Cockroach Pest Control Company
Signs of Cockroaches
Cockroach egg casings
What Do Cockroach Eggs Look Like?
The American cockroach’s ootheca (egg cases), is dark brown in color and measures between 6-8mm in length. Females may create up to 90 oothecae in her lifetime. The female American cockroach carries the egg cases anywhere from hours to a few days before depositing them in a safe location. The egg cases contains around 14 embryos.
Cockroach droppings
Cockroach Droppings Appearance
Cockroach droppings from smaller or younger cockroaches resemble coffee grounds or black pepper. Larger or older roaches leave behind dark droppings with blunt ends with visible ridges down the sides.
Shedded Skin
Cockroaches shed their skin 5-8 times as they grow and go through lifecycle stages. You will likely see the skins of different sizes around your home if you think cockroaches are present.
Smear marks
As cockroaches crawl on walls, the leave a smear mark from their droppings. Their droppings will look similar to coffee grounds or black pepper.
Musty Smell
Cockroach droppings have a pheromone that will attract other cockroaches to the area. For humans, that smell is an unpleasant musty smell. The larger amount of cockroaches in the home, the smell will become stronger and more intense.
Rodent vs. Roach Feces
You can tell the difference between rodent and cockroach feces by looking at the ends of the droppings. Mice and rat droppings have pointed ends and cockroach droppings are blunt.
How to prevent cockroaches
Remove cockroach food sources
Vacuum early and often. Keep home free of crumbs that will attract pests.
Clean up places cockroaches live
Seal up ways they can enter your home
Seal the entrances. Close off cracks and holes around utility pipes that provide easy access to your home.
Ventilate- air out basements and crawl spaces to prevent moisture buildup.
Tips for moving to prevent cockroaches
Use packing material and boxes from a cockroach free place
While packing, look for any cockroaches, egg casings or droppings
If you find any cockroaches or egg casings, remove and destroy them
Store empty boxes out of the home in a place without cockroaches
If boxes will be in infested building overnight, keep them away from the walls and off the floors. Place boxes on chair or tables if available
If you need to store items in boxes long term and over the winter, store them in unheated areas such as a garage
Don’t keep boxes, newspapers and paper bags in your home
Once you have moved to the new home, watch for cockroach activity or egg cases that might have survived
Types of Cockroaches and Look-alike bugs
American Cockroach
German Cockroach
Brownbanded Cockroach
Palmetto Bug- Florida Woods Roach
Black Beetle Cockroach-Oriental Cockroach
American Cockroaches
Cockroaches have been reported to spread at least 33 kinds of bacteria, 6 kinds of parasitic worms and at least 7 other kinds of human pathogens. They can pick up germs on the spines of their legs and bodies as they crawl through decaying matter or sewage and cary these onto food or food surfaces.
American Cockroaches are often referred to as a “waterbug”. They are the largest of the house infesting cockroaches.
American Cockroaches:
can lay 10 or more oothecae (egg cases), each containing 14-16 eggs.
are more active when the temperature is above 70 degrees
are the most common species found in city sewer systems
German Cockroaches
In addition to being a nuisance, the German cockroach has been implicated in outbreaks of illness and allergic reactions in many people. Medical studies have shown that cockroach allergens cause allergic reactions in children and can exacerbate asthma attacks.
The German cockroach is the most common species of cockroach, found all over the world. German cockroaches prefer to live in cracks and crevices near food and moisture sources, hence their affinity for residential and commercial kitchen environments.
German Cockroaches:
can breed at a rate of up to six generations per year
will feed on almost anything, including soap, glue and toothpaste
can fit through an opening as small as 3/16 inch in width
they are good hitchhikers and often find their way into new structures via grocery bags, cardboard boxes, drink cartons and secondhand appliances
Brownbanded Cockroaches
Brownbanded cockroaches get their name from the two lighter bands they have across their dark brown bodies. Males have full wings, which reach beyond the tip of their pointed abdomens, but females have underdeveloped wings, much shorter than their broad, rounded abdomens.
Brownbanded cockroaches show a preference for drier locations and warmer areas over 80 degrees. They also tend to prefer higher locations than most cockroach species and are often found in upper cabinets in the kitchens and bathrooms. Brownbanded cockroaches often hide their egg cases in or under furniture and glue the oothecae (egg cases) to surfaces.
Brownbanded Cockroaches:
males can fly. Females can not
grow from egg to adult in about 161 days
live about 206 days
Palmetto bugs vs Cockroaches
The Florida Woods Cockroach is native to the southeastern United States, where it is often referred to as a palmetto bug. It can be found in structures near the home, such as storage areas, greenhouses or shelter boxes for other structures ie water pumps. It lacks effective flight wings and is slow moving, so it makes coming into a home usually only happen by the result of being transported indoors on another item, such as firewood. These pests have not been shown to commonly colonize inside homes.
Palmetto Bugs:
an adult is large in size, ranging from 1.20-1.60 inches long and up to 1 inch wide.
adult lifespan exceeds one year
eggs take approximately 48 days to hatch
feeds primarily on decomposing plant matter
Beetles vs Cockroaches
Oriental Cockroaches often called “black beetle cockroaches”
Can survive well outdoors and can be found under debris, leaves, stones and porches or in wall voids. Oriental cockroaches tend to hide in crawl spaces, basements and around utility pipes. The feed on all kinds of food, especially decaying organic matter and starchy foods.
Oriental Cockroaches:
are believed to be of North African origin, despite their name
can survive outdoors in freezing temperatures for long periods of time
are knows for their strong, unpleasant, “roachy” odor
Preparation
What should I do to prepare for Elite Pest & Termite Control to come out to treat my home for cockroaches? Here are some things to do to prepare for our visit:
- Clean out cabinets
- Declutter counter space
- Objects and obstructions should be moved and away from the baseboards (3-6 inches at least)
- Clean out behind and under refrigerator
- Clean out behind and under stove
- Clean out behind and under anything that can be moved in the kitchen
Life Cycle
Life cycle of cockroaches
The 3 stages of life for a cockroach are:
- Egg
- Nymph
- Adult
Adult female cockroaches egg cases that contain between 16-50 eggs. These are the shape and size of a kidney bean.
Cockroach Facts
A cockroach can live for a week without its head
Cockroaches have an open circulatory system and that gives them the ability to breathe through little holes in each of their body segments. They do not depend on their mouth to breathe. The reason the roach dies without a head is it can’t drink water and dies of thirst.
A cockroach can hold its breath for 40 minutes
Cockroaches can hold their breath and can even be submerged under water for 30+ minutes. These pests often hold their breath in order to help with their loss of water.
They can run up to 3 miles in an hour
Sounds impressive, but the fact is they are spreading germs and bacteria through homes and businesses at a quick rate!
Cockroaches can live without food for one month
Cockroaches are cold-blooded insects. This means they can go for a long period of time without sustenance. They can only survive for about a week without water though. This is why they are commonly found in high-moisture or humid places in the home, like crawl spaces, basements and bathrooms.