Cockroaches
Latin: Order Blattodea
Common Locations:
Cracks, behind furniture or kitchen appliances, and other dark, moist places.
How can I identify a cockroach?
Cockroaches are commonly sized up to 2in (50mm) in length with flat oval shaped bodies. They have 6 spiny legs and two upright antennae. Some species of cockroaches may have wings, however most do not use them to fly as they are not skilled flyers. The American Cockroach is a reddish brown color and is measured typically at 40 mm.
Cockroach eggs are encased with what is called oothecae which is oval shaped and dark brown.
There are commonly five types of cockroaches that appear in central California:
Brown-banded cockroach
Oriental cockroach
American cockroach
Turkestan cockroach
German cockroach
How did I get cockroaches?
Cockroaches are tricky pests and enter your home in many different ways. Your home offers protection from the elements and provides food and water year round making it the ideal homeground for them.
Some enter because they are attracted by lights inside the home and enter via cracks in the home’s exterior. Others may enter through the drain or sewer pipes. We might even accidentally let them in on our boxes, bags or pets.
The diet of a cockroach is omnivorous. They will consume any organic food that is available to them in their environment. This can range from meat to books or decaying wood. In your home they will likely be attracted to food crumbs and food items left around.
Are cockroaches hard to get rid of?
Cockroaches tend to hide in many places around the house. They will often hide in cracks, behind furniture or kitchen appliances, and prefer dark, moist places to hide. Due to their high reproductive potential, infestations can arise even after cockroaches are thought to be gone. Their high resiliency and adaptability can lead to a resistance to over the counter pesticides and repellent.
It is important to be diligent and work on getting them out of your home. They can introduce E. Coli and Salmonella bacteria on surfaces and food, which produce highly unwanted health issues.
How can I prevent infestations?
It is important to keep clean floors and surfaces in your household if you are worried about cockroaches. This deters them from a safe environment that allows them to live year round.
Know that many over the counter insecticides are often ineffective at combating every cockroach. If you see one or two on a counter, this may be a sign that there are many more hiding where you can’t find them.
Cockroaches are nocturnal, and it is unlikely you should see one during the day. If you do this might mean they were forced out of their environment and is a sign you may have an infestation.
Keep an eye out for feces. Smaller roaches produce droppings that resemble closely to pepper, while larger ones have more cylindrical droppings.
