Roach Behavior and the Problems it can Cause
Cockroaches do not like sunshine. They prefer dark, moist hiding places like under the fridge or in cabinets. Their ideal crevice to crawl around in is a space where they can rest their back and their legs which is approximately 3/16 of an inch wide. This affinity for tight cracks is known as thigmotaxis. Again, they like the dark. So, if you see cockroaches crawling around an area in the daylight, that’s usually a sign of a large and pervasive infestation.
One thing cockroaches are very good at is reproducing quickly. Two species of cockroaches that are pervasive in the Southeast are the American and German roach. If given the right conditions, a female American roach can have 800 babies in one year, and a female German roach can produce 30,000 babies in one year. This quick reproduction means a few cockroaches can turn into a few hundred very quickly.
Cockroaches can make a meal out of just about anything. This includes cardboard, sewage, and even other insects. You name it, and they’ll eat it which means they’re a very dirty insect. They crawl through sewage and harbor bacteria and pathogens. The mess these creatures leave behind has been linked to an influx in asthma attacks and allergic reactions if exposed to them long enough, especially in children. That’s why it’s important to keep them out of your home. They can also contaminate food preparation areas without you knowing it which means you could potentially ingest the germs they spread which is definitely not a good thing.
Prevention
Clean clean clean. We can’t say it enough. The most important thing cockroaches require is food and shelter. Leaving trash lying around and half eaten food is a sure fire way to help with a cockroach infestation. That’s why it is important to keep a clean home. However, cleanliness alone can’t prevent a cockroach infestation. It’s a smart idea to partner with a professional pest management company, like Gregory, to keep cockroaches and other pests out of your home. When you acquire pest control services without having a pest problem, it’s called preventative pest control. This is the best way to ensure you don’t have pest problems in the future because the best defense is a good offense.
Another way to prevent a cockroach infestation is to seal around utility pipes that connect to your home. Cockroaches and a myriad of other pests can wriggle their way in through the opening that can be found around those pipes. You should also try to keep crawlspaces ventilated, if at all possible, to keep the moisture level down. Cockroaches like warm, dark, and wet places which would make a crawlspace a perfect habitat. So keep it ventilated!
The next way to keep cockroaches out of your home is to keep the exterior of your home as unattractive to them as possible. Rake regularly and keep greenery and shrubs cut back from your house. Leaf litter and pine straw can give cockroaches a harborage point that will protect them from being found and hunted by natural predators like birds. Keeping harborage points out of the picture inside and outside of your home is essential.