They can survive for three months without food, last 30 days without water and run around for up to nine days after being decapitated. Once they establish their nests they are almost impossible to get rid of. Now cockroaches may be on their way to a home near you.

The cockroach invasion of Ireland has become so serious that the government is to fund a new course for pest controllers in a bid to combat what some exterminators claim is a fourfold increase in outbreaks over the past three years.

Later this month in Laois a one-day programme, part-funded by the Department of Enterprise, is being organised by the Irish Pest Control Association (IPCA). The industry is alarmed that what began as infrequent infestations of commercial premises has now spread to entire residential blocks.

OCS Cannon, one of the country’s largest pest control operations, said its cockroach business has expanded by 400% in the past three years. Michael Sweeney said his company is treating entire blocks of apartments at an average of one a month. He said in some cases operatives have encountered flats swarming with hundreds of the insects.

Pest controllers blame the infestations on residents’ increased use of imported loose food stuffs from exotic locations. They cite bags of grain and dry goods that can carry the egg sacks of the Oriental cockroach in particular. Once hatched, high-density blocks offer ideal conditions for reproduction.

Cockroaches can cause serious health problems including three types of salmonella and gastroenteritis. More recently they have been linked to asthma.

One apartment scheme being treated is Custom House Square in the International Financial Services Centre in Dublin 1. O'Dwyer Property Management, which manages the scheme, confirmed that treatment is under way.

One pest control expert told The Sunday Times that he is aware of at least four large property management firms which have had to call in pest controllers recently to deal with the problem.

A director of another large Dublin-based management company, who wished to remain anonymous, claims that his company spent €20,000 treating one large scheme.

The IPCA plans to conduct research among its members and produce a geographical map of Irish “cockroach hot spots” to be published by October.

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