Method and apparatus for cockroach monitoring

A method for pest control, comprising:

• providing a cockroach monitor including a housing forming a monitoring chamber having one or more openings to allow cockroaches to enter the monitoring chamber and a ceiling to face backs of the cockroaches entering the monitoring chamber;
• emitting a light into the monitoring chamber;
• receiving the light;
• and
• automatically detecting presence of one or more cockroaches in the monitoring chamber by analyzing the received light to determine presence of obstruction on a path of the light, the path of the light including a turn at which the light is reflected before being received.

A pest control system, comprising:

• a cockroach monitor including:
• a housing forming a monitoring chamber having one or more openings to allow cockroaches to enter the monitoring chamber and a ceiling to face backs of the cockroaches entering the monitoring chamber;
• a board having a sticky surface, the board configured to be detachably attached to the ceiling to capture the cockroaches in the monitoring chamber by the backs of the cockroaches using the sticky surface;
• and
• a cockroach detector configured to detect a status of the board indicating one or more cockroaches trapped on the board when the board is attached to the ceiling, the cockroach detector including:
• a light emitter configured to emit a light;
• a photoelectric transducer configured to receive the light and to produce an electrical signal indicative of an intensity of the received light;
• and
• a detection circuit configured to detect the status of the board by analyzing the electrical signal to determine presence of obstruction on a path of the light between the light emitter and the photoelectric transducer.