Have you ever heard that cockroaches are a dangerous and unsanitary pest? Even if you know cockroaches aren't great pests to have around your home or business, you might not know just how harmful they can be. Cockroaches are able to spread up to 35 different illnesses, and many of these can be quite serious, such as E. coli, salmonellosis, and typhoid fever.
Along with spreading disease, cockroaches can cause allergic reactions and asthma attacks, and they commonly contaminate food sources. Because of these health risks, taking steps to prevent cockroaches in Raleigh is essential. While prevention steps aren’t a guarantee of a cockroach-free property, they can greatly reduce the chances of a cockroach invasion.
The first step in preventing cockroaches is knowing what they look like. To help you identify cockroaches in the area, we’ve put together a brief overview of the four main species and their characteristics:
American cockroaches: These are the largest species in the area and can get up to three inches long. They have reddish-brown bodies and a yellow figure-eight pattern behind their heads.
German cockroaches: This species is one of the most common home-invading pests in the world. They are light tan in color with two black stripes that run horizontally down the backs of their heads.
Oriental cockroach: Often known as the water bug, Oriental cockroaches are a shiny black color and prefer to live in especially humid areas.
Pennsylvania wood cockroach: Wood cockroaches only get to be about an inch long, and they have dark brown bodies with tan wings. The males have long wings that extend past their bodies while the females have short wings and cannot fly.
Cleaning: The First Defense Against Cockroaches
Cockroaches love to live in cluttered areas that provide ample places to hide, and they also look for quick access to food sources. They are commonly found in kitchens and bathrooms, where the humid environment allows them to thrive. One of the best ways to go about preventing cockroaches is to deep clean both the inside and outside of your property. This way, you can address underlying factors that attract cockroaches by getting rid of clutter and food waste.
To start with, focus on deep cleaning kitchen areas. Make sure to get under heavy appliances and other areas that aren’t often cleaned, such as the back of cupboards and inside of pantries. Then, as cockroaches can survive off of even small crumbs, take care to store food in airtight containers. Lastly, regularly keeping your kitchen clean by taking out the trash often, doing dirty dishes frequently, and sweeping and mopping can make your property less appealing to area cockroaches.
More Tips For Keeping Cockroaches Out
While cleaning is a great way to make your home or business less appealing to these dirty pests, there are some other simple tips you can follow to keep cockroaches from coming inside. You should seal up access points and reduce humidity to have an even greater chance of cockroach prevention success. Here are a few more easy tips:
Make sure to repair any broken screens.
Fix leaky pipes and faucets to reduce humidity around the building.
Seal up cracks and crevices with caulk.
Use dehumidifiers if you have excess humidity problems.
Get Cockroach Control You Can Count On
The best way to both prevent cockroaches and remove a current infestation is with help from the experts at Pest & Termite Consultants. Cockroaches can be extremely difficult to eliminate once they get inside, since they can hide in many small places and reproduce quickly. Our trained technicians have the experience needed to get rid of the entire infestation and keep it from returning.
With over 25 years of experience, we provide eco-friendly and high-quality residential and commercial pest control. Find out more about our cockroach control options and request your free quote, by calling us at (919) 246-8831