An increase in the local Stellenbosch cockroach population forms part of a surge in cockroach infestations in the Western Cape. This is according to Dr Gerhard Verdoorn, operations and stewardships manager of CropLife SA. Stellenbosch residents and students have “complained bitterly about cockroaches, especially in apartment complexes and university hostels”, said Verdoorn.
Stellenbosch resident Rebecca Cilliers claims to have seen more than 25 cockroaches during a single stroll in Stellenbosch this month. This one lies on the ground of the Stellenbosch University premises. PHOTO: Mia Oliver
Worse than last year
The infestation initially started in April 2023, however the current outbreak “is definitely worse than last year”, said Verdoorn.
Due to cost-cutting measures, some warehouses and homes in the Western Cape might not have the necessary pest preventative measures in place to control the cockroach population, claimed Andre Nieuwoudt, a local field biologist at BPC Pest Control Services.
According to Nieuwoudt, issues regarding hygiene may have played a role in the exacerbation of the cockroach infestation in the Western Cape.
Cockroaches, specifically the German variety that is prevalent in the Western Cape, also “thrive on heat and humidity”, stated Nieuwoudt.
The recent infestations have proven to be more difficult to eradicate for civilians and pest control services, said Andre Nieuwoudt, a field biologist at BPC Pest Control Services. PHOTO: Mia Oliver
Unwanted ‘occupants’ of the homes and streets of Stellenbosch
Rebecca Cilliers, a Stellenbosch resident, said that she has “dealt with a constant cockroach problem” in her home in central Stellenbosch.
When she recently walked the 850 metres from the study centre of Stellenbosch University (SU) campus to her residence, she passed “more than 25 cockroaches”, she said.
Cilliers said that she had filed multiple complaints to her landlord, after which the maintenance worker of the building came to spray insecticide on her windows “wherever they thought the cockroaches might be getting in”.
Students and residents of Stellenbosch have complained “bitterly” about the problem, according to Dr Gerhard Verdoorn, Operations and Stewardships Manager of CropLife SA. PHOTOS: Supplied/Max Oliver, Lara Smith and Erinma Nedum (Left to right)
Things may only get worse
The recent infestations have proven to be more difficult to eradicate for civilians and pest control services than preceding cases, said Nieuwoudt. If aggravating factors such as the humidity and the possible factor of hygiene issues continue, this outbreak of cockroaches “will spiral out of control in the next year or two”, according to Nieuwoudt.
“At the moment, we need to do four seven-day-treatments to eradicate the problem,” said Nieuwoudt when explaining the company’s current procedure of local home infestations. “We run on a system which is paperless and all relevant infestations are on a data basis and, believe me, the German cockroach numbers grow daily.”