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Crawling insects

Beetles and Cockroaches

Characteristics:
Cockroaches (Blattodea) are an order of insects commonly known as roaches or beetles. The order includes more than 4000 species, divided up into 6 families.

In the collective image, cockroaches are seen as dirty insects that command disgust and disease. The media further emphasises this perception, associating the figure of the beetle with dirt and unhealthy atmospheres. We should specify that, generally speaking, Blattidae cause very little damage: of the more than 4000 species known, almost all have habits that only marginally interfere with man's activities. The same phytophagus species, potentially damaging to crops, are responsible for irrelevant damages in terms of costs.

Differently, however, is the importance of the species companion of the man. Two types of damages are assigned to these:

Economic damages caused to foodstuffs, made unsalable.

Damage to health due to the transmission of pathogen organisms. The Blattella germanica frequents restaurant kitchens. It can be recognised by the two dark bands on the thorax. On the first aspect, it should be said that the direct material damages are limited, as the level of infestation is not such as to cause significant destructions of the foodstuffs attacked. We should, however, specify that the indirect damage is significant: the beetles that accompany man visit unhealthy environments, like drains, for example, before moving into domestic environments. Due to its custom of regurgitating part of the food previously ingested on the substrate, and of defecating whilst feeding, even a low level of infestation can make a batch unusable due to the bad smells transmitted and, above all, the hygiene risks deriving from the infestation. The environments that can be attended are all those that can contain foodstuffs of any nature, and as such are susceptible to infestation by beetles, and consequently to contamination, homes, foodstuff warehouses, agricultural companies, industries and artisan laboratories with foodstuffs, catering businesses (hotels, restaurants, bars, canteens, etc.), hospitals, schools, offices, prisons, etc..

The health risks are significant. The species that represent a real emergency are less than ten, but these are responsible for transmitting some of the most important diseases in the world. Cockroaches are, in fact, possible carriers of viruses, bacteria, protozoa, nematodes, cestoda, in turn responsible for more and less serious problems. Possible problems transmitted through the contamination of foods include dysentery, salmonellosis, hepatitis A, poliomyelitis, and legionary's disease. Beetles also transmit antigens that cause asthma onset.

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