Don’t Bug Me

Summer in Hong Kong means heat and humidity—the perfect breeding ground for all sorts of creepy-crawlies. Here’s how to deal with household pests before they become a big problem.

Cockroaches
Cockroaches are the most visible pest in Hong Kong and it’s almost impossible to escape them as they scuttle past you in the streets. The American and German varieties are actually more common than the Oriental species. The larger American variety is often seen lurking around drains and rubbish heaps, whereas the smaller Germans, measuring only 20mm, are prolific breeders who cluster in kitchens, restaurants or anywhere where there’s food about.

The genetic make-up of cockroaches make them resilient to many forms of pesticide but there’s one man they can’t beat. Stuart Morton is the technology manager and entomologist at BioCycle and is known as the local Pied Piper of the insect world. He says, “I remember spraying for cockroaches in Sham Shui Po and within a few minutes the streets were awash with them—there were thousands pouring out of the drains.” But for Hong Kong residents, Stuart has less overwhelming advice. “If the problem is serious you will need to get your home sprayed professionally, but that doesn’t address the root of the problem. The most important thing is keep your home clean and cover any gaps and open drains and don’t keep garbage
indoors overnight.”

Termites
Summertime is peak of the mating season for termites, ensuring that Morton and his team are kept extremely busy. One year, he remembers working well into the night dealing with particularly bad swarms in the New Territories. The constantly reproducing creepy-crawlies are the most common pest and are attracted to moisture, darkness and wood.

We are home to the Formosa termite, capable of creating colonies with up to 7 million insects. As they feed on anything from wood to plastic, they can cause irreparable damage. Morton once visited an old two-storey house in Fanling where millions of termites had nested and eaten through the supporting beams causing the floor to collapse. An infestation requires professional attention and is not just something you can take care of yourself. Specially designed chemical treatments are used which dry to form an invisible barrier against the termites. There are also bait boxes which use an ingeniously formulated cellulose base which is impregnated with chemicals. The termites feed off it then pass the chemicals on to the rest of the colony, killing them off.

Ants
Ants come from trees, branches or even from a network of colonies among outdoor potted plants. They forage for food, leaving scent trails for the others and once you’ve got them it’s very hard to get rid of them. The summer weather also makes it problematic to banish them as pesticides get washed away or diluted with heavy rainfall and baits and traps need to be regularly reset.

Mosquitoes
More than just annoying, mosquitoes are capable of spreading dengue fever, as well as being the scourge of just about any outdoor activity in Hong Kong. The key to mosquito prevention is to eliminate their breeding grounds, so regularly check plant pots, blocked drains on balconies and stagnant water on roofs. Government anti-mosquito initiatives such as the use of chemicals to kill larvae in ponds, spraying and light traps and increased education have all played key roles in winning the war against the bloodthirsty bugs.