Did you know what you signed up for when you purchased your first home? Most homeowners don’t. It usually takes 5 to 10 years for homeowners to get used to all of the unexpected problems, hidden expenses, and required upkeep that come with owning a home. Today we will be talking about one unexpected problem that many homeowners ignore: cockroaches.
Although most pests are no more than a nuisance, these hard-bodied trash eaters pose a list of unique problems that put you and your family at risk. If you suspect your home has a cockroach infestation, here is everything you need to know.
Common Area Cockroaches
The world is filled with different species of cockroaches, 4,500 to be exact. Fortunately, only 5 call California home, here is how you can identify each.
American Cockroach
- Length: 1 1/2 inches
- Color: Reddish-brown
- Habits: American roaches prefer to live around dark, moist areas such as basements, crawl spaces, and laundry rooms.
German Cockroach
- Length: 1/2 – 5/8 inches
- Color: Light brown with two dark parallel lines on the back of their neck.
- Habits: German cockroaches love warm dark and moist areas such as inside cupboards, drawers, closets, and beneath kitchen sinks.
Oriental Cockroach
- Length: 4/5 -1 inch
- Color: Shiny black
- Habits: Oriental cockroaches prefer to inhabit cool, damp locations, and can most commonly be found inside homes around basements, toilets, bathtubs, radiators, pipes, and sinks.
Brown-Banded Cockroach
- Length: 1/2 inch
- Color: Light brown with two distinct brownish bands that run along with their wings and abdomen.
- Habits: Brown-banded cockroaches tend to stay around warm and dry locations such as in the backs of cabinets, inside pantries, and squeezed between boxes within closets.
Turkestan Cockroach
- Length: 1 – 1 1/4 inches
- Color: Dark brown to black
- Habits: Turkestan cockroaches prefer to live outside around dark moist areas such as within compost piles, around potted plants, inside leaf litter, or between the cracks of concrete.
What Makes Cockroaches Dangerous
Filth is often directly connected with sickness. This was true for the black plague just as much as it is for cockroaches today. A cockroach’s main function is to consume and break down organic, usually decaying matter. Because of this, cockroaches prefer to hang out around sewage and garbage. When cockroaches aren’t crawling over bacteria and parasite ridden areas, they are roaming through your home across countertops, inside cupboards, and over food. All you have to do is come in contact with the wrong surface or eat the wrong food and you could get very sick.
If the 33 bacteria, 7 human pathogens, and 6 parasitic worms cockroaches can spread weren’t enough, they also can trigger asthma attacks and allergies with their fecal matter, shed skin, and urine.
How To Identify & Keep Out Cockroaches
When cockroaches enter into homes, they do their best to stay out of sight. The only time you are likely to see one of them crawling about is either late at night or if their hiding spots get overcrowded.
To identify cockroaches without seeing them, here are some signs you can keep your eyes out for:
- Coffee ground sized fecal matter.
- Full body shed skin.
- Cockroach eggs.
- Grease marks
- Dead cockroaches
5 Few Things You Can Do To Prevent Cockroaches
- Clean your home regularly.
- Keep food stored inside airtight containers.
- Seal up holes, gaps, and cracks in your home’s exterior using a caulking gun or liquid cement.
- Make sure your trash cans are all equipped with tight-fitting lids.
- Invest in professional pest control.
If your home needs cockroach protection and elimination, look to the professionals here at Admiral Pest Control. Join our family of satisfied customers today and let us put in place long-lasting solutions to ensure your home remains cockroach-free year-round.
