cockroach Infestation in a Restaurant

Cockroaches enjoy restaurants. Roaches discover cupboards, floors and work surfaces where they can eat anything from crumbs to discarded meat. Restaurants offer plenty of places for cockroaches to hide. There are a number of distinctive signs of cockroach infestation in a restaurant. Cockroaches can pass on food poisoning, and some people suffer allergies when exposed to them.

  1. Droppings

    • Droppings are a tell-tale sign of cockroach infestation. Cockroaches will feed on any organic matter such as food, their own waste and even book bindings. Restaurants provide the ideal habitat for them: there is plenty of warmth, lots of food and many spaces for them to investigate. Wherever cockroaches wander they will leave droppings. These are sometimes similar in appearance to coffee grounds or black pepper. Larger roaches will deposit cylindrical droppings. Concentrations of droppings can illustrate how big the problem is and show where cockroaches are feeding.

    Odor

    • Cockroaches emit a variety of odors that are unpleasant to humans. Some cockroaches put out a strong smell in the form of a pheromone. The odor is oily and musty. Other smells are produced by waste and body parts from dead cockroaches. These are easily whisked up in to the air by light airflow. People who pass by can breathe these particles, causing allergies and illness. Restaurant owners find that concentrations of these odors can lead to the discovery of infestation sites. Pest control methods often use cockroach pheromone in bait stations. The smell attracts the cockroaches to the poison in the bait station.

    Physical Sightings

    • If you see a cockroach, there are likely to be more nearby. Sightings of cockroaches should be investigated, as they usually signify infestation. Cockroaches shelter in dark, warm and moist places during the day and emerge to feed at night. Roaches may be found in places such as kitchen sinks, cupboards or drain boards. They may be hiding under equipment, such as refrigerators, that emit heat. Cockroaches like to hide in cracks and can also be found underneath tables or chairs. They enjoy breeding inside corrugated cardboard boxes. Female cockroaches can be seen carrying eggs just before they are about to hatch. German cockroaches carry up to 40 eggs in a case, or ootheca, that protrudes from the rear end.

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