Oct 22, 2012 | Pest Control
The German cockroach is the most common species of cockroach and can be found all around the world. They are most often found in kitchens and bathrooms due to their preference for warm, humid places that are near food and water sources. But you won’t always see them out in the open because they like to live in the cracks and crevices around homes and commercial buildings. In fact, they spend 75% of their time in the cracks and crevices.
Environment of German cockroaches:
- Cosmopolitan in distribution and will live anywhere humans build heated structures
- Usually found in kitchens in secluded areas
- Behind and under appliances
- In cracks and crevices behind backsplashes
- At counter edges
- Behind and under cabinets
- In void areas around plumbing
- Backs of drawer wells
- Will infest warm areas around appliance motors such as refrigerators and dishwashers
Not only are German cockroaches a nuisance pest but they are also a health risk. Studies have shown that German cockroaches have been linked to illness and allergic reaction in humans, especially children. They can spread at least 33 kinds of bacteria, six parasitic worms, and at least seven other kinds of human pathogens. They pick up germs while crawling around and transfer them as they crawl on our food and surfaces. They spread allergens as they crawl, and deposit droppings, secretions, cast skins, and dead bodies.
Health threats of German cockroaches:
- Will invade your home and leave fecal matter and other debris in and around food and food preparation areas
- Can enter homes when boxes or products are shipped moved from one location to another
- Reproduces at a high rate, completing a life cycle in 30 to 45 days
- Produces 30-48 eggs at a time
- Can generate 3 to 4 egg cases in a lifetime
- Difficult to eradicate because they can infest so many areas and can be very difficult to contact with an insecticide
Contact a professional pest control company if you think German cockroaches have taken up residence in your home. Trained personnel know where to look for harborage sites and what products to apply to achieve fast and effective results. It is much easier to eliminate a German cockroach problem when it is newly established and small, rather than when the population has time to build.
May 18, 2012 | Pest Control
On Cinco de Mayo, we ran the billboard below:
"No More Cockroaches"
We thought the board was perfect for the occasion based on the song “La Cucaracha” that became popular during the Mexican Revolution, but also because cockroaches are a major concern in homes across the South. Cockroaches can be found in a variety of locations and are a significant health risk due to their ability to transmit several known diseases. Roaches are heavily reliant on humans for their food and shelter so they are most often found indoors.
Along with diseases, roaches cause allergens in a home. Children and people over 60 have a higher increase of respiratory issues and can go into anaphylactic shock if an asthma attack should occur due to being exposed to the allergens. A clean home can deter cockroaches and other pests from invading your home.
General House Cleaning Tips:
- Sweep, mop, and vacuum regularly
- Wipe up spills and other messes as soon as possible
- Wipe down counters
- Keep upholstery and other linens clean
Common roaches found in Atlanta area homes are the American Cockroach, Brown-banded Cockroach, German Cockroach, and Oriental Cockroach. For more information on roaches, visit our Identify your Pest section of our website. Roaches infest in high numbers so it is best to call an exterminator to ensure that the infestation is taken care of quickly and effectively.
Feb 23, 2012 | Company News, Wildlife
Technician Tales
As you can imagine, there is never a dull moment in the pest control industry. It is our privilege to be able to help our customers keep their homes and businesses healthy and free of pests. Along the way, we get ourselves into some pretty interesting situations. Sometimes we get a good laugh about them around the different offices and thought that we would share our stories with our readers. Technician Tales will be stories from our ladies and gentlemen out in the field or in the office who have found themselves in some very interesting predicaments. For your enjoyment:
Technician Tales: There’s a boa in your refrigerator
Recently our representatives went on a call for a German cockroach infestation. The area was crawling (no pun intended) in cockroaches. There were roach droppings covering the floors, walls, and naturally, surrounding the refrigerator. As a team of technicians were treating and vacuuming up the roaches, one of the technicians had pulled back the refrigerator and was treating around the area. The technician was working his way around when he all the sudden jumped back and screamed, “SNAKE!!!!!!”. Everyone hurried to see what he was yelling about. When they looked at the bottom of the refrigerator, curled up at the bottom was a 4 foot long boa constrictor!!!! Our technicians went to find someone at the location to let them know what they had found only to be met with the response “We’ve been looking for him”!!
Now THAT was a technician tale that we just had to share.
