Why millions of cockroaches are set to swarm homes around Australia

Millions of cockroaches will invade homes and businesses around Australia as humidity increases ahead of summer. 

The combination of a dry winter followed by humid summer creates the perfect breeding condition for the unwanted insects. 

Pest control workers have seen a 30 per cent increase in cockroach call outs in late spring and are urging homeowners and businesses to call in professionals to exterminate the pests and avoid a plague. 

‘We are getting a lot more increase in commercial properties having difficult times with cockroaches,’ Luke Taylor from the Pest Company told 7News.  

Cockroaches are attracted to moist areas such as kitchens and bathrooms.  

While people may assume they are in search of food, the pests are really just in search of warmth, shelter and darkness as they are nocturnal.

Roaches are most rampant in Queensland and are active from September through to June, according to Mortein. 

Sydney is the second largest breeding ground for cockroaches and are mostly active from January through to March. 

Female German cockroaches, which are the most common in Australia, will lay about 50 eggs every six weeks and usually hatch after about a month. 

They can also be found hibernating between wall cracks, roof voids and in electrical appliances. 

One Sydney homeowner once found dozens of dead cockroaches squished behind wiring of an old landline phone. 

She uploaded the skin-crawling footage online. 

‘I took this video while at work on a property in Sydney and thought maybe I should see what’s in there as it looked dirty and was not working,’ he wrote.