INFESTATIONS OF GERMAN COCKROACH BLATTELLA GERMANICA IN MULTI-OCCUPANCY DWELLINGS IN A LONDON BOROUGH - A PRELIMINARY STUDY INTO THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN ENVIRONMENT, INFESTATION AND CONTROL SUCCESS

Abstract:
Records from a two year period from over 24,000 dwellings in the London Borough of Southwark were examined and infestations of German cockroaches, recorded by inspection and trapping, were analysed. Factors identified as possibly influencing infestation levels were block size and type of heating system, standard of hygiene in dwellings and human density in dwellings. The results indicate that the type of heating system does not have a major influence on cockroach infestation levels in small and medium blocks. However, with large blocks district heating was associated with higher levels of infestation. A relationship between cockroach infestation levels and the standards of hygiene in individual dwellings was established. Heavier levels of infestations were found in dwellings with poor standards of hygiene. Size of multi-occupancy block appeared to have no effect on levels of infestation, although there are implications for the persistence of infestation and difficulties for the implementation of control in very large blocks.