Although they don’t bite humans, cockroaches are able to transmit a range of nasty diseases and germs from one place to another.

This is because they live and feed in sewers, rubbish bins and other unsanitary places which are brimming with bacteria, viruses and parasites. These harmful organisms can accumulate and then be passed on through cockroach droppings and saliva. Some can even hitchhike to other places by latching onto the cockroach’s legs.

If you happen to ingest food or drink that has been in contact with a cockroach, it could well be contaminated and cause potentially serious illness. This is particularly problematic not just for homes, but also for hospitality businesses.

Skilled at surviving in different environments, cockroaches can be just as comfortable living in your rubbish bin as they are in your pantry or bathroom. However, this means that they can contaminate once-sterile surfaces and places and cause a wide range of illnesses and diseases. This includes diarrhoea, food poisoning, typhoid fever, cholera, dysentery, hepatitis A and leprosy.

With sharp teeth and strong jaws, they can chew through plastic, fabric, furniture, books and leather goods.

Cockroach droppings also contain pheromones which attract more cockroaches to the same area.

Some people may even experience allergic reactions to cockroach droppings, shed skins, and saliva. Those with asthma may need to take extra precautions.

We recommend keeping cockroaches out of your home or business in the first place, as well as reducing available food sources and hiding spots.

Cockroaches will eat almost anything, including meat and vegetables, sweet or greasy foods, paper, leather and fabric. This means that it’s important to keep all food tightly stored away and ensuring that your kitchen and dining areas are clean. Wipe away spills and grease, wash cutlery and keep sinks and drains clear. Practice good hygiene when handling food. Clean tables and benches as well after use. Don’t forget to tightly seal and cover rubbish and discard pet waste.

Regular building maintenance also plays a key role in keeping cockroaches away. Being small and flat, they can crawl through small gaps to gain entry, so you’ll need to carefully check for all potential entry points and seal them with gap filler or expanding foam.

Leaking pipes and drains create a damp environment for cockroaches to thrive, so we suggest checking for leaks and repairing them as quickly as possible.

At Allstate, we understand that the last thing anyone needs is an outbreak of cockroaches in your home or business while you’ve been away for holidays. But thankfully, with the right treatment, you can have the problem under control quickly.

Since 1986, we have been providing pest control services to all suburbs of Adelaide. With a 24/7 availability, our highly trained team can provide advice for urgent enquiries in residential, commercial and industrial settings. Rest assured that our treatments are non-toxic to children, pets and the environment.

All our services come with competitive warranties and a 100% satisfaction guarantee. We can even provide finance options so that you can easily access our effective cockroach managion treatments without delay.

Although flies can survive all year round, they certainly seem to hang around more often during summer.

This is because the hot weather provides ideal conditions for them to breed. In fact, it significantly speeds up the time needed for their eggs to hatch and for their larvae to mature into adults.

The heat can also drive them indoors to cooler places like your home, to seek out shade and protection, and look for breeding sites.

While there are an estimated 30,000 species of fly in Australia, we’ve put together a list of the ones that you are more likely to encounter this summer.

Houseflies
Attracted to food scraps, compost and waste, houseflies are dull grey in colour, with 4 stripes on their thorax. They grow up to 1/4 inch long.

Bushflies
With a similar appearance to house flies, bush flies can grow up to 2-6mm long. They are drawn to body fluids on mammals, such as sweat, saliva and tears, as well as animal waste.

Blowflies
Large and shiny looking, blowflies are usually 2-18mm long, dull grey or black coloured and covered with hairs. They prefer to feed on rotten food including waste from hospitality venues, as well as dead animals such as birds and rodents.

Horseflies
Feeding on blood from mammals, horseflies are drawn to livestock and humans. They are quite large and easy to spot, as they grow up to 10-30mm long, and have a grey or black colour.

Mosquitoes
Well known for their itchy bites as they draw blood to feast on, mosquitoes are a type of fly. They are mostly grey coloured and grow between 0.1-0.4 inches long.

As notorious scavengers, flies are drawn to a variety of potential food sources. While some flies are attracted to decaying organic matter including rotten protein and waste, others are more drawn to sugary substances. Either way, it’s important to deter them from coming inside and causing a nuisance.

Physically covering all potential entry points is a good starting point. Consider installing fly screens over windows and doors, particularly in the kitchen and waste areas. Seal gaps around doors and windows.

We also recommend avoiding leaving food out in the open and keeping waste covered. With their highly sensitive antennae, they’re able to detect food sources from long distances away. So, you can consider regularly cleaning your kitchen by wiping and clearing away food debris and spills from tables, benches and sinks, washing dishes and cutlery, as well as mopping floors. Remove garbage and pet waste regularly and make sure bins have tight-fitting lids.

Remove water sources by fixing leaking taps, pipes and drains. Also, don’t forget to remove food blockages from pipes and drains.

For many of us, it’s a nuisance and distraction to have to constantly swat flies away whilst trying to enjoy summer festivities and outdoor dining.

That’s why at Allstate, our expert pest control technicians are fully equipped to combat all fly outbreaks in residential, commercial and industrial settings across all suburbs of Adelaide. Available 24/7, we are always ready to answer your urgent enquiries.

As a family-owned business, we’ve been providing pest control since 1986. We use modern, innovative treatments which are nontoxic for pets, people and the environment.

Covered by competitive warranties and a 100% satisfaction guarantee for all our services, you can even make use of our payment plans to access fast fly extermination at any time.