Have you ever been bitten by a cockroach? Has a roach ever attacked you? Do you know anyone who was a victim of a bad cockroach sting? Do you know the difference between an American cockroach and a German cockroach, or even an Oriental cockroach? More than likely, you answered no to all of those questions. So why are roaches so terrifying? As we investigate this question a little bit further, you’ll find that the more you know about cockroaches, the more you’ll want to keep them out of your house, even more than you want to now!
Cockroaches In Auburn
Auburn doesn’t just have a cockroach problem. We have three. As Auburn homeowners, we probably just see a roach, or what we think was a roach, and we run away, or maybe the roach runs away first, who knows? Every encounter is terrifying, even if it's with Alabama’s smallest local roach: the German cockroach. Just 4 to 7 centimeters long, these tiny, tan pests are powerful in numbers. Plus, they can sneak in and out of places where most pests can’t, giving them access to some of their favorite things, crumbs, trash, or stored food.
On the other side of the spectrum, Auburn homeowners also have to contend with the robust American cockroach, which is the largest cockroach species on our continent. These large brown pests can be up to 1 1/2 inches in length, making them an intimidating presence to have in your home.
Similarly, our third scourge is the Oriental cockroach, which measures 1 1/4 inches at the most and is also a brown or dark red color, similar to the American cockroach. The biggest difference is the shiny outer coating that gives the Oriental cockroach a sort of suit-of-armor look to it.
Whether it’s German, American, or Oriental cockroaches that are plaguing your home, you don’t want to let these pests hang around for very long. While you might not realize how dangerous they are, your body is right to have a natural aversion to them. You see, most roaches don’t spend a lot of time in houses because they’re much more interested in much nastier habitats-places like the dump, a landfill, or even the sewer. Since they spend most of their days in these bacteria-ridden environments, they’ll gather the bacteria on their bodies, making them highly dangerous disease spreaders. As they walk around your house looking for loose crumbs and food sources, they’ll spread harmful bacteria and pathogens all over your food preparation surfaces which can lead to salmonella, E.coli, and more.
Prevention: An Absolute Necessity
Since roaches spread diseases at such a high rate, it’s essential to keep them out of your home. Do-it-yourself pest control is hardly ever effective, but you might limit your chance of a cockroach infestation if you can do the following:
- Clean regularly. Leaving dishes in the sink overnight or crumbs lying around on the ground is a huge attraction for roaches. By vacuuming and doing the dishes regularly, you can greatly reduce their food supply.
- Store food and trash promptly and properly. Leaving food out on the kitchen counter overnight will almost always lead to roach activity. When you do put the food away, make sure it’s secured and sealed up tightly so that even the small ones can’t get to it.
- Identify entry points. Search for potential entry points where they can get in. This includes gaps under doors, cracks along the windowsills, and any small holes in screens.
- Control moisture problems. Roaches love dark, damp environments. If you have humidity in your crawl spaces and leaking pipes under the sink or basement, you’re sending an open invitation to all roaches.
While these practices can help reduce your chance of infestation, there’s only one guaranteed tip for precluding a roach infestation: contact the professionals at Prewett Pest Control for assistance. You need the experts to devise a pest protection program to protect your home and property every day from the invasion of roaches, prevention is the key. Call the pros today at Prewett Pest Control today!
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