COCKROACHES

Cockroaches are generally considered the most common and troublesome pest found in restaurants, industrial buildings and homes.  Found everywhere, roaches and their eggs are easily transported in grocery sacks, boxes and clothing.  Gaps around windows, doors and sewer pipes also provide easy entrance as do cracks in baseboards, floors and walls.

Cockroaches have been shown to be carriers of several potentially dangerous pathogens.  Viruses and bacteria, such as Escherichia, coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and Salmonella oranienburg have been isolated from cockroach legs, bodies and feces.  Practically all bacteria involved in food poisoning outbreaks pathogenic protozoa and helminths (intestinal worms).  In addition to carrying these bacteria, cockroaches are also objectionable because of their offensive odor.  This odor is noticeable when cockroach populations reach high levels.

BIOLOGY

The cockroach has a broad, flattened oval body covered with a shiny brown or black hard waxy coating.  Adult cockroaches can move about in a space only 3/32" in width and depth.  Sensing vibrations through their legs, the roach is one of the fastest runners among insects. Cockroaches are capable of reproducing rapidly.  Certain species of roaches can produce over 400,000 offspring in a year.  Some species can even reproduce without male being present.

HABIT AND DIET

Cockroaches are general feeders and eat most of the foods used by man.  Those hiding in non-food areas of dwelling can survive by feeding on scattered crumbs, soiled clothing, grease, paper and glue.  Roaches generally hide during the day in sheltered dark areas close to moisture and food.  They emerge to forge only at night.  If disturbed, they rapidly retreat to their hiding places following paths along baseboards and corners of cabinets.  They prefer to rest on wood and other rough surfaces, such as metal doors or cabinets.  However, in heavily infested buildings, they can be found on all surfaces and will come out into the light if they get hungry enough.

Cockroaches are not capable of biting, but rather scrape and chew
their food.  They have been know to chew on human fingernails and eyelashes.  Exploratory feeding practices can damage electrical installation and computers.

ADAPTABILITY
Cockroaches are very hardy insects.  they can:

*Survive loss of legs or antennas.
*Withstand temperatures of 10 F to 148 F.
*Go for long periods of time without food and water.
*Adapt to changing environments easily.
*Adapt their feeding behavior.
*Survive for long periods of time because they have no natural enemies.

COMMON SPECIES OF COCKROACHES

GERMAN COCKROACH (CRUTON BUG)
The German Cockroach is tan or brown in color.  The adults are 1/2" to 5/8" long and are more slender than other roaches.  The adult roach is winged and has two dark streaks or stripes running lengthwise down the back.  These cockroaches do not move far from their resting place.  These cockroaches are shown below. Hatching occurs most commonly in the kitchen, under or around dishwashers, sinks, stoves, steam tables, cabinets, cupboards and baseboards.  generally the German cockroach bunches together in large numbers in areas where heat and humidity are present (Appendix A).  The German cockroach may be found at any level in a room - from floor to ceiling  - and is especially common in restaurants.  German roaches typically enter buildings in food deliveries, carton cases. plastic and paper goods, and primarily infest
food preparation areas.  It may live three to six months and is usually active only at night.  The German cockroach is more prolific than the other cockroaches.

BROWN-BANDED COCKROACH

The brown-banded cockroach resembles the German cockroach but is slightly smaller (3/8" to 1/2" long) and lacks the two dark stripes.  The adults are winged and are dark brown to a pale golden color and have two brownish-yellow bands.  These cockroaches are shown below: The brown-banded cockroach prefers high locations in heated rooms and is often found in cupboards, closets, storage rooms, desks, books, behind objects hung on walls, in appliances and in or under furniture.  They are frequent pests of dry storage ares since they do not require much moisture and are most prevalent in the Southern United States.  Normal life span is three to six months.

AMERICAN COCKROACH
The American cockroach is the largest of the roaches that infest dwellings.  Adults are winged and are reddish brown to dark brown and are 1 1/2" to 2" long.  They can fly for great distances and are considered great swimmers.  The cockroaches are shown below. This cockroach is frequently found in restaurants, grocery stores, and bakeries where food is processed.  They are generally found around the perimeter of a building and enter through doors and windows, or any small cracks leading inside.  They tend to congregate in protected open spaces and infest food storage and preparation areas.  The American cockroach is also found in steam tunnels, sewers and storm gutters.  The roach feeds on items containing starch (food as well as wallpaper and bookbinding). 
They have a normal life span of 2 to 2.5 years.

ORIENTAL COCKROACH (BLACK BEETLE, BLACK WATERBUG)
The Oriental cockroach is often referred to as one of the filthiest cockroaches.  The adults are winged and are shiny black or dark brown in color and are about 1" to 1 1/4" long.  Considered a good swimmer, the Oriental cockroaches are found in cool, damp areas such as basements, sewers, crawl spaces and around toilets and sinks.  The roach is gregarious and large numbers may be found in one group.  They have a life span of 2 to 2.5 years.  This cockroach is shown below.

FLIES

The common housefly is unequalled as a disease laden pest, due to its habit of walking on all kinds of garbarge, animal excrement and filth, as well as on clean food.

Flies can transmit a variety of human disease including typhoid, dysentery, infantile diarrhea, and streptococcal and staphyoccal foodborne illnesses.  Flies also transmit disease because they feed on human and animal wastes.  This bacteria sticks to the foodpads, hairs and mouth of the fly and then deposited on food to be consumed.  Fly feces also contaminated food with bacteria.  Flies deficate every 4 to 5 minutes.  Fly vomit also contaminates food with enough bacteria to cause illness.  A fly may carry 4,000,000 bacteria on its body and over 29,000,000 in its stomach.

HABITS AND CHARACTERISTIC

*Flies enter buildings through holes not much larger than a pin head.
*Flies travel very short distances from where they were hatched.  Yet sources of      attractive odors (sweet or sour smells) will attract flies from large areas.  Air currents can also aid in some flies travelling distances of 4 to 20 miles in a day.
*Flies have favorite resting places.  They prefer places protected from the wind and of edges, such as that of an electric wire or garbage can lid.
*Moist, warm decaying material protected from sunlight is required for fly eggs to hatch and fly larvae or maggots to grow.

SPECIES OF FLIES
The common house fly, fruit fly, (gnats) and blow fly are the most prevelant species that are a menance to human health.  e common house fly can be found in garbage cans, compost heapes, animal waste, and decayong vegetation.  The house fly is approximately 1/4" in length.  They are mouse gray or buff in color.  The housefly lives about 1 month.  As many as 3000 eggs are laid by a fly in it's lifetime.  Eggs can hatch, go through the larvae and pupa stage and become adults in as little as 7 days.

The fruit flies, also called vinegar flies or gnats, are also potential vectors of disease such as vincochylise, a from of diarrhea.  Fruit flies are about 1/10" long, yellow to dark brown and are asscociated with fermenting fruits and vegetation.  Their small size allows them to breed in very tiny cracks.  The flies are only active between 6 a.m. and 8 a.m. and 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. when light and temperature are not extreme. Fruit flies tend to rest unless disturbed. Blow flies may also be occasional pest.  They are brillant blue and green flies approximately 1/3" in length.

ANTS

Ants are recognized by everyone, but it is not known that there are several hundred different kinds of species. Approximately a dozen species are likely to be kitchen pests.  These may range in size from 1/32" to those which are nearly 1/2" long.  They may live in walls, or in the soil outside, traveling from their nest to building through cracks, via electrical conduits or plumbing.  Ants eat a wide variety of food and may contaminate sweets such as icing, syrup and candy, or fats such as meat and fried foods.

The Pharoah ant, also known as the "Sugar Ant" or Little Red Ant, is confined to permanetly heated buildings and for years has been a serious pest of hospitals, bakeries, hotels and restaurants.  These ants are known to carry pathogenic bacteria and can easily spread disease by contact with food.  Species of ants are shown below:



OTHER INSECT PESTS

BRAN BEETLES
Bran beetles are found in flour and mixes.  They are small brown beetles, often less than 1/8" long.  They may be found crawling on shelves and in drawers, but more often are in packages of flour, cereal and other dried foods.  This group includes such common pests as the red and confused flour beetles, saw-toothed grain beetles and several other tiny beetles.
The confused flour beetle and red flour beetle, are shiny, flattened oval reddish brown beetles.  The saw toothed beetle is slender, flat brown beetle about 1/10 of an inch long.

WEEVILS
Weevils are small gray or brown wedge shaped beetles, tapering to a small head.  They infest dried beans and peas, from which adults emerge through circular holes.  The adults fly and buzz around lights.  The rice weevil is reddish brown with a long snout.  It infests whole grains.

HIDE AND LARDER BEETLES
Hide and Larder beetles are about 3/8" long and have black backs.  The Larder beetle has a yellowish band across the back.  The larvae are brown, stocky worms covered with short hairs.  Their food includes ham, bacon, cheese, smoked meats and organic debris.

CARPET BEETLES
Carpet beetles are usually reddish brown, heavy, banded or with bristle-like tails.  The larvae of these insects are the destructive stage.  In addition to being a pest in many foods, they are voracious feeders on wood, fur, hair and other animal products.

FLOUR AND MEAL MOTHS
Flour and meal moths feed as worms in corn, wheat, flour, popcorn, candy, vegetables and a wide variety of other food products.  Only in the immature state of a larvae are they destructive.  They spin webbing over or through materials they infest a characteristic which distinguishes their damage from beetles.  The adult Indian meal moth is a reddish brown and about 3/8" long with a light band across the front third of its wings.  The adult Mediterranian flour moth is approximately 3/8" long, light gray in color with a few wavy dark lines across the wings.

SILVERFISH
Silverfish are wingless insects generally silver gray in color and about 1/2" long.  They run rapidly on floors, walls, and ceilings.  They are rounded in the front and tapered toward the rear.  Silverfish are well adapted to hiding in cracks such as behind baseboards, door and window frames and between layers of insulation.  They search out starchy foods and starched clothing.  Silverfish require a moist place to live.

RODENTS

Any given area has a "capacity" to support a definite number of rodents.  This "capactiy" is related to the available food, harborage, living space and other necessaties.  All types of commercial business are vulnerable to rodent infestation, especially a restaurant.  Rats and mice can pose a constant health threat and can destroy your stoed inventory, as well as your property by their excreions, feeding and gnawing.

It has been estimated that rodents cause billions of dollars a year in economic loss in the United States through consumption, urine and feces contamination (one rat fecal dropping contains millions of bacteria) and structural damage to property -including damage from fires caused by gnawed electrical wiring (10 to 25% of fires of "unknown origin").
More important to the foood service manager is the serious health hazard posed by disease transmission through rodent contamination.  Rodents are implicated in the transmission of the following:

*Plague:  The plague is spread to man by the oriental rat flea.  This disease is found in several wild rodent species in the Western States.
*Murine typhus fever:  Murine typhus fever is spread to man by the oriental rat flea.  This is causing increasing concern in the Southeastern States.
*Rat-bite fever:  This fever occurs most frequently in babies, small children and the bed confined elderly.
*Salmonellosis:  Salmonellosis causes acute gastroententis.  This infection commonly occurs from contamination of mans food and dishes by infected rat droppings.  Rats live in sewers, septic tanks and cesspools, but visit kitchens and stored food at night spreading Salmonelosis.
*Lepospirosis (Weils Disease):  Leptosperosis is spread from rat urine into water or food and enter man through mucous membrane or cuts in the skin.
*Trichinosis:  Trichinosis can be spread by feces of infected rats in garbage fed to hogs.
*Ricksettsial pox:  Ricksettsial pox is transmitted to man by the bite of the house-mouse mite.  It is a febrite disease causing a rash of the chicken pox type.
*Lynphocytic choriomengitis:  This is a serious virus infection of house mice and may be transmitted to man in food or dust contaminated with respiratory droplets or fecal particles.

RATS

BIOLOGY AND BEHAVIOR

Rats live in colonies.  Litter size range from 6 to 12 young.  The young learn what to eat from their parents, including rodenticides.  Rats see poorly, thus relying more on smell, taste, touch and hearing to get around.  They are considered color blind as well.  Rats have the ability to recognize noises which they use to detect and escape danger.  Rats use smell to locate food items and recognize other rats while using touch as a sensory device.  They use their sensitive whiskers and guard hairs on their body to accomplish this.

PHYSICAL CAPABILITIES
*Rats can gain entrance through a hole with a diameter of less than 1".
*Rats can climb horizontal and vertical wires.
*Jump vertically 35".
*Drop 50 feet without injury.
*Swim 1/2 mile without any trouble.
*Gnaw through lead sheeting, sun dried adobe brick and aluminum sheeting.

HABTIS AND DIET

Most rats are omnivorous (eating nearly any type of food).  Rats usually begin their search for food after sunset.  They apparently feed twice during the night, once shortly after dark and again in the early morning.  When hungry or under crowded conditions they can be seen in the day light.  Rats dislike open spaces and move along walls.  This habit leads to their leaving trails - dark greasy marks where they often travel.  Rats prefer to take their food into hiding but will eat large items in place.  Rats need about an ounce of water and food daily.  Without food they will start to weaken in 3 to 4 days, but without water, weakness sets in after about 1 to 2 days.

Rat densities (number of rats in population) are determined by the suitability of the habitat (amount of palatable food and shelter).  If food and shelter are present and they are undisturbed, rats may spend their entire life span within a 200 ft range.  Rats that are disturbed, however may move as much as 4 miles in the space of a week.

IDENTIFICATION:

NORWAY RAT (BROWN RAT, GRAY RAT, SEWER RAT, WHARF RAT)

This is the largest domestic rat in the United States at approximately one pound and the most destructive.  The coarse fur is grey-brown on the back and grey-white on the belly.  the muzzle is blunt, and the ears are small.  Norway rats may be 7 1/2" to 10" long.  Their trails are from 6" to 7 1/2" long.

Fecal droppings of the Norway rat are approximately 3/4 inches long and are blunt.  Life expectancy of the Norway rat is from 9 to 12 months.  The habitat of these rats is very diverse.  Aside from open dumps, they can be found in sewer drains and in litter and trash adjacent to buildings and around feed lots.

ROOF RAT (BLACK RAT OR SHIP RAT)

This is a smaller more agile rat found primarily throughout the South and along the Pacific Coast.  Roof rats usually weigh 8 to 12 ounces.  There are three color phases which range from black above and grey below to grey brown above to yellow white below.  The muzzle is sharply pointed, and they have large membranous ears.  body and tail length may be 6 to 8 1/2 " and 7 to 10" respectively.

Fecal droppings are medium-sized (up to 1/2" long) and are pointed at the ends.  Life span of the Roof rat is one year.  Roof rats are usually found above ground, unlike the Norway rat which harbors underground.  Roof rats are excellent climbers and are present in attics, in hollow walls and at roof - ceiling junctures indoors and trees and shrubbery.

MICE

Regarded as a commensal rodent, the house mouse is the most successful rodent that lives intimately with man.  Mice seem to be more socially acceptable thatn rats.  Although house mice infest many more premises than do rats, public health officals receive far fewer calls on mice.

IDENTIFICATION

The house mouse is a delicate agile little rodent.  It has a small, slender body and weighs 1/2 to 1 ounces as an adult.  Adult house mice vary in color from light brown to dark gray.  The mouse is moderately large ears for its body size (2 1/2" to 3 3/4").  The feet and eyes are also very small.

BIOLOGY AND BEHAVIOR

Mice live in colonies.  Under ideal conditions, females may produce as many as 10 littera (about 50 young) a year.  Mice see poorly thus relying more on smell, taste, touch, and hearing to get around.  They are considered color blind as well.  Mice have the ability to recognize noises which they use to detect and escape danger.  Mice use smell to locate food items and to apparently recognize other mice while using touch as a sensory device.  They use their sensitive whiskers and guard hairs on their body to accomplish this.  The whiskers allow mice to travel in the dark, adjacent to walls and in burrows.

PHYSICAL CAPABILITIES

*Mice can gain entrance through an opening slightly larger than 1/4".
*Drop 96 feet without injury.
*Mice swim if needed, but do not take to water like rats do.
*Mice can jump vertically 12".
*Mice can travel upside down.
*Can live at temperatures as low as 24 F.

HABITS AND DIET

Mice are omnivouous in feeding habits although cereals seem preferred over other items.  Mice frequently show a preference for foods high in fat and protein.  House mice are sporadic feeders, nibbling bits of food here and there within their activity range.  Mice essentially have two main feeding periods, at dusk and just before daw, intersperesed with many other feeding bursts approximately 3/4 to 1 1/4 hours apart. Mice eat about 10 percent of its body weight every 24 hours.  If food and shelter are present and they are undisturbed, mice may spend their entire life span within a 25 foot range.

BIRDS

Only three birds are likely to be pests to the food service operator.  These are the common city pigeon, the European starling and the English sparrow.  Like the Norway rat and the house mouse, these three birds depend heavily upon mans' waste for food.

These birds have unsightly droppings that can carry fungi capable of causing histoplasmosis or cryptococcosis.  Histoplasmosis is a respiratory disease 90 originating from a fungus which grows in dried bird droppings.  The disease may cause blindness, even death.  Cryptocociosis is caused by a yeast found in the intestinal tract of pigeons and starlings.  Often beginning as a prelimanary disease, it may later affect the central nervous system. The birds may also carry ticks, mites and other organisms that cause encephaslitits, psettacosis and salmonellosis.  Salmonellosis is found in bird droppings; dust from the droppings can be sucked through the ventilation system contaminating food and cooking surfaces. Bird droppings also can damage buildings.  Birds which die in their nests are a common source of blow flies in structures.