%0 Journal Article
%T Cockroach Infestation and Factors Affecting the Estimation of Cockroach Population in Urban Communities
%A Gholam Hossein Shahraki
%A Saadat Parhizkar
%A Alireza Raygan Shirazi Nejad
%J International Journal of Zoology
%D 2013
%I Hindawi Publishing Corporation
%R 10.1155/2013/649089
%X Cockroach is one of the most important pests in urban communities. This study was conducted to determine the situation of cockroach infestation and effective factors on cockroach trap count in urban communities of Yasuj City in southwestern Iran. In this study cockroach population in 573 sampling units (residential units, official places, and hospitals) was monitored using sticky traps over a five-week trapping period. Occupants of 348 residential units were also questioned (by means of questionnaire) for cockroach infestation in their respective residence. The study shows almost 39% of sampling units were infested by cockroach. Five species from two families had been identified: Blattidae (comprising Blatta orientalis, B. lateralis, and Periplaneta americana) and Blattellidae (comprising Blattella germanica and Supella longipalpa). German cockroach, B. germanica, with widespreaddistribution (80% of infested sampling units) showed the highest frequency (96.7%) of trap counts. The expression of the distribution of German cockroach populations and some factors could affect trapping, and population monitoring in an urban community was surveyed. Additionally, affecting some exclusion factors on cockroach infestation was pointed. Rates and source of cockroach infestation were discussed from the viewpoints of the residents. 1. Introduction Cockroaches have been in existence for about 360 million years [1], and they are one of the important groups of insect pests in urban environments. Cockroaches not only spoil food but also transfer pathogens and cause allergic reactions and psychological distress [2]. As a potential mechanical vector of human diseases, many pathogenic organisms have been associated with cockroaches. These include poliomyelitis viruses, bacteria, fungi, protozoa, and helminthes [3¨C6]. Pai et al. [7] reported cockroaches as potential vectors of nosocomial infections. Moreover, bacteria with antibiotic resistance have been isolated from household cockroaches [8, 9]. The most common important species is associated to surveyed locations. In the southeastern United States, smokybrown cockroach [10], in New Zealand, German cockroach [11], and in Southeast Asia, American cockroach [12¨C16] were found to be the most dominant species, respectively. While the German cockroaches, Blattella germanica (L.), are not present in households in Southeast Asia, they are prevalent insect pests in hotels and food outlets [17, 18]. There are over 3,500 species of cockroaches worldwide. Of these only several species are commonly associated with humans. Three
%U http://www.hindawi.com/journals/ijz/2013/649089/