Sep 27, 2022 | Pest Control
It’s never ideal to encounter cockroaches in your home. If you do, it’s best to know what types of cockroaches you’re dealing with to help determine the best way to eliminate them. Failing to remove these pests can lead to unpleasant outcomes, like allergies, that can potentially increase your chances of getting asthma.
We have broken down the three most common cockroaches found in the south and how to keep them away; let’s check it out!
American Cockroach
This large out-of-the-house infesting roach can get up to 1.5 inches in length. These roaches develop wings towards the end of their life cycle, with males having some longer than their bodies. You can usually identify them by the yellow band located behind their head.
The American cockroach can typically be found where food is abundant. They also prefer drains that aren’t used as often. In the wild, they prefer dark or damp wood piles.
German Cockroach
One of the most common species found worldwide, the German cockroach is generally light to dark brown and has two stripes near the back of its head. This species does have wings. They prefer dark, moist places. Since they don’t do well in the cold, they thrive in the southern climate.
Brown-Banded Cockroach
This species first entered the U.S. in 1903 and is now found nationwide. The brown-banded cockroach got its name from the two light brown bands that appear across its wings. They prefer warmer, drier, and higher locations in a room and can be found mostly in cabinets and behind picture frames. This species will typically hide its egg cases in or underneath furniture.
Prevention Tips
- Focus on the Kitchen: Clean up any spills or crumbs immediately and take out the trash regularly.
- Declutter: Remove old newspapers, utilize plastic containers over cardboard, and make sure clothing isn’t piled on the floor.
- Limit Moisture: Roaches need water to survive. Be sure to fix dripping faucets and leaky pipes. If you have a basement, employ a dehumidifier to take care of any moisture. Also, consider getting your crawlspace enclosed to ensure no moisture is found.
While prevention can help keep cockroaches away, sometimes it’s best to get a professional involved. A local pest control company will be able to inspect your home and provide you with the best treatment and prevention plan going forward.
Sep 22, 2022 | Pest Control
Oriental cockroaches are one of the larger species of roaches. Despite their name, they are thought to have originated in Africa. They are also known as waterbugs (because of their habitats) and black beetle cockroaches (because of their appearance). Like any other roach species, these cockroaches can spread diseases to humans, contaminate surfaces in your home, and trigger allergies and asthma.
Although they are active year-round, oriental roaches are more prevalent in the warmer months. They are often found crawling around toilets, pipes, and sinks. In fact, once indoors they are known to live in rarely used sink drains, garbage disposals, under cabinets with plumbing, and in bathroom voids. Outdoors they are found in flower beds, under mulch, in woodpiles, or anywhere there is moisture. They get into your home under doors, gaps in siding, through pipes, sewers, and drains.
Oriental cockroaches are smooth and shiny black in appearance. They grow to about 1″ in length. Males are smaller than females and have wings. Females are much larger with no wings. Although the males have wings, they are unable to fly.
Once you’ve identified the oriental cockroach, the next question is why are they in your house? Oriental cockroaches are attracted to moisture; in fact, they depend on it for survival. If you’re seeing oriental cockroaches, odds are you have excessive moisture somewhere in your home. This could be a leaky pipe or faucet, leaky roof, moisture-laden crawlspace, clogged gutters, standing water in your yard, overpopulated flowerbeds that hold moisture, etc.
To get rid of these pests, check out these oriental cockroach prevention tips:
- Vacuum often and sweep up crumbs.
- Keep kitchens and bathrooms clean.
- Use a dehumidifier, especially in crawlspaces, to help control moisture.
- Seal entry points with a silicone-based caulk.
- Consider crawlspace enclosure.
- Eliminate standing water on your property.
- Divert water away from foundations with downspouts and splash blocks.
- Keep gutters clean or consider installing gutter guards.
- Repair any leaks immediately.
If you have a problem with oriental cockroaches or other pests, contact your local pest control company for a thorough evaluation.
Aug 16, 2022 | Pest Control
American cockroaches are a major household pest. Also known as water bugs and palmetto bugs, these pests are the largest of the cockroaches that infest homes. American cockroaches will make their way indoors in search of food and water. Their diet consists of leaves, wood particles, algae, fungi, small insects, food scraps, crumbs, and pet food. They can spread diseases and contaminate any surfaces they touch. They are also known to cause allergies and trigger asthma. These roaches will pick up germs on their legs and spread them to any surfaces they touch. They are known carriers of pathogens that cause diarrhea, cholera, leprosy, dysentery, plague, typhoid fever, and several viruses like poliomyelitis.
The first step in cockroach prevention is identifying the type of cockroach you are dealing with. Once that is determined, you can implement our favorite prevention tips to keep them from infesting your home.
Identification
American roaches are reddish-in color with a yellow band on the back of their heads. They range in size from 1-1/4″ to 2-1/8″ long, with some even reaching lengths of 3″. They have oval shaped bodies with 6 legs and a set of antennae. Despite their name, these cockroaches are found worldwide. Males and females both have wings and they can fly short distances. They can bite, but they rarely do. They normally live outdoors but will come inside looking for food and water. Outdoors they are commonly found in flower beds, trees, and under rocks. They are also commonly found in sewer systems. Inside the home they can be found in laundry rooms, kitchens, bathrooms, basements, and crawlspaces.
Signs of an Infestation
Learning how to spot signs of an roach infestation is critical to getting it under control. The most common sign is seeing the presence of cockroaches in your home. They will often flee to dark spaces when they’ve been discovered. They also leave behind droppings in the areas where they inhabit. These droppings have blunt ends and ridges on the sides and are often mistaken for mouse droppings. American cockroaches will also leave egg capsules behind. These are dark colored, about 8 mm long, and are often glued to surfaces near food sources. Finally, roaches emit a pheromone that gives off a musty odor. Smelling this in your home is another indication there is a cockroach infestation inside.
Prevention
American roaches are highly resilient pests. They have evolved several adaptations over time that give them survival skills that make them difficult to eradicate. They can even survive up to a week without their heads! You can prevent cockroaches by:
- Inspecting your home to identify openings they can use to get into your home.
- Look for cracks in walls, gaps around electrical sockets, and bathroom and sink drains.
- Seal these openings with silicone-based caulk.
- Seal around doors and windows with weatherstripping.
- Keeping your home clean and sanitary.
- Keep counters sinks, floors, and tables clean and crumb-free.
- Clean up any spills immediately.
- Don’t leave dirty dishes in the sink, especially overnight.
- Store food in airtight containers.
- Don’t leave pet food out overnight.
- Vacuum at least once per week.
- Ventilate crawlspaces to prevent moisture.
- Run water periodically in bathrooms to keep u-traps full.
If you have a problem with roaches in your home, contact your local pest control company who can identify what kind of roaches you have, how they are getting in, and the best treatment and ongoing prevention plan for your home.
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Aug 9, 2022 | Florida Pest Control
Pompano Beach Pest Control: Roach Prevention Tips
Cockroaches are sneaky pests, infesting our kitchens, bathrooms, crawl spaces, and more! These household pests are highly adaptable and can live in a variety of conditions, but their populations swell and thrive in the summertime. In Pompano Beach, our temperatures are warm practically year-round, making it highly likely to see roaches roaming around looking for a food source. Check out our top do-it-yourself roach prevention tips to keep them from taking over your home.
Keep Your Kitchen Clean
The main reason roaches enter homes is to search for water and food. By eliminating these sources for them, you lessen the chance that you will come across these pests in your kitchen! After each meal, clean up your kitchen as much as possible. Don’t leave your dirty dishes in the sink overnight; instead, wash and put them away after each meal. If there are crumbs leftover, clean them from all surfaces and floors. Don’t forget to wipe grease from your stovetop and other appliances after cooking too. Take out your garbage before going to bed, placing it in cans with tight-fitting lids.
Seal Your Home
Roaches are small, fitting into the smallest hole or gap to access your home. If you can see daylight around a door or window, roaches can use it to enter. Make it a habit to check around your windows, doors, foundation, roof, attic, and even crawlspace vents for holes or gaps. Seal any openings you find with caulk or utilize steel wool or foam for larger holes.
Remove Moisture
Roaches need water to survive, seeking it out in our basements and bathrooms. Any leak or plumbing issue allows these pests to infest. Check the inside of your home for leaky faucets, sinks, refrigerators, or other appliances and repair them immediately. Crawlspaces are known to produce excessive moisture, attracting roaches, termites, and rodents. Consider enclosing your crawlspace to help reduce moisture and keep these pests away.
If you’ve exhausted your DIY roach prevention measures and are still seeing these pests, contact your local Pompano Beach pest control company for help. These professionals will provide you with a thorough inspection, identify points of entry, and provide the most up-to-date treatment and prevention options.
Jul 13, 2022 | Pest Control
Cockroaches are common household pests that are found worldwide. While they don’t bite or cause structural damage to homes, they can be harmful to your health by contaminating food and other surfaces and triggering allergies and asthma in those affected. Roaches can get into the cleanest of homes in their quest for food, water, and shelter which they need to survive. Once inside, roaches will seek out warmth, moisture, and darkness, often being found in kitchens and bathrooms.
How do they get inside? Roaches have become very resourceful when it comes to getting into places. They can crawl through small holes or cracks in the exterior of buildings, flattening themselves into the smallest spaces. They will also squeeze through openings around doors and windows or sneak through when they’ve been left open too long. They will hitch a ride (or even lay their eggs) on bags, luggage, backpacks, used furniture, used appliances, packages, and even groceries that you bring unknowingly into your home. They can also come in through pipes or other holes in walls (especially shared walls like those in apartments).
If you have the makings of a cockroach infestation, try some of these cockroach prevention tips to help get them under control.
- Find the entry points. The first step is to identify where and how they are getting in. If you’re only noticing them in one room (e.g. the kitchen), it’s likely that’s where they’re making their way inside. You can put out sticky roach traps; the traps with the heaviest traffic are most likely closer to the nest and closer to where they are getting in. Seal any cracks or crevices you find with flexible caulk. Use weatherstripping on doors and windows. Carefully inspect any items before bringing them into your home.
- Clean up food sources. Roaches will use clutter (especially areas that aren’t disturbed often) to hide out during the day before they forage for food at night. They also especially like to feed on items that contain glue (magazines, books, cardboard, etc.). Clean out piles of old newspapers and magazines, cardboard boxes, paper bags, and any other areas of clutter in your home. Take bread, fruit, and veggies off your countertops and store them in airtight containers. Make sure any open boxes or bags are secured. Clean your stove thoroughly, including the eyes and inside the range top and oven. Clean your microwave and other appliances. Sweep and vacuum behind larger appliances and get rid of any food stuck in the bottom of the dishwasher. Don’t leave dirty dishes in the sink overnight. Sweep after cooking and take the trash out regularly.
- Check for water sources. Roaches need water to survive. Check your home for water sources and keep them dry, such as plants, the drip plate under your refrigerator, and condensation around pipes. Check for leaky faucets and repair them immediately. Place stoppers over your drains at night. Cover faucet spouts with screens.
- Call the professionals. Cockroaches are extremely resilient and an infestation can grow seemingly overnight. If you have a problem with cockroaches or any other pests, contact your local pest control company for an evaluation and appropriate treatment plan.
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