Warning of nearpandemic level outbreak of cockroaches

CropLife South Africa has warned that the very wet and humid weather conditions over the summer months have brought about an outbreak of German cockroaches in South Africa. It also added that cockroach numbers had increased recently, not only because of the weather, but also due to the unhygienic conditions that prevail in the country.

CropLife South Africa, a nonprofit industry association for manufacturers and suppliers of pesticides, believed the surge in cockroach infestations had triggered large-scale unlawful use of pesticides not registered for indoor use.

The association said, “cockroaches are primarily active at night, but the current outbreak is of such magnitude that the insects are running around during the day in most homesteads. Homeowners, the fast-food sector, retail sector and hospitality industry should act quickly to stop the tide of cockroaches in South Africa.”

They urged all citizens to abide by the statutes of the country and only use registered pesticides, strictly according to their label instructions to avoid health impacts on themselves, their families or their clients.

Elriza Theron, spokesperson for CropLife, said, “do not buy unlabelled pesticides in small containers from social media advertisers or street vendors, as those products are likely to pose a severe hazard and risk to people when applied indoors.”

Theron said cockroach control started with a serious effort to sanitise human habitation of refuse and left-over foodstuffs, “a dirty kitchen that is littered with left-over food and freely available pet food needs serious intervention to deny these unsavoury critters from invading a home and setting up a colony.”

Operations and stewardship manager, Gerhard Verdoorn, explained that they became aware of the outbreak after a rapid increase in enquiries received by the Griffon Poison Information Centre (082 446 8946) from members of the public about cockroach control.

“CropLife SA also uncovered a network of syndicates that acquire, decant and sell highly toxic pesticides that are not registered for indoor use at all via social media to the public. We are working with the Inspectorate of Act No 36 of 1947 to put an end to these malpractices,” Verdoorn said.

The Department of Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development (DALRRD), however, said it has not been made aware of an outbreak or increases in sightings of German cockroaches, and that the relevant government department would be the Department of Health or municipalities to respond to this issue.

Department spokesperson, Reggie Ngcobo, said, “CropLife South Africa partners with the department on a number of pesticide regulations, including monitoring. To date, we have not observed or been made aware of the illegal importation and use of pesticides to control cockroaches.”