Palma town hall using longer-lasting insecticide against cockroaches

Establishments being closed contributed to the problem

Dealing with cockroaches in Palma, Mallorca

Spraying manhole covers with insecticide against cockroaches. | Ajuntament de Palma

Majorca Daily Bulletin reporterPalma17/04/2021 19:20

Palma town hall is using a new product, Inesfly, to deal with cockroaches. A more enduring insecticide, it works for six months longer than the previous product.

In 2020, there was a 37.5% increase in complaints about pests. The town hall's director of health, Joaquín de María, attributes these to heavy rain in spring, followed by high temperatures and also to the lockdown. He notes that the lockdown led to an increase in complaints mainly because of establishments that had closed. There were 2,794 complaints in all, compared with 2,033 in 2019. Specifically for cockroaches, there were 1,615 complaints. In 2019 there were 1,063, so the increase was 52%.

Just over half of the complaints related to private property. De María says that as well as dealing with public areas, the campaign this year will seek to prevent reproduction in homes through preventive measures. The town hall will also be conducting an information campaign.

The town hall is treating 160,000 manhole covers. De María suggests that if cockroaches are seen on the streets, this will be because of town hall action. The cockroaches will be dying, as they don't like the light.