American Cockroach Facts and Pest Control Solutions

American cockroaches (scientific name periplaneta americana) are one of the filthiest pests which can infest your home. It is therefore important for you to know all the American cockroach facts so that you can keep these pests out of your home. Stockton pest control professionals share below what you should know about these mahogany or reddish brown pests which can grow to about 5cm in length.

How They Reproduce

Getting a detailed grasp of American cockroach facts starts with knowing how they can reproduce and grow to a major pest problem in your home.

Adult females lay their eggs inside a protective casing. Each casing can have approximately 16 eggs. The female places this protective capsule in a warm, humid part of their habitat, such as underneath the kitchen sink or behind the bathtub.

Nymphs hatch out of those eggs and keep molting as they grow bigger. It takes a little more than 5 months for an egg of an American cockroach to transform into an adult which can start reproducing. However, the presence of sufficient food supplies plays a key role in completing this process within that time. Otherwise, food scarcity will slow down their growth process.

American Cockroach Diet and Behavior

When American cockroaches grow into adults, they develop wings which they can use to fly when threatened or when searching for food.

American cockroaches or palmetto bugs are known to prefer living outdoors. Warm, damp places, such as underneath garden mulch or in flowerbeds and sewer systems are ideal habitats for these pests.

American cockroaches will enter your home when they need additional food sources and water, especially during extremely hot or cold weather when the outdoors are no longer suitable for them.

Open doors and windows, damaged weather stripping and other openings can allow these pests to scuttle or fly into your home.

Once inside, the roaches will normally head to your basement or the bathroom where damp, dark hiding places can be easily found. American cockroaches will also hang out in your kitchen since moisture is likely to be abundant around the sink and food scraps are easy to find.

American cockroaches prefer decaying matter, such as wood chips and leaves, and that is why they are more likely to be found outdoors. The food indoors only becomes attractive once their preferred food is unavailable.

How to Know American Cockroaches Are in Your Home

Modesto pest controllers advise that homeowners should always be on the lookout for the following signs of the presence of American cockroaches.

Roach sightings. American cockroaches can be seen scurrying across floors as they forage for food. These pests usually rush to dark areas and you can see them flying away in case you startle them during their foraging activity.
Roach droppings. The pests also leave their droppings in the areas where they are active. American cockroach droppings have blunt ends and ridges on their sides. This distinguishes them from mouse droppings whose ends are sharp.
Egg casings. You can also know that you have American cockroaches in your home in case you spot their egg capsules in the hidden areas where the roaches have been hiding or breeding. The casings are dark-colored and are approximately 4cm long. The capsules stick onto the surfaces where the female has deposited them.
American cockroaches leave a musty smell in the areas where they are active. This smell can trigger allergies and other respiratory tract issues in people with sensitive respiratory systems.

Do American Cockroaches Pose Any Danger?

American cockroaches and any other species of cockroaches are filthy because they crawl on decaying matter or other forms of dirty substances and transfer any pathogens they pick up onto your food and food preparation surfaces. Asthma, allergies, leprosy, typhoid, dysentery, and polio are examples of diseases which can be spread by cockroaches. AAI Pest Control, therefore, advises homeowners to do everything in their power to eliminate these pests ASAP.

How American Cockroaches Can Be Eliminated

American cockroaches are difficult to eliminate. Consequently, AAI Pest Control applicators rely on three steps to get the better of these filthy pests.

First, your home is inspected and assessed in order to find out the extent of the infestation and the factors which made that infestation possible. For example, you may have a heap of grass clippings rotting in your yard.

Secondly, the Modesto pest control company designs a treatment plan that is tailored to the specific conditions found in your home. For example, you can be told to remove the grass clipping referred to earlier so that the pests don’t have a ready food source. The professional can then spray an insecticide around your yard in order to eliminate all the pests there.

The third step entails monitoring the property in order to establish whether any American cockroach activity is still detectable. Further treatment may be done in addition to recommending that you fix any leaks that may be allowing the roaches to enter your home. Any outdoor changes, such as wood kept close to the foundation, can be pointed out so that you adjust and prevent American cockroaches from getting into your house.

As you can see from the discussion above, it is wise to have a service contract with a Modesto pest control company, such as AAI Pest Control, so that constant vigilance can be exercised to keep your house safe from American cockroaches.