Cockroaches
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Cockroach Pest Control In Central Wisconsin
Getting rid of roaches involves more than just spraying an insecticide or putting down bait or dust. Roaches get into everything, multiply rapidly, and can survive for several months without food and up to two weeks without water. These little pests definitely pose a challenge, but with the proper tools and products you can get rid of cockroaches by following a cockroach management program. The experts at 1st Choice Pest Control will help you identify the species of cockroach on your property and safely eradicate them to avoid the numerous health problems they can cause including:
- Allergies
- Asthma Triggers
- E. Coli Contamination
- Salmonella Contamination
To get rid of roaches, follow these 3 easy steps:
- Clean to get rid of roaches’ hiding places and remove food and water sources. This is one of the most important steps to get rid of roaches.
- Use of the combination of an insecticide to kill active cockroaches, bait to eliminate hidden roaches, and an IGR to prevent them from reproducing is necessary for a complete roach treatment.
- It can take anywhere from 3 weeks to 6 months to completely eliminate roaches.
Frequently Asked Questions
What are the signs of a cockroach infestation?
Signs of a cockroach infestation may include seeing cockroaches crawling in or around your home, finding cockroach droppings or egg cases, and noticing a musty or oily odor.
How do cockroaches enter my home?
Cockroaches can enter your home through cracks and gaps in walls or floors, as well as on items such as grocery bags or used furniture.
What are the most effective treatments for eliminating cockroaches?
Effective cockroach treatments may include using bait traps, insecticide sprays or dusts, and sealing cracks and gaps in walls and floors to prevent cockroaches from entering your home. It’s best to consult with a pest control professional for the most effective treatment plan.
How can I prevent cockroaches from entering my home?
To prevent cockroaches from entering your home, seal any cracks or gaps in walls or floors, keep food in sealed containers, and eliminate sources of standing water
Types of Cockroaches
Just the thought of cockroaches in your home is enough to make most people cringe. Cockroaches are insects with six legs and two antennae. Depending on the species some cockroaches have wings, although they don’t typically fly. They have flat, oval-shaped bodies and are adept at hiding all over the home. They reproduce very quickly and their eggs are naturally resistant to over the counter insecticides which makes them difficult to control.
German Cockroach
These roaches are 0.5 inches in length, so one of the smaller roaches you would come in contact with. An adult is light brown with two dark stripes running down its thorax. A nymph is smaller, darker, and has a tan stripe running down its back. In apartment buildings, they can crawl through shared pipes and ducts to infest additional units and quickly become a widespread problem. You’ll most likely find them in kitchens and bathrooms as they like to hide near food, water, and sources of heat. If they become too large of a problem you can find them in other parts of your home like bedrooms and closets. Every few weeks they can lay 30-40 eggs. Females carry the eggs until 1-2 days before hatching. A single one can be responsible for the births of more than 30,000 babies in one year, with nymphs maturing at 40-125 days. When it comes to German Roaches, proper roach control is extremely important to gain control of the problem.
American Cockroach
Also known as a Palmetto Bug, these common household roaches prefer the outdoors, and are less likely to infest living spaces like a German Roach. These roaches can also spread disease and trigger symptoms of allergies and asthma. They move rapidly, but don't often use their wings to fly. They can get up to 3 inches in length, making them the largest of common roaches. They’re reddish-brown with a light-yellow band outlining their thorax. Adults are large with wings and nymphs are not. These pests can get in homes through piping and small gaps in the foundation. They often live in trees, gardens, and sewers, preferring areas with heat and humidity. Indoors they’ll hide in bathrooms, kitchens, laundry rooms, and boiler rooms. In a single year, a female can be responsible for more than 800 babies, laying 12-16 eggs at a time that might not hatch for 2 months or longer. Nymphs mature slowly, taking between 65-400 days. They prefer a diet of fermenting foods but will scavenge for crumbs and scraps. Outside they prefer to feed on leaves, wood, fungi, algae and smaller insects.
Smoky Brown Cockroach
These cockroaches are very sensitive to dehydration and must live near a reliable source of water. They’re nocturnal creatures and will fly away if disturbed. These pests are attracted to light and are about 1.5 inches in length. They’re dark brown to mahogany colored with a thorax that looks almost black. To distinguish them from other cockroach species, their wings are longer than their bodies.
These particular roaches are found more in the southeastern United States. They like to climb into homes through vents and plumbing, especially where vegetation touches the home. An outdoors roach, they prefer to hang out in gutters, planter boxes, and woodpiles. They can also be found beneath shingles, garages, trees, shrubs, and sewers. It’s rare to find them entering homes. Smoky Brown Cockroaches can lay 40-45 eggs at a time, taking between 24-70 days to hatch. The nymphs are black with two white horizontal stripes on their back.
Oriental Cockroach
Oriental cockroaches exhibit a shiny black to a dark reddish-brown color. As adults, the male and female cockroaches, though both large in size, are quite different in appearance. Growing to only 25 mm in length, the smaller males have shortened, three-quarter-length wings. As a result, the last few abdominal segments of their bodies are exposed. In comparison, female oriental roaches reach a length of 32 mm and have no wings. Instead, they have large wing pads that shelter the first few segments of their bodies. While differing in appearance, neither males nor females can fly.
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