Cockroaches are the most common pest insects in California. Even clean homes can have cockroaches. The five species of household cockroaches in this area are German cockroaches, brown-banded cockroaches, Oriental cockroaches, American cockroaches, and Turkestan cockroaches. All of these are brown, flat, and range from ½ - 2 inches long. Cockroaches are nocturnal and will eat just about any organic matter. When they are not looking for food, they hide in dark, moist, crevices.
Cockroaches are actually fastidious and spend lots of time grooming themselves. However, they look for food in sewers and other dirty places and then can track it across your food or food-preparation areas. They can spread salmonellosis, typhoid fever, cholera, gastroenteritis, dysentery, listeriosis, giardia, and E. coli infection. In addition, their shed skins, egg cases, and droppings can cause a significant medical problem with children by causing or worsening allergies or asthma.
Detecting Cockroaches
Because cockroaches are nocturnal, it can be hard to know if they are in your home. If you see shed skins, egg cases, and dark spots under the bathroom sink or kitchen sink, you probably have cockroaches. They also leave dark smears on paths they take routinely. Finally, you may see food that shows evidence of cockroaches eating it or fouling it with their feces.
Preventing Cockroaches
If you do not see any signs of cockroaches, congratulations. You can take significant steps to prevent cockroaches from infesting your home in the future.
- Roaches love clutter so eliminate it when possible.
- Vacuum under heavy appliances, the backs of cupboards, and the backs of closets.
- Put food in sealed containers so cockroaches cannot access it.
- Stop leaks to deny cockroaches water.
- Put food away promptly after eating.
- Clean up food spills immediately.
- Put trash in a can with a good lid on it so cockroaches can’t get to it.
- Empty trash outside into an outdoor trashcan with a good lid.
Excluding Cockroaches
Because cockroaches are so flat, they can hide in tiny crevices and cracks. To keep roaches out, you need to seal all cracks and crevices with caulk. You also need to seal around pipes, electrical wires, and cables where they enter the house. Airing out damp areas will deprive cockroaches of the warm moist environment they need.
Eliminating Cockroaches
Cockroaches are tough to kill. If you have found signs of cockroaches in your home, or want to prevent them from moving in, contact Accurate Termite and Pest Solutions for help. When you contact us, we will send a friendly, licensed pest expert to your house.
The first thing he will do is a thorough inspection of the outside and inside of your house to see what pests you may have. He will then present you with a detailed report of what was found and a suggested solution. If you agree to the plan, we will treat your home and property with quality treatments to get rid of your pests. Finally, each treatment is guaranteed. If you see a target pest after treatment, we will come out and re-treat the area at no additional cost to you. We will come out monthly, bi-monthly, or quarterly to treat your property and the exterior of your home to make sure pests don’t move in again.
You don’t have to wait for a pest problem for us to help you. If your house and property are secure, we will come out and put a preventive program in place to make sure it stays that way. Pests or no pests, contact Accurate Termite and Pest Solutions at (707) 682-7637 today and have a pest-free future.