Horticulture Hotline 08/25/21
Bill Lamson-Scribner
Although this is the Horticulture Hotline, I decided to write about entomology (insects) today. Instead of the Horticulture Hotline, I’ll call it the Entomology Swat Line. While attending a meeting of The Greater Charleston Pest Control Association, a great local organization whose profits benefit Camp Happy Days and other worthy causes, the topic turned to Asian cockroaches.
Asian cockroaches look a lot like German cockroaches; however, Asian cockroaches usually stay outside in pinestraw or mulch areas and German roaches usually stay inside in the kitchen area. These roaches are so similar that in laboratory conditions they have been known to mate. In nature, since the Asian is usually outside and the German is usually inside, mating would probably not occur.
If Asian roaches get inside, they do something very creepy. They like dull light. My theory – not proven by anyone as far as I know – is since they live outside with street lights and lights on homes, they are used to dull light. If they get in your house and you are in the den watching TV with the lights off, then you turn off the den TV and move into your bedroom and turn just the TV on, the Asian roach might follow you! Many homeowners have reported feeling like they were being attacked by the cockroach! I’m just guessing that you don’t want your family to feel like they are being attacked by the Asian Cockroach…
Female Asian roaches mature in about 67 days. Each female produces about 80 offspring in her lifetime of about 100 days. You can see how the population can quickly increase. In areas of heavy leaf litter and dense, damp shrubbery, populations of 250,000 per acre of Asian cockroaches have been observed.
Contact your pest management company if you have a contract or consider getting on a contract if you do not like dealing with cockroaches. If you are a diehard do-it-yourselfer, try InTice Perimeter Bait - a NOP (National Organics Program) organic product that is very effective against many pests.
I know it is still hot and time moves in a different way with the pandemic, but get out your preemergent product of choice or forever fight winter weeds. The grass is slowing down so watch out for large patch fungus. Those pesty mosquitoes are biting without any regard of how nice of a person you are!
RIP Charlie Watts!
