SINGAPORE: In 2004, when brothers Phil and Cedric Ho started Highlander Coffee to supply coffee machines to establishments, they also offered options to loan the machines.
Phil Ho recalled an incident in which a steakhouse decided to lease a fully automatic coffee machine, which does everything from grinding coffee to brewing the beverage.
“Instead of keeping the brand new machine in the bar area, it kept it in the kitchen where it was hot and moist,” Mr Ho said.
“When we took back the machine, we found cockroaches inside it. It was moist and comfortable, like a resort for them.”
The issue of how cockroaches like to make a home inside coffee machines was highlighted in a Guardian article over the weekend. It described how a couple in the UK found their S$2,200 De’Longhi contraption infested with baby cockroaches. The article quoted one manufacturer as saying “cockroaches inside of coffee machines is a reality. A disgusting reality”.
Closer to home, pest exterminators and coffee machine suppliers said discerning coffee drinkers who buy espresso machines for home use can breathe a sigh of relief, as the problem is more common in food and beverage outlets and office pantries.
FULLY AUTOMATIC MACHINES ARE A ‘RESORT’ FOR COCKROACHES
Mr Ho said his company has ceased loaning coffee machines to establishments, and only sells them. Even so, he said a potential cockroach infestation is limited to establishments that use fully automatic machines rather than professional espresso machines seen at many cafes.
That is because fully automatic ones operate using thermoblock technology instead of having boilers.
“Those machines used by professional baristas are very unlikely to have cockroaches because the boilers inside are huge and very, very hot,” Mr Ho said.
“Any cockroach that lands on one of the metal pieces inside will probably be fried. But the fully automatic ones do not have boilers, and are not very hot. So the cockroaches will go inside, make a home and have a good time.”
A cockroach monitoring trap from under a coffee machine. Coffee machine suppliers say infestations are common inside fully automatic coffee machines but rare inside the professional machines found in cafes. (Photo: PestBusters)
Mr Ho said that based on experience, many hotels tend to use fully automatic coffee machines, although some boutique hotels do purchase the bigger boiler-type machines from his company. Fully automatic machines are also commonly placed in office pantries.
“If the office pantry is not well-designed and is moist and not well ventilated, I suspect you will also find cockroaches inside those machines.”
AMERICAN COCKROACHES IN HOMES TOO BIG TO HIDE INSIDE COFFEE MACHINES
Indeed, two local pest control companies Channel NewsAsia approached said the problem of cockroaches hiding inside coffee machines is common. But both said they’re more commonly seen at commercial establishments rather than domestic machines.
A servicing agent for a home coffee machine brand said it had never had been approached to get cockroaches out of one of their devices.
Andrew Chan, who is General Manager of AntiCimex Southeast Asia’s Merger and Acquisitions Department, said while his company has never been approached to treat coffee machines in homes for cockroach infestations, it has treated coffee machines at food and beverage outlets.
PestBusters’ director for technical and client services, Eugene Surendra also confirmed that coffee machines are one of the common areas staff inspect as part of their pest management services at food and beverage outlets. He suggested that around 40 per cent of the commercial coffee machines that they check are infested.
“German cockroaches are commonly found at F&B outlets and they are small enough to hide inside these coffee machines,” Mr Surendra said.
When asked why coffee machine infestations in homes are rare in Singapore, Mr Surendra explained that the commonly-found species of cockroach in homes here is different.
“In countries like the US and UK, where it’s colder, these German cockroaches may be dwelling in homes,” Mr Surendra said.
“But in Singapore homes, American cockroaches are more common. Not only are they too big to hide inside these machines, but the environment inside a coffee machine is also not something they would prefer.”
American cockroaches and not German cockroaches, such as the one seen here, are more common in local households. The bigger American cockroaches are also less likely to hide inside home coffee machines. (Photo: PestBusters)
MACHINES INSPECTED ONCE A MONTH AT LEAST AT ESTABLISHMENTS
PestBusters said it inspects coffee machines at its clients’ establishments at least once a month. Once staff detect an infestation, they will get the outlet to call in the coffee machine’s servicing technician to dismantle it. That is when a gel bait is applied with a syringe directly where the infestation is.
“Cockroaches that consume the gel will be killed directly, but there is also the secondary poison, when other cockroaches that feed on the dead cockroach will also be poisoned,” Mr Chan added.
To ensure that coffee machines are free from infestations, Mr Ho said they should be placed in well-ventilated areas such as on the bar counter top instead of the kitchen. He said staff should also avoid placing leftover food in the vicinity of the coffee machine.
