Cockroaches invade approximately 78 to 98 percent of urban homes annually, with hundreds to thousands of cockroaches per home. Your Queen Creek home could fall under this startling statistic.
Cockroaches thrive in hot weather. They are nocturnal, typically foraging for food at night. These pests persist tirelessly. They have been known to survive for three months without food and water. They can survive off the morsels of crumbs scattered about your countertop. In sum, cockroaches are the proverbial pests for a reason. They’re difficult to remove. The first step to squashing a cockroach infestation is identifying one.
What Attracts Cockroaches?
Cockroaches find their way into your Queen Creek home through cracks, crevices, or holes. They navigate their way through your home in search of food and water. Cockroaches aren’t persnickety pests. They’ll eat just about anything. This is why they gravitate to many disparate homes. They can survive in many different environments. However, certain homes supply more suitable environments for cockroaches. Cockroaches enjoy messy homes. A bit of grease on the stove is all they need for sustenance. They can also better conceal themselves in a messy home under clothes or pillows. Additionally, cockroaches are attracted to homes with readily accessible food sources. If your leftovers aren’t stored in airtight containers, cockroaches will adore your home.
Signs Of A Cockroach Infestation
The signs of a cockroach infestation can be surprisingly subtle. Cockroaches often evade sight. However, if you have a cockroach infestation, you may notice the following:
- To reiterate, cockroaches eat just about anything. They can survive off the little crumbs on your countertop or the grease on your stove. Thus, they can produce surprising amounts of waste in the form of small droppings. These droppings should resemble coffee grounds or pepper. The size of these droppings can vary based on the species of cockroach.
- Cockroaches leave behind a damp odor. You should smell this odor in certain cockroach havens, especially in your kitchen. The larger the infestation, the more pungent the odor will become.
- Like other pests, cockroaches smear marks on your walls. These smear marks typically possess a brownish color.
- Cockroaches leave behind shed skin because they shed their skin before reaching full adulthood. This skin should be transparent and shaped like a cockroach.
- Cockroaches leave eggs around your home. These eggs are small and capsule-shaped. Female cockroaches can lay anywhere from 120 to 320 eggs in their short lifespan, with each case carrying multiple eggs. Once the nymphs reach full adulthood, they grow the army. All the while, the army congregates in hidden spaces. Before you’re even aware, the infestation could grow massively out of hand.
- Similarly, baby cockroaches or nymphs constitute a clear sign of an infestation. These nymphs come in stockpiles, as one egg carries multiple nymphs.
Diseases Cockroaches Spread
Cockroaches spread disease. They don’t carry diseases themselves. Instead, they carry the pathogens that cause diseases. According to the WHO, cockroaches spread myriad illnesses. A cockroach infestation can spread the following illnesses:
- Dysentery
- Typhoid fever
- Salmonellosis
- Cholera
- Giardia
- Listeriosis
- Gastroenteritis
- E.coli infection
A cockroach infestation can also trigger an allergic reaction and exacerbate the symptoms associated with asthma. Specifically, cockroach feces and saliva contain certain proteins that can induce allergic reactions and asthma attacks. Given the prevalence of asthma, a potentially life-threatening respiratory illness, you should quickly remove cockroaches from your home if you have asthma.
If You Live In Queen Creek, Give Quell Pest Control A Call
Cockroaches are well-known pests for a reason. They can survive in many different living conditions and don’t require large amounts of food or water. Cockroaches can subsist off the small crumbs on your countertop. They’re also potentially harmful to your health because cockroaches spread all sorts of intestinal illnesses. They may also trigger allergic reactions and exacerbate the symptoms associated with asthma. If you have a cockroach infestation, you should reach out to us at Quell Pest Control to eliminate your cockroach problem. We offer preventative and control services. Give Quell Pest Control a call!