Gongbei Customs said in a statement on Monday that its officers found 177 cockroaches on a small vessel travelling between Hong Kong and Macau, all of which were identified by a laboratory as German cockroaches (Blattella germanica), a species of small cockroach, typically only about 1.1 to 1.6 centimetre long.
The statement underlined that the customs officers onboard issued at once a Notice on Inspection and Quarantine Treatment of the vessel, requiring the shipping company to carry out sanitation measures such as disinfection, all of which were done under the officers’ supervision.
According to the statement, customs officers conducting the quarantine inspection onboard captured three live cockroaches in the ship’s sewage system, galley and seating area, and also found “obvious” traces of cockroaches in many places on the boat.
Blattella germanica, which has been listed as one of the important vectors monitored at customs checkpoints, is an alien species with strong adaptability and fertility, posing a threat to the ecological environment, according to the statement, which noted that the cockroach can also spread a variety of bacterial infectious diseases, as well as parasitic diseases such as tapeworms, hookworms, and roundworms, endangering human health.
The Gongbei Customs urged the shipping companies to enhance their awareness of biosafety and take measures to prevent and control vectors such as cockroaches, so as to jointly safeguard national health and safety.
This undated handout photo provided by Gongbei Customs on Monday shows plastic bags containing German cockroaches.
