Every home is susceptible to occasional cockroaches, so how do you know if you need to take immediate action? San Diego County is home to four types of cockroaches. Luckily, two of them typically live outdoors — but that means the other two live indoors. So, how do you know which type you are seeing and the actions you should take to get rid of these pests?
Outdoor Cockroaches
The most common outdoor cockroaches are the Oriental and American. These pests typically won’t enter your home but can still cause problems on your property.
Oriental Cockroaches
Oriental cockroaches are shiny black or dark reddish-brown and 25-32mm long. They typically live beneath mulch, stones, or trash outdoors, as well as in water drains and sewers.
American Cockroaches
American cockroaches are approximately 50 mm in length and are a reddish-brown color. Adults have wings and can fly. Like the Oriental roaches, they typically live in damp areas such as under mulch and in sewers.
Indoor Cockroaches
It is more worrisome to see either the German Cockroach or Brown-banded Cockroach, as these types do typically live indoors. All cockroaches (outdoor types included) can carry diseases, spread germs, contaminate food, and damage household items. They are definitely unwanted guests in your home.
German Cockroaches
German cockroaches are light brown with two black stripes behind the head, and are 13 to 16 millimeters long. They have wings, but don’t fly too often. These common pests usually live in damp areas, such as kitchens and bathrooms. They often feed on crumbs and debris left on dirty dishes. German cockroaches are known for quick reproduction. They are also asthma and allergy triggers for some people. For these reasons, it is important to act fast when a German Cockroach infestation is suspected, and you may require professional help to rid your home of them most efficiently.
Brown-Banded Cockroaches
Brown-banded cockroaches are quite small, measuring between 11 and 15 millimeters in length. They have light brown bands on their wings or body. Unlike German cockroaches, brown-banded roaches prefer dry and warm places, such as kitchen cabinets, hall closets, electronic equipment, and clocks. These roaches can carry harmful bacteria that can cause health issues. They can also trigger allergies and asthma, just like the German cockroach. Therefore, it is important to eradicate these pests from your home if they are present.
Tips to Prevent and Exterminate Cockroaches
There are some things you can do to minimize your risk of a cockroach infestation. Seal cracks in walls and gaps under doors and around windows, clean up clutter, keep food in sealed containers, wash dirty dishes, and take garbage outside frequently.
Even with those precautionary measures, cockroaches can still find a way inside. In that case, there are some do it yourself treatments to help eliminate these pests. Roach sprays can kill a roach on contact. There are also insecticides that you can spray in bathrooms, kitchens, or other crevices. It is important to read the instructions and to keep children and pets away when you are spraying. You can also try dusting boric acid into crevices where roaches hide. The roaches can walk over it and then spread it to places where other roaches may live.
Store-bought baits and traps can also be used to kill cockroaches. However, these approaches can take a couple weeks to get rid of the infestation.
For persistent problems, it’s beneficial to hire professional help. At Adios Pest Control, we can properly identify the type of cockroach in your home, and implement the most effective strategy to rid your home of them. Get in touch with us today.