Why is the kitchen the most common place to find roaches? Kitchens have exactly what cockroaches need to survive and thrive; water, food and shelter. The sight of a cockroach in your kitchen is unnerving. Your kitchen is where you keep and prepare all your food. Yuck! Of all the pests you can have in your kitchen, cockroaches are the last ones you want to deal with because they are probably the dirtiest. Cockroaches will eat anything, including feces. They also live in very dirty places like garbage, sewers and drains. They have tiny hairs on their legs that will pick up a variety of bacteria, including salmonella and E. coli. These bacteria will then be transferred into your home, will contaminate your food and make you sick. Cockroaches can also cause allergies and trigger asthma attacks, especially in children. Cockroaches can survive long periods of time without food and water. They can live almost a month without food and two weeks without water. The tiny hairs on their legs also make cockroaches very hard to catch as they can detect the lightest movement of air. They are very fast and can run 31 inches per second if they sense danger.
Signs of a Cockroach Infestation
1. Roach fecal droppings. Finding feces should be a flashing red light that tells you you’re dealing with these nasty invaders. Fecal matter will resemble coffee grounds or black pepper. Larger droppings indicate larger roaches and the more fecal matter you have the larger your infestation is.
2. Cockroach egg casings. Egg casings hold multiple eggs within them, between 10-20 eggs. German cockroaches can hold up to 50. These casings are long and rounded in shape and are brownish in color. If you notice egg casings you have cockroaches in your home.
3. Cockroach odor. If you have a large number of cockroaches in your home, you will smell them, and if you do, you already have a huge infestation on your hands. The smell has been described as oily and musky.
4. Dead roaches. Cockroaches are nocturnal. If you see dead cockroaches, it’s because they can’t run away and hide during the day or when you flip the lights on. If you see dead roaches you can be sure that more are hiding within your home. Check in your cabinets, under the sink and around your fridge.
5. Daytime cockroach sightings. Because cockroaches are nocturnal, it is very serious if you see them during the day. They will only come out during the day to look for food or because numbers have gotten so big that they are being forced out of hiding.
Cockroach Pest Control Services in San Bernardino, Orange, Los Angeles, Riverside & San Diego Counties, California
The fact that cockroaches have been around since the dinosaurs, lets you know that they are a formidable opponent and will not be easy to get rid of. The sooner you detect a cockroach infestation, the sooner you can win the war against them. Animal Pest Management Services, Inc. are cockroach experts that can get rid of them and keep them away for good. Contact us today for all your pest control needs!