Critter Story

Carrie Boyd
Kyra Werdehausen

It was another late night of work for Casey Donovan, Missouri State University student, when he returned to his apartment around 11:30 p.m. last Wednesday. Looking forward to a relaxing evening, Donovan was annoyed when he had to battle his way to the front door. Copious amounts of cockroaches roamed the sidewalks outside his East Madison apartment complex. “Insects have never bothered me, but feeling as if I am a character in the movie ‘Mimic,’ a plot about infectious cockroaches, it is rather difficult to sleep,” says Donovan. He claims that the roaches seem to be coming out from under the apartments or at least reside close to the actual buildings.
Donovan is not the only one concerned about the nocturnal pests. Many residents have voiced their opinion and the building was recently sprayed. However, the cockroach problem still exists, leaving residents wondering if the chemicals even worked.
The apartment complex hired a local pest company to spray around the buildings with a common pesticide. Reporters were unable to get a response from the company but spoke with Gary from Orkin who described the process of eliminating pests, “Well, it really depends on the species. One female roach can live up to 8 months and have over 6000 babies. Generally, it is a 12 month process. An apartment building can be a little bit harder. What happens is there is nothing that can penetrate insect eggs so they just have to hatch out. When you wait in between the sprays you will end up trading the problem in between apartments. So this is difficult to fix.”
Besides the phobia that could result from these large insects, other issues concern local residents. One concern is the time of day the pesticide was sprayed. Cockroaches are nocturnal and are usually in protective hiding spots. Another worry is the building itself. Many of the apartments are in good condition but most of them are older models with tiny cracks located near the doors and windows. These cracks are just large enough for cockroaches to move-in.
Once a cockroach inhabits a place, they multiple quickly and leave chemical trails in their feces to guide other cockroaches to food and water. An adult cockroach can live in a crack the size of a quarter while a young cockroach can live in a fracture the size of a dime.
Not only are they small enough to hide but they are a potential health threat. Cockroaches are one of the most common allergy problems of indoor pests. Recent studies by the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences indicate that cockroaches can increase the severity of asthma. The study suggests that the proteins in cockroach saliva can be highly allergenic while the body and droppings have less of these proteins.
As residents voice their opinion other residents are already making their first move. One resident in Donovan’s complex is done dealing with the pests, “I’m moving across the street to a better location in hopes of not running into the same problem.”
Another Springfield property management company told reporters that controlling roach problems is not that difficult, “We have maintenance always watching for problems and we spray the buildings quarterly. If there are any problems we immediately call a terminator to come out and spray.”
For now, Donovan and his neighbors will continue dealing with the pests, “Maybe the complex managers will finally realize the solution used to kill off the insects is not working and will step in to do something about it.”
If cockroaches are a problem in your home, here are some helpful tips. Keep your home clean. Roaches are more likely to live in dirty environments. Also, make sure all entrances are sealed properly. This will make your home less penetrable for cockroaches. The Food and Drug Administration advises residents to be actively aware of the pests for health related issues.