The cockroach capital.
At first, they were microscopic – and manageable. It was usually just one or two per day, scurrying around the sink as I returned home in the evenings and switched on the lights. Invariably, you had to have a thick book or rolled up newspaper handy.
Then they grew slightly bigger. Feasting on crumbs along the kitchen benchtop or around the stove. You might see one in the bathroom at night, inching up the shower walls or appearing from behind the cupboard.
A couple of weeks ago, they became more audacious. No longer limited to the witching hours, it became common to see a flicker across the walls as I ate breakfast.
One morning I awoke to find a near-corpse on the floor, probably reeling from having ingested the remains of some old poison. It was jet black, the size of one of those old matchbox cars, turned on its back with legs writhing. Absent-mindedly I left it there, thinking it wasn’t long for this world.
To my horror, upon returning home it had vanished from the spot entirely, only to suddenly re-emerge flipped over and reenergised as I was tucking into dinner. It crawled into a shoe in the living area. I threw the shoe onto the balcony and smashed it there.
“Don’t you find there are a lot of cockroaches inside our building at the moment?” a resident on the same floor inquired of me casually in the lift one day. “I find I’m killing them all the time.”
Ruefully, I had to admit our apartment block has a problem. Right now, roaches are all over the bin room. Back inside the unit, each swish of my morning toothbrush comes with trepidation. I don’t dare pull out the dishwasher or look behind the fridge.
In a way, it’s a peculiarly Sydney curse. A report in 2020 found Sydney to be the “cockroach capital” of Australia, with household incidence more than 19 per cent higher than the national average. Last year, an inner-city renter claimed that roaches fell on his face as he slept.
But if Sydney is the cockroach capital, Parramatta could be the primary operating headquarters. Whenever I exit the station at night, I see ones that are simply enormous on the ground that would have you tempted to dial triple-0 if they appeared in your house or apartment.
It’s not surprising given our city has endured one of the muggiest summers in living memory. One of consistently high temperatures, where clusters of buildings reverberate and absorb heat during the day, while airborne moisture provides a perfect breeding ground. This is particularly so for German cockroaches, which have a short reproduction cycle, mating prolifically in a matter of weeks. In fact, I have read that a single female cockroach can lay up to one million eggs a year.
The density of apartment living across Parramatta and Cumberland only accentuates the problem. Having so many kitchens, bathrooms and communal waste facilities close together – moist environments with scraps of food – promotes proliferation and ensures that any infestation affects large numbers of people.
Perhaps the next-door neighbours, or those in the unit above or below, are not putting the bins out, or otherwise unhygienic and gross. It is an externality of apartment life, impossible to quantify. And obtaining action from landlords is infinitely tougher for tenants and subtenants, unsure of their rights.
Cockroaches are adept at hiding in small cracks and crevices. They are capable of morphing and resisting against the harshest pesticides. So, pre-emption is the best defence. Store food in sealed containers. Avoid leaving dirty dishes in the sink. Clean homes regularly and empty rubbish bins. Crack down on clutter. Seal gaps around sink areas and check kitchen tiles. Clean underneath the fridge, stove and toaster.
Try not to leave stacks of paper lying around like newspapers, boxes and mountains of supermarket bags.
One other rule of thumb. Seeing one cockroach always indicates multiple. Seeing multiple means there are nests to be zapped and an epic infestation at hand.
The other day I found a small roach resting among my kitchen plates.
Now I rinse every utensil twice over before having a meal. With the humidity likely to last well into autumn I’ve had enough and contacted strata.
The pest controller is coming Friday. It’s going to be a long couple of days.
Alan is a journalist and communications specialist. He writes a weekly column for Parra News.