INTRODUCTION

Background of the Study

Cockroaches are persistent and troublesome pests of homes, restaurants, hospitals,

warehouses, offices, and other structures with food handling areas. These insects contaminate
food and utensils, destroy fabric and paper products, and impart stain and odor to surfaces they
contact.
Cockroaches are much greater than generally realized as they have been shown to carry
diverse pathogenic and non-pathogenic bacterial flora, different protozoa, pathogenic
helminthes,

fungi,

and

viruses.

Like

any

biting

or

walking

insects,

such

as bedbugs cockroaches can be very good transporters and thus can participate in spreading
molds. It was reported that 98% of cockroaches found in hospitals could carry pathogens on
their integuments or digestive tracts. The mite (Pimeliaphilus cunliffei) is a parasite of
cockroaches. It feeds on live individuals and has been linked to bites of humans living in
households with cockroach infestations
.(source:http://www.gopetsamerica.com/diseases/diseases-spread-by-cockroaches.aspx)
Cockroaches are also capable of carrying disease-producing organisms such as bacteria,
protozoa,

and viruses.

(Source:

ento.psu.edu/extension/factsheets/american-

cockroaches)However Cockroaches are also proven or suspected carriers of the organisms

causing: diarrhea dysentery cholera leprosy plague typhoid fever viral

diseases such as poliomyelitis. In addition they carry the eggs of parasitic worms and may cause
allergic reactions, including dermatitis, itching, swelling of the eyelids and more serious
respiratory

conditions.

(http://www.WHO.int/water_sanitation_health/resources/vector288to301.pdf)
Ants however can cause life-threatening allergic reactions, fatal infections and fires.
Ants may be small but they can cause big problems at home and affect a persons health. Of the
hundreds of ant species in the Philippines, the three types that invade households are the black
garden ant, the brown pharaoh ant, and the tropical fire ant. ( http://www.manilatimes.net/antbites-can-cause-fatal-allergic-reactions/100815/) An ant can cause damage by burrowing tunnels
through a homes wooden structures. Species like the red fire ant or the Asian super ant are
known to gather in places with flowing electrical currents. This means that these ants may
accidentally damage appliances or cause electrical fires as a result of a short circuit (according
to http://www.antark.net/).Heres another reason that you should not take an ant infestation for
granted: ants can carry harmful bacteria that cause serious diseases. Some ants eat decomposing
plants and animal. When the ants go from their feeding area into your house, they are potentially
carrying harmful germs like the salmonella bacterium, which causes potentially fatal infections.
(http://www.philstar.com/science-and-technology/2014/05/29/1328334/ants-pose-health-hazardstoo)

Due to these infestations mankind has developed the repellents. Insect repellents are
important public health tools for the prevention of vector-borne infectious diseases. Technically,
an insect repellent is any chemical -- natural or synthetic -- that causes insects or other

arthropods to make directed, oriented movements away from the source of repellent. Chemical
substances that have repellent effects enable us to go places and do things in insect- and diseaseinfested

areas

while

avoiding

disease

(http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/438257)

transmission

by

arthropods.