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ultra78 · Post time 5-2-2018 10:27 AM

Cockroaches common in some types of coffee machines: Experts

Cockroach infestations are common in coffee machines at F&B outlets in Singapore, pest control companies told Channel NewsAsia, with one saying that 40 per cent of commercial coffee machines it checks are infested.

German cockroaches, such as this one, are a common occurrence inside coffee machines at food and beverage outlets in Singapore. (Photo: PestBusters)

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.

Mr 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 cockroaches making 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 coffee machines is a reality. A disgusting reality".

Closer to home, pest exterminators and coffee machine suppliers said the problem is more common at food and beverage outlets and office pantries, and rarely occur in espresso machines for home use.

FULLY AUTOMATIC MACHINES ARE A "RESORT" FOR COCKROACHES

Mr Ho said his company has ceased the loan of coffee machines to establishments, and only sells them now.

According to him, cockroach infestations are limited to establishments that use fully automatic machines, rather than the professional espresso machines seen at many cafes. This 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 that was left under a coffee machine. Coffee machine suppliers say infestations are common inside fully automatic coffee machines. (Photo: PestBusters)

Based on his experience, many hotels 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

A servicing agent for a home coffee machine brand said it had never encountered the problem of cockroaches inside its machines before.

Indeed, two local pest control companies Channel NewsAsia spoke to said the problem is far more common at commercial establishments.

AntiCimex Southeast Asia said that while the company has not seen cockroach infestations in home coffee machines, it has treated machines at food and beverage outlets.

PestBusters also confirmed that coffee machines are one of the common areas its 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,” its director for technical and client services Eugene Surendra said.

When asked why coffee machine infestations in homes are rare in Singapore, Mr Surendra explained that the commonly found species of cockroaches 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 AT LEAST ONCE A MONTH AT ESTABLISHMENTS

PestBusters said it inspects coffee machines at its clients’ establishments at least once a month. Once an infestation is detected, it 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,” AntiCimex's general manager of merger and acquisitions Andrew Chan said.

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 countertop instead of in the kitchen. He said staff should also avoid placing leftover food in the vicinity of the coffee machine.

Source: CNA/mo

https://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/singapore/cockroaches-coffee-machines-cafes-infested-9907552

ultra78 · Post time 5-2-2018 10:33 AM

https://www.theguardian.com/money/2018/jan/27/coffee-machine-cockroaches-delonghi-repair

Coffee bug: could your machine get infested with cockroaches?
De’Longhi buyer sends ￡1,200 product for repair – but baby bugs scuttle out when it returns

When Adrian Turner went to refill the fresh beans in his ￡1,195 De’Longhi coffee machine, he was stunned when bugs began scuttling out. Although he and his wife, Emma, were not familiar with the tiny dark-bodied insects, it emerged later, to their horror, that they were baby cockroaches. These nasty crawlers may be known and unwelcome residents of damp New York kitchens, they are hardly a common sight in leafy Henley-on-Thames.

But as more and more homes in the UK buy fancy coffee machines, the Turners’ cockroach crisis is likely to be repeated across the country. One coffee machine manufacturer has admitted an industry secret: “We know cockroaches inside of coffee machines is a reality. A disgusting reality.

“Why do cockroaches love coffee machines so much? They are naturally attracted to three things: darkness, moisture and nutrients. What do coffee machines have? All three. It’s no wonder it’s a cockroach utopia! With some coffee machines being ‘fixed’, that is, with immovable parts, it may sometimes be impossible to remove everything, wash it down and, perhaps, even fumigate to eradicate the little buggers.”

What was most alarming for the Turners was that the infestation had not happened in their home, but only after they sent their top-of-the-range machine for repair to the De’Longhi service workshop in Havant, Hampshire, at the end of October. They have since had to hire an exterminator to get rid of the pests.

But when Emma Turner first contacted the company to report and complain about what had happened, it marked the start of a bizarre exchange in which – in an unusually heavy-handed manner – the company refused to pay the cost of fumigation unless the couple signed what is known as a “release agreement”, questioning their claim, and absolving the company of any liability.

Yet, during the original phone call, staff had openly admitted there had been a cockroach infestation at their service workshop, apparently triggered after they received another infested machine to fix. The couple was told to dispose of the old machine, and to take radical action – to contact an exterminator to get their house fumigated.

Emma Turner with her De’Longhi coffee machine. Photograph: Sarah Lee for the Guardian

In a separate email it confirmed this instruction, making it clear it would pay in full for the clean.

“Our legal team have advised that you should contact an exterminator to get the house fumigated. You can send the invoice to us, via this email address,” the email said.

The Turners say they “were shocked to be told about the cockroaches, but the company seemed to be putting things right, and we organised a ‘belt and braces’ clean of our house by Rentokil”.

Emma Turner explains what happened next: “We duly did this and sent an invoice for ￡162, but were surprised when we were then sent a letter from their ‘product liability manager’ offering an additional ￡88 plus our ￡162 for the exterminator – as long as we signed a general release form.”

The company has since replaced the infested machine with a top-of-the-range PrimeDonna Elite.

However, that was not the end of the matter. Turner and her husband were adamant that they did not wish to sign the form as it suggested that their claim was a dubious and questionable one. The form stated: “This settlement is the compromise of a doubtful and disputed claim, and the payment is not to be construed as an admission of liability on the parts of the person, firms and corporation hereby realised by whom liability is expressly denied.”

Emma Turner insists: “The claim is not doubtful – they sent us back a coffee machine with cockroaches in, and informed us on the phone that they had had an infestation at the service workshop. They then replaced our machine.

“We then tried to get hold of the ‘product liability manager’ via numerous phone calls and emails, none of which were returned until we emailed De’Longhi’s UK managing director.

“We informed De’Longhi that we did not want the additional ￡88, nor did we wish to sign the general release form. We just wanted our ￡162 back to cover the cleaning which they had instructed.”

De’Longhi, which also owns the Kenwood and Braun brands in the UK, says: “Customer satisfaction is of paramount importance to the De’Longhi Group and we take any customer complaint most seriously.

“Unfortunately, the customer in this instance was not happy with the way we handled their particular case. We replaced their coffee machine with an upgraded model and offered compensation.

“As is standard practice for the De’Longhi Group when resolving customer issues where compensation is offered, we asked the customer to sign and return a claims form to confirm she was happy the problem had now been resolved. This offer remains open.”

What the Turner’s case exposes is the degree to which coffee machines can lead to cockroach infestation.

A Google search for “cockroaches and coffee machines” is not for the fainthearted.

It throws up YouTube videos entitled “Aaahhhh roaches in my coffee maker!! (Seriously)” and a Reddit discussion under the heading “Mother f***ing roaches in my mother f***ing coffee maker”.

However, most of the results come from the US, and pest control firms say the problem in Britain is less severe than countries with warmer climates.