A cockroach infestation is the last thing anyone would want in their homes. Besides the creepy sound they make while moving across the walls, floors, and other surfaces, they can cause significant damage to your home as well as humans if not appropriately controlled.
How so? They contaminate surfaces and food, transmit diseases, destroy paper and fabric, leave foul odors and cause allergies.
Seeing these adapting insects running down your pipe hole, crawling on your skin, or resting in your kitchen cabinets or refrigerator is disgusting. Although they love dark, hidden spaces, they can come out during the day if their population is too high.
What Are Cockroaches?
Cockroaches are common pests that have been around humans since the beginning of time. They are referred to as pests due to their awful smell and filthy habits. If you haven’t seen these insects in your home, you probably have hear someone who’s had issues with them at some point. At night, they dash across trash cans, kitchens, food stores, sewers, and drains in search of food.
Pest cockroaches have a flattened body and two pairs of wings. Although most species don’t fly, they move very fast. Some are light brown, while others are black. Cockroaches’ length varies between 2mm to more than 80mm.
While there are more than 3500 cockroach species, only a few live within homes and other buildings. The typical home species include;
• American cockroach
• Australian cockroach
• Brown-banded cockroach
• German cockroach
• Oriental cockroach
Cockroaches feature three life cycle stages; egg, nymph, and adult. The female deposit and carry the eggs in a bean-shaped, leathery capsule known as ootheca. Some species like the German cockroach have an ootheca attached to the back of their body for several weeks. Ootheca looks different, and you can use them to determine the species in your home.
Cockroach eggs hatch within one to three months, depending on the humidity, temperature, and species.
How Do Cockroaches Behave?
Pest cockroaches are tropical in origin; however, they occupy homes and other buildings where they can access adequate food, moisture, and warmth in temperate zones.
Usually, these insects live in groups. In most cases, you will see them at night; they hide in crevices and cracks of your furniture, doors, and walls during the day. Don’t be surprised to find some in your cupboards, bathrooms, and electrical devices like radios and televisions.
When you turn on the lights in your kitchen at night, you see the cockroaches running from utensils, dishes, the floor, and other surfaces towards their hiding spaces.
What Do Cockroaches Eat?
Cockroaches consume a variety of stuff, including the food that humans eat. But their favorite is sugary and starchy meals. They can feed on meat, cheese, chocolate, sugar grain products, and pastry.
Additionally, cockroaches consume ceiling boards with starch, shoe sole, cardboard, paper, dry and fresh blood, dead cockroaches, cast-off skins, human toenails, and fingernails.
How Do Cockroaches Migrate?
Overcrowding is the main reason why most species move into new areas. They either fly or crawl. Cockroaches can enter your home via bags of food or boxes carrying bottled drinks that were initially stored in pest-infested rooms.
Long-distance migration of cockroaches can occur via vehicles, ships, and airplanes.
How Do Cockroaches Affect Homes and Humans?
Disease – While minimal scientific evidence links these pests to specific diseases, their bodies spread bacteria and germs. They move from one building to another and spend time in latrines, gardens, and sewers.
Unfortunately, cockroaches carry all that dirt and deposit it on your sinks, food preparation surfaces, dishes, uncovered food, and inside your microwave. One cockroach can spread salmonella or E. coli through cross-contaminating your room surfaces.
Cockroaches circulate certain diseases through saliva, vomit, and droppings. In a nutshell, everything that a cockroach touches is potentially contagious.
Cockroaches are carriers of bacteria and organisms that cause diseases like;
• Typhoid fever
• Diarrhea
• Leprosy
• Viral Poliomyelitis
• Dysentery
• Cholera
• Plague
They also spread eggs of certain parasitic worms that cause allergic reactions. The allergies include itching, dermatitis, swollen eyelids, and asthma.
Invading Body Parts – Although rare, cockroaches can invade your body; the tiny pests can enter your nose or ear when you are in a deep sleep.
Cockroach Bites – In extreme infestations, and when food is limited, some species bite human fingers, soft skin, and toes. They can also scratch your delicate skin and infect the wounds. However, cockroach bites are rare.
Food Contamination – Cockroaches eat most of the foods that humans consume. They contaminate uncovered food by dropping dead skin, hair, and eggshells while moving around at night.
Nuisance – In addition to ruining food and spreading filth, cockroaches also excrete a nasty secretion from their mouth and glands. The nauseous secretion leaves a long-lasting, foul smell to food and surfaces visited by the pests.
How Do You Manage and Prevent Cockroach Infestations?
Hygiene – The key to cockroach control is proper hygiene and cleanliness. However, this method might not be completely effective if your home has kids and domestic animals.
Store your food in covered containers and place them in screened refrigerators and cabinets. Clean all rooms thoroughly, especially your kitchen; don’t leave any food particles or organic matter on surfaces. And, of course, cover and empty your trash bins daily.
Reduce Accessibility and Eliminate Habitat – Before you take stuff like laundry, furniture, storage boxes, crates, and groceries to your house, inspect them.
Pests can migrate from adjacent quarters; close the gaps on your door frames and windows. Also, fix sewer pipes, electricity cables, and water pipes.
Seal all the cracks inside your home, especially in dark areas like building cracks and kitchen cupboards. Eliminate moisture by increasing ventilation in places where cockroaches hide.
Avista is here to help!
If you come across one cockroach in your home, it’s a sign that there are several others nearby. Contact Avista Pest Control today for consultation and solutions. We use a blend of innovative products and pest control techniques to ensure that your home and family are protected.