Malaga central street residents concerned over cockroach infestation

Malaga city

The residents of Calle Ollerías left their homes on Monday morning to find 100 dead cockroaches

Matías Stuber

Residents of the centrally located Calle Ollerías in Malaga were in for an unpleasant surprise on Monday morning when they left their homes. Upon stepping outside, they were confronted by approximately 100 dead cockroaches.

Although seeing cockroaches is more common with rising temperatures, the massive number is surprising. Passersby agreed that they couldn't recall ever seeing so many insects suddenly gathered on the street.

Cockroaches are harmless, but the collective imagination associates them with health problems and a lack of urban hygiene. The sight of pavements covered with them can awaken fears of breeding grounds for disease.

Given the uproar and public alarm, municipal sources called for calm. The massive number of dead insects on the surface is likely due to pest control work the municipality has recently carried out in the sewer system.

When chemicals used in contact with underground nests and colonies cause a strong "displacement" or expulsion effect, this phenomenon forces cockroaches to desperately abandon their usual hiding places in pipes and emerge to the surface in search of fresh air. They die within minutes of emerging due to ingesting the poison.

Therefore, the unpleasant surprise on Monday is, paradoxically, a symptom of the effectiveness of the shock treatment in the city's subsoil.

Pest control

Despite this, residents have requested an urgent reinforcement of the street cleaning and sweeping brigades to remove the insect carcasses and ensure that the public thoroughfare recovers the normality and hygiene expected of the city centre.

The battle to maintain the city's biological balance continues. The environment is becoming increasingly complex due to worrying factors such as climate change and the best weapons are innovative treatments, consistent measures and the cooperation of residents.

The city council maintains a continuous deployment in the sewer and drain network to control rat and cockroach infestations. Currently, a team of ten technicians travel daily through the city's districts, employing state-of-the-art treatments and technologies to ensure urban sanitation.

The presence of rodents in the streets triggered a surge in complaints last year, although so far this year there has been a 50 per cent decrease in the number of requests from residents, according to data from he city council's environment department. After a period of instability due to the previous company's withdrawal, the city council awarded a new contract with significantly enhanced services.

Read dedicated local reporting for Malaga city