What Can Cockroaches Do?

Unfortunately, no matter how hard we try to eliminate all cockroaches, they will always be around. They have gone through so much all throughout history for their species to give up by this time. Whatever it is that wiped out all dinosaurs, they survived it. They survived all changes to the climate, all wars, and the continuing assault from humans. They are one of the oldest existing creatures on earth and are still going strong.  

What Makes Their Kind So Strong?

Cockroaches are cold-blooded insects. They spend more than half of their lives resting. They do not need to eat every day; in fact, they can survive without food for one whole month. They also do not need to drink water every day. They can survive without water for one whole week. Try cutting off its head, and they would still survive for one week! They have tiny holes all over their bodies which they use for breathing without their heads. They die because they could not drink water and become dehydrated.    

They have this ability to squeeze through cracks and crevices which also contribute to their survival. When they sense danger, they can quickly squeeze through these cracks to stay out of danger.

It is also feared that cockroaches have already developed immunity to insecticides. The insecticide has always been our best defense against cockroaches. The same is true with cockroach baits, wherein cockroaches have also developed resistance. It is discovered that roaches can develop immunity within the same generation. There are others that also developed tolerance to insecticides just through getting in contact with the same type of insecticide.  

They also reproduce very quickly, with an adult female producing around a hundred offspring every year.

The Flight

We always see cockroaches crawling on the ground, on tables, near dishes, near food, or even crawling up the walls. But again, do roaches really fly? 

Several species of cockroaches have wings, including those that can be found inside our homes. They have fully developed wings when they reach adulthood. However, they are not very good flyers at all; they are not trained for that. That is why we rarely see them fly, which is a good thing. Just imagine the struggle for all of us humans whenever we see a couple of them flying every night. They simply use their quickness when faced with danger.

They do not jump even if they do have six legs.  

Description Of Cockroaches

There are around 4,600 species of cockroaches throughout the world. Cockroaches are nocturnal creatures. They are medium in size. They have flat bodies with long antennae attached to their heads and a tough external exoskeleton. They have wings that are attached to their second and third thoracic segments; and have three pairs of sturdy legs that are attached to their three thoracic segments. They live in - and love - filth, making them perhaps the dirtiest creatures on the planet. They eat virtually anything, as long as they can be chewed. They eat cooked food, fresh food, rotten food, animal and insect carcasses, fecal matter, garbage, and everything that is dirty. 

There are only 4 species that can be considered pests. Most of the cockroach species are helpful to the ecology since they are food to other beneficial creatures as well.

Below is the list of the harmful cockroaches that we all should be wary of:

Cockroaches Transmit Diseases

Due to their love for filth, we can safely say that cockroaches are truly gross. They love to be around the dirtiest places on earth. Because of this habit, they carry with them lots of bacteria and viruses, particularly in their legs.  

They are known to transmit diseases like typhoid fever, amoebiasis, cholera, shigellosis, allergies, and asthma. They are more than just nuisance pests. They transmit diseases by contaminating our food and water through their droppings, urine, saliva, vomit, or simply by just crawling on our food.  

Common Types Of Cockroaches In The United States

Thankfully, not all species of cockroaches are in the United States, though obviously what we have here is enough to give us so many problems.  Let us learn how to identify these cockroaches:

American Cockroach

This is the most common species of cockroaches that are found inside houses, and are also the largest among all common cockroaches. They originated from the Middle East and came here in America from the ships that crossed the seas centuries ago. They are 2 inches long and their bodies are oval in shape. They have well-developed wings, but as we mentioned earlier, they are clumsy flyers. Adult female cockroaches can have as many as 150 offspring per year. They hide in dark, wet places like sewers and pipes in homes and commercial buildings. 

German Cockroach

These German cockroaches are small cockroaches, about 1.1 to 1.5 inches long.  Despite their size, they are considered the most troublesome. These are the ones usually found in restaurants and hotels as they prefer sweet, fatty, and starchy foods. Their diet consists of meat, sugars, starch, fatty foods, glue, and even their own kind.  

Brown-Banded Cockroach

The brown-banded cockroach is slightly smaller but similar to the German cockroaches. They measure about 10 to 14 mm long, tan to light brown in color, and has two light-colored bands across the wings and abdomen.  The adult life span is about 200 days. They thrive in warm, dry places, and they hide their eggs under furniture, clothes, cracks on the floor, or wood.   

Oriental Cockroaches

The oriental cockroach is a large species of cockroach. The size of the adult male is 18 to 29 mm, while the female is about 20 to 27 mm. They are black or dark brown in color. It is said to be the filthiest of all cockroaches. They like to eat garbage and organic material. Oriental cockroaches are larger and darker compared to other cockroach species. They dwell in dirty, cooler places and create a strong smell. 

Management

Each and every one of us wants to get rid of these gross pests in our homes.  We know there is no place for cockroaches in our houses, lest our families would be always put in serious trouble.  Now that we have learned how to identify cockroaches, here are some tips on how to get rid of them: 

1. Seal off cracks, crevices, and holes around the house by caulking. Cockroaches are so thin that they can fit into small cracks and holes. They also like to hide in these cracks and crevices.  

2. Put your food in sealed containers so it would not be contaminated by cockroaches.  

3. Place a cover on your trash cans. This will lessen their food source.

4. Properly dispose of your garbage daily, if possible.  

5. Remove all clutter inside the house which they can use as hiding places. Do not keep old and useless boxes, cardboards, newspapers, or magazines around the house.

 Do not leave unwashed dishes and other kitchen utensils in the sink overnight.

This DIY is very effective in controlling cockroaches.  But when cockroaches have become so bad that you cannot exterminate them by yourself, then it is time to call in the expert in cockroach extermination in North Carolina, Go-Forth Pest Control.

Why Go-Forth Pest Control?

There is no cookie-cutter solution for these pests.  Each one has certain behaviors and characteristics. At Go-Forth Pest Control, we have professional technicians who will examine your home to evaluate your individual requirements.  We will identify points of entry and make treatments as necessary. We only use state of the art equipment to keep up with these ever-evolving pests. 

Go-Forth Pest Control is a family-owned pest control company that was established in 1959.  They have excellent experience in exterminating pests like cockroaches, mosquitoes, flies, rats, mice, weevils, moths, poisonous spiders, wasps, bed bugs, fleas, ticks, and many others.  They only use family-friendly and pet-friendly methods of extermination, so you can be assured of your family’s safety. You may check us on social media, or Google us to learn more about our products and services.