With 3500 species world-wide and 70 species in the US alone, it is unsurprising that the cockroach, specifically the German cockroach, is the most commonly encountered household pest. Fortunately, through the use of current control technology as well as an understanding of pest management, it is possible to have consistently high levels of cockroach control for most species and in most situations.
Typically living outdoors, cockroaches are mostly active at night, when they forage for food and water and search for mates. Seeing a cockroach during the day time is typically an indication of a heavy population or when a stressor is placed on the population, such as a lack of food or water, or exposure to pesticides or predators.
Being tropical and sob-tropical in origin, cockroaches typically prefer a moist and relatively warm environment. They are often encountered as scavengers on the remnants of human activity in structures and in unsanitary areas, such as garbage cans or piles, sewage systems or septic tanks.
The most common cockroach, the German cockroach, most often infests restaurants, food processing facilities, hotels, nursing homes, and other institutional facilities. You can identify a German cockroach by the two almost parallel stripes on their backs. While adult German cockroaches have wings, it is rare they fly as they prefer to run.
Preferring to live in warm, humid places that are close to sources of food and moisture, German cockroaches are typically found in residential and commercial kitchens and bathrooms. You are also likely to find cockroach droppings in areas they frequent. These may appear as small, dark, pepper-like material left on countertops and inside drawers. In more dense infestations, you may also find fecal staining, which presents as dark spots or smears in the corners of rooms, along the tops of doors, or around small cracks and openings into walls. In the most serious infestations, you might be able to detect the musty odor of the cockroaches.
To prevent cockroaches from infesting a home or business, you should maintain a clean kitchen by cleaning up crumbs, wiping spills, and vacuuming often, while avoiding piling dishes up in the sink. It is equally important to seal up all entrances into the building, especially around utility pipes, and to ventilate crawl spaces to prevent moisture from building up. If you find evidence of a German cockroach infestation in your home or business, you should contact your pest management professional so they can inspect your property and formulate a plan to manage the infestation.
If you think you have a problem with German cockroaches . . . or any pest. . . or simply have a question. . . call Faith Pest Control at 770-823-9202. We’ll be happy to speak with you any time.
Here’s to helping YOU live PEST FREE,
Erica
P.S. And be sure to ask about our FREE 58 Point Pest Analysis of your home or office!
