A COMPLETE GUIDE TO PROTECT YOURSELF FROM COCKROACHES
Cockroaches are one of the common insect pests found in almost all regions of the world. Cockroaches are resourceful insects that can live, breed, and eat in your house without you even knowing it. Although they do not bite, they can cause health problems like allergy and asthma symptoms from breathing in cockroach skin and waste in some people.
What are cockroaches?
Cockroaches belong to the order Blattodea, a group of insects that also includes termites. The name cockroach came from the Spanish word “Cucaracha,” which was changed into cockroaches in the 1620s by English folk etymology. The scientific name was derived from the Latin word “Blatta,” which means “an insect that shuns the light.”
Around 4600 species of cockroaches are recognized, out of which 30 species are associated with human habitats. They are social insects that are known to live in a group with other cockroaches. They like to live in moist places, with easy access to food and protective locations to hide.
Cockroaches are capable of tolerating a wide range of climates. They can easily survive in Artic cold as well as in the sweltering heat of the tropical region. Tropical cockroaches are much larger than the other temperature species.
Morphology of cockroaches
Most of the species of cockroaches are reddish-brown to dark brown and have a small head and a broad, flattened body. Morphologically they have larger compound eyes, two ocelli (simple eyes), and one to two long, flexible antennae.
The mouthpart is present on the underside of the head, which has a chewing mandible, salivary glands, and receptors for touch and taste.
The body of the cockroach is divided into two parts: a three-segmented thorax and a ten-segmented thorax. The wings are attached to the second and third segments of the thoracic region. The first pair of wings is tough, protective, and lay like a shield on top of the other membranous wings known as hind wings which are used in flight.
The external surface has a tough exoskeleton that contains calcium carbonate. The exoskeleton is coated with wax that repels water and protects the inner organ, and provides a site of attachment to the muscle.
Cockroaches are unpleasant and unsanitary. If you think your house or office has gotten infested with cockroaches, don’t panic. Having cockroaches at your place doesn’t always mean that your place isn’t clean. Cockroaches love to live in well moist and places where they can get abundant food, and these places are usually not that hard for them to find.
Getting rid of cockroaches can be challenging and tricky, but it is not something impossible. With the right strategy and suitable chemicals, you can easily kill these scary little monsters.
Types of cockroaches
Cockroaches have different types, and each type of cockroaches requires different methods to be killed.
Brown-Banded Cockroach
Madagascar Cockroach
Oriental Cockroach
Smoky-Brown Cockroach
The two most common types which usually infest your homes are German and American cockroach.
Therefore, our website will focus on these two types of roaches.
German Cockroach
American Cockroach
American roach
The American roaches are about 1.5 ” or longer and reddish-brown. These are also known as water bugs or palmetto bugs. These are not known to spread diseases like the German roach.
Habitat and Entry
The American roaches are usually found in warmer climates or during the spring, summer, and fall months. They mostly live and breed outside and come into your house or offices for water, food, and in extreme weather conditions, like heavy rain or drought. They love to live outside in organic mulch material. Their most common hideouts are in basements, woodpiles, attics, hollow trees, under roof shingles. They are abundantly found in steam tunnels in the northern states of the USA.
They breed outside due to excessive moisture. But they can also reproduce inside if they can’t find suitable conditions. If you see the American roach population behind a wall, it means that there is a water leak in your wall causing a moist environment, favoring the breeding of the cockroaches.
Health hazards of American roaches
Since American roaches move from sewers into homes or commercial establishments, they can carry bacteria, viruses, and parasites on their bodies. They can cause diseases like dysentery, diarrhea, and salmonella. They aren’t as dangerous as the German roaches because they usually live and breed outside.
German roach
They are about 1/2″-1″ in the adult and have a light golden brown color. The German roaches have two distinctive bands behind their heads. The German roaches are the most difficult to control. They breed and live in places that have water or food, such as kitchens and bathrooms. Their most favorite places to live are the places behind and under sinks, stoves, and refrigerators. Look for these roaches in floor drains in commercial kitchens. They are nocturnal and live in dark places. You can easily spot these scary little monsters when you enter a kitchen or bathroom and turn on the light.
Habitat and Entry
German roaches live and breed inside. They can live all season long since they are in a warm, comfortable environment of your house and office. German cockroaches are brought inside your home or offices through luggage, furniture, handbags, or boxes from an infested location.
Health hazards of the small-sized roaches
German cockroaches and Brown-banded cockroaches are dangerous to your health. They carry different kinds of bacteria and can transmit them to humans. They cause diseases like gastroenteritis, food poisoning, dysentery, and diarrhea. The feces, body parts, or salvia of German roaches can trigger asthma and allergies in sensitive people.
Some interesting facts about cockroaches
Before we get into the methods for eliminating cockroaches, let’s go over a few cockroach facts, some of them might be interesting or even shocking for most people.
1- Cockroaches are stronger than you think
Cockroaches are really strong, so strong that they do not need their head for survival. Yes, they can live for almost up to one week without their head. This is because their body segments have small holes from which they can breathe. Cockroaches can even survive underwater water for about 40 minutes. In fact, they often hold their breath to control the water loss.
2- Cockroaches can live without food for a month
Cockroaches can live without eating anything for one month. But they cannot live without water; that’s why they look for moist and humid places to live.
3- Cockroaches are fast
Cockroaches might look smaller, but they can run up to three miles an hour. Not only adult cockroaches can fat, but newborn cockroach can run as fast as their parents. This means that they can infest and transmit disease around your house quickly.
4- Cockroaches grow into adults quickly
A newborn German cockroach can grow into an adult in just a month. The German cockroaches are the most common type of species to be found in human habitat and are responsible for outbreaks of illness, and allergic reactions in many people make it kind of scary.
5- Cockroaches are attracted to alcohol
Like many other pests, cockroaches have shown attraction to alcoholic beverages, like beer. This can be due to the hops and sugar present in these beverages.
6- The size of the worlds largest cockroach
The size of the world’s largest cockroach is six inches long. The good news is that this species of cockroach is only found in South America.
7- Cockroaches are as old as dinosaurs
You might not believe it, but cockroaches are originated more than 280 million years ago, making them as old as a dinosaur.
Signs of Cockroaches
Cockroaches leave multiple signs of their presence when they have infested the home or office,. They leave around equal waste on the floor as they eat. Some of the common signs that cockroaches have entered into your place include:
- Droppings
- Bad Smells
- Egg Shells
- Old Skins
- Cockroach Infestations
When signs like droppings, bad smells, and eggshells are clear, a cockroach infestation is likely to follow. Check rooms such as the bathroom, kitchens, and laundry room for cockroaches, as these are some of the favorite places of the cockroaches to reside because of all the moisture.
Common cockroach Behaviors to observe
Cockroaches are social insects, and they live in the form of groups. They love to live and breed in moist, dark, and safe places where they reach a constant food source.
By knowing about some common behaviors of cockroaches, you can easily find them and choose the right plan to eliminate them. Common behaviors of cockroaches you should know about are:
What Do Cockroaches Eat?
Cockroaches are one of the oldest living omnivores that east bot plant and animals. Cockroaches are much of a picky eater. They can feast on any organic substance they found without any problem. They eat common household foods like meat, fruits, veggies, and bread. While some cockroaches also have some unique taste and love to eat eyelashes, makeup, any decaying matter, including your household waste.
Cockroaches’ Environment
Cockroaches are the nocturnal bug. They live in dark places and come out at night to scavenge food. If your house is infested with cockroaches, you can easily find in and around pipes, sinks, bathtubs, or drains. Places that have warm temperatures and easy access to food and moisture are ideal places to live for the cockroaches.
Where Do Cockroaches Live?
Cockroaches are present in all parts of the world. They can survive extremely cold to scorching temperatures easily. With tiny and flatten bodies, cockroaches can live and thrive even in tiny places. In a home, their favorite hideouts are the under areas of refrigerators and stoves, drains, in sinks, even inside machinery motors.
If you see one cockroach in your house or office, there are good chances that your home or office is infested with them. Due to their dirty habits and ability to transmit disease, cockroaches aren’t some bugs whose existence you can ignore.
Inspection for German roaches
During your inspection, see the size of the cockroaches. Are they small in size (an inch or less)? Do they rush over and hide when you turn on your light? This kind of behavior is often shown by German cockroaches.
Another simple and easy way to inspect German cockroaches is to observe their feces. They leave a fecal material that looks like black pepper.
Places to inspect
- Cracks and crevices
- Behind all appliances in the kitchen
- Cabinets
- Bathrooms
- Switch boxes and electrical outlets
Do a thorough inspection, and if you find any fecal material droppings, remove them as they can be the cause of serious health problems like asthma and allergies. You can use a vacuum cleaner to pull up these droppings when you find them while inspecting.
Inspection for American roaches
If the size of the cockroaches are large and they are mostly found outside like your yard etc. and can be seen inside, occasionally like in bad weather conditions. Then your home is infested with American roaches.
You can also inspect the feces of these roaches. They leave cylinder shape droppings with brown or black ridges. If the droppings you found are small cylinder shapes and have no ridges, it may be mice droppings.
Places to Inspect
- Under shingles and in gutters
- Mulched areas
- Flower beds
- Common wet areas outside
- Cracks and crevices
Do a thorough inspection, and if you find any fecal material droppings, remove them as they can be the cause of serious health problems like asthma and allergies. You can use a vacuum cleaner to pull up these droppings when you find them while inspecting.
Sanitation
The next step after you have determined what type of cockroach you are dealing with is to start sanitation. The first step in sanitation is to eliminate all the sources and places that provide favorable living conditions to the cockroaches.
Cockroach Pest Control
Cockroaches can transmit various bacterial and viral diseases and are indictors of unsanitary conditions. If cockroaches have penetrated your home or office, you must take all the important steps to quickly eliminate them form you place because they grow fast, and take enough precautionary measure to prevent the infestation in future. Some common methods you can use to remove and kill the cockroaches are:
- Cleaning
- Traps
- Baits
- Pesticides
Once you are done killing the cockroaches, you have to make sure that they never come back. For this, you can take the following measures.
- Cleaning and decluttering your space.
- Sealing openings to your house and office
- Checking for plumbing leaks and fix them
- Removing exposed food
- Using cockroach repellents
Ways to get rid of German roaches
These cockroaches breed onside and transmit diseases and contaminate their environment. You will need roach baits and insect growth regulators for the primary treatment of the small-type cockroaches. Using Roach baits and using growth regulators in combined kits is an effective way to kill the small cockroaches.
Sanitation and Exclusion
For the german roaches type, you must do a thorough cleaning of your house before initiating a roach baiting program, the cleaning including some deep cleaning in the kitchen and bathroom. Clean all the crumbs and grease in your kitchen, unclean shower tubs, sinks and, bathroom countertops in the bathrooms. If your house isn't clean enough, getting rid of cockroaches will be more difficult. While cleaning, pay special attention to the following things:
- Keep the dishes, kitchen sinks, counters, and cabinets clean
- Clean the pet food from the floor.
- Clean grease and food particles by cleaning and vacuumin Do not leave any food out in the open, and seal all food containers.
- Remove indoor trash regularly.
- Get rid of all the cardboard boxes, empty soda bottles, and stored paper bags.
Ways to get rid of American roaches
For preventing and removing these large-type roaches, spraying a residual insecticide and using granular baits are the best options. They are easier to kill than the smaller German-type cockroaches.
Sanitation and Exclusion
Sanitation and exclusion techniques are the most important and easiest ways to get rid of the roaches. All cockroaches need a constant food supply, water, and a safe, dark place to live. If you remove all such places in your house and office, cockroaches will never penetrate your place. Keep the following things in mind while cleaning:
- Remove trash regularly and clean your kitchen
- Keep dumpsters clean and cove garbage cans with a tight lid
- Keep gutters clean
- Move stored firewood away from the house
- Keep dishes clean
- Seal cracks and crevices to the outside on the ground level.
- Inspect window and door frames for gaps and seal them.
Some home remedies to kill the cockroaches
1) Soap, Detergent, and Fabric Softener
It is a handy and cheap way to kill the roaches. Mix the shampoo, dish soap, or fabric softener, whatever easily available, with water in a spray bottle and spray it onto a large cockroach.
2) Borax and Sugar
Borax works as poison to roaches when they ingest them. The best and foolproof way is to mix borax with some sugar and sprinkle it on the peanut butter to make small dollops. Place this mixture in your cupboards, and behind appliances, cockroaches will be attracted to the sugar will be killed in a night.
3) Baking Soda
This easy-to-find, cheap kitchen staple makes a deadly recipe for giant cockroaches. You will need some diced onion, fruit peel, or some sugar mixed with baking soda. Place the mixture on a paper plate and leave it overnight on your kitchen and bathroom floor. It will act as bait for roaches and attract them to death.
4) Duct Tape Trap
It is one of the simplest ways to catch cockroaches. Though you can catch only 2 to 3 at a time if you place a dozen of duct tap patches with the sticky side up on your floor at night with some bait top on it. You can easily catch and kill many cockroaches in a single night.
5) Glass Jar Trap
This method requires some setup, but it is one of the effective and reusable ways to catch and kill roaches. To make a glass jar trap, you will need a simple glass jar, petroleum jelly, and a piece of bait. Place the bait in the centre and then cover the inside of glass competly with the petroleum jelly.
Leave it overnight, in to you kitchen or bathroom, this will attract cockroaches. Next morning empty the jar into a bag and immediately dispose it outside,