Help! Roaches Are Taking Over My Indianapolis Home!
A cockroach problem can sneak up on you. The time to deal with these insects is when you see the first one—or before you see it. Once you start seeing cockroaches, it isn't long before you begin to have a lot of roaches in your house. Join us today as we look at how to find a cockroach in your home, how these insects can cause trouble even when you don't see them, and how good housekeeping can impact them. You'll find everything you need in this short guide to cockroach control.
As always, you don't have to battle pests alone. Take action and contact your Action Pest Control service team. We're your source for pest management and local cockroach control in Indianapolis. Get started by jumping to our contact page.
How To Identify A Cockroach Infestation
What does a cockroach problem look like? Often, it doesn't look like anything at all. You can have hundreds of cockroaches in your home and not see a single roach. Let's start by looking at the subtle signs of a cockroach infestation so that you can stop these pests before they start taking over:
- Clicking: If you have hardwood floors or tiles in your bathroom, you might hear cockroaches on these surfaces. Their feet can make a slight clicking sound in the dead of night if there is no ambient noise in your home.
- Odors: If roaches are living in the wall of your pantry, you may smell them. Cockroaches have a few odors associated with them. They excrete a pheromone scent they use for communication. They carry the scent of decaying organic matter they've touched and also give off a death stench when they die.
- Droppings: Cockroaches leave their black excrement in the places they infest. You'll find these droppings stuck to surfaces, objects, walls, and even ceilings. Inspect dark, humid spaces first as you look for this waste material.
- Skins: Cockroaches strip their exoskeletons as they grow. Their hard skins are not able to grow with them. You may find these as complete shells that look like cockroaches without the actual roach inside. You may also find fragments because cockroaches eat these skins.
- Damage: Cockroaches chew on paper and cardboard. Not only will a cockroach eat food inside a paper package, but it will also eat the package. It can digest cellulose, just like a termite, carpet beetle, or silverfish. Therefore, you may find food packages with tiny holes, clothing with holes, or building materials, like wallpaper, with holes or deterioration.
- Oothecae: Cockroaches create egg pouches called oothecae. You may find these pouches in hidden places. You may also see one protruding from an adult female cockroach. If you see a roach with an ootheca and cannot collect it for removal, it can turn into as many as fifty new roaches in your home.
- Nymphs: You may see roaches as you inspect your home for cockroach warning signs. While they hide from sight, you may catch them moving about in dark, secluded spaces. Nymphs look like adults, only they're smaller and do not have wings yet.
If you have roaches in your home, we hope you find them because they can create issues for you, even if you don't see them. These issues are also warning signs, though not nearly as conclusive as finding the physical signs listed above.
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The Health Risks Of A Cockroach Infestation In Your Home
Long before you say, "Help! Roaches are taking over my Indianapolis home," you'll likely feel the impact of a cockroach infestation. They are unsanitary insects that can pick up invisible organisms and spread them. Some of these organisms can make you sick. Here are a few not-so-fun facts about cockroaches:
- Cockroaches are attracted to decaying food in your trash. When they feed on them, they can pick up organisms that cause dysentery and other stomach issues. You don't want them climbing on your dishes or getting into your stored foods.
- Cockroaches feed on animal and human fecal matter and commonly live in sewers. If they come from this environment into your home, that is a recipe for sickness.
- Cockroaches have allergens in their saliva, shed skins, and waste material. Studies show an increase in hospitalizations in homes with cockroach infestations where residents have asthma.
The bottom line with cockroaches is that they are unsanitary insects. You don't want these insects to take over in your home. Keep these facts in mind as you consider whether or not you have a cockroach problem. If sickness seems higher than normal for you and your family, contact Action Pest Control for a pest evaluation.
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Keep Your Home Clean: Good Housekeeping Aids In Cockroach Prevention
Why do cockroaches come into your home? One reason is that they are attracted to tight spaces and can't help but explore gaps and cracks in your foundation and siding that lead inside. Another important reason is that they find favorable conditions near your home. These conditions are often due to sanitation issues. Here are some conditions that attract them and why:
- Smelly trash barrels: Cockroaches do not hold their nose at the scent of garbage. It is quite the opposite. They smell dinner. They are the sanitation engineers of nature, cleaning up and removing waste and residue.
- Junk piles: Cockroaches love squeezing into the tight spaces in a junk pile. They'll also feed on cardboard, paper, cloth, etc.
- Stacked cardboard: It is common to have a pile of pizza boxes. Who doesn't love getting pizza delivered? Cockroaches love pizza and the boxes they come in. When you dispose of your cardboard boxes, be sure to put them in a covered bin or break them down and put them in your trash receptacles.
- Leaves and organic debris: Cockroaches love to slip underneath leaf litter, leaf piles, dead branches, and other organic matter. They find moisture and darkness under organic debris. They also find organisms to feed on.
Sanitation also plays a part in whether or not cockroaches will choose to stay in your home when they find a way in. While they can live in a clean house, they prefer unsanitary environments. Here are a few examples of what they seek inside your home:
- Smelly trash: The trash receptacle in your kitchen isn't going to have a scent that can compare to your exterior receptacles, but decaying food can attract roaches. One way to reduce the smell is to get a smaller container, so you must bring the trash out frequently before food has time to decay.
- Grease and juices on appliances: Cockroaches feed on grease, oil, and food juices. They are also attracted to the tight space between your range and cabinetry.
- Dirty dishes: Many starchy foods are still on plates and inside bowls when you finish eating. Consider putting your plates in soapy water so roaches cannot access your leftovers.
- A dirty mop bucket: It is a good idea to clean and disinfect mop buckets after use. Cockroaches are attracted to the scent of the things you clean up with your mop.
- A dirty drain: It is common for roaches to get into drains. By using a biological cleaning agent, you can remove the organic matter they're looking for in your drains.
- An unsanitary bathroom: It is easy to imagine roaches exploring your kitchen, but they also like your bathroom. It is a humid space, and cockroaches seek high humidity. They also eat hair, dead skin, and other things found in a bathroom. Keep your bathroom as clean as possible to prevent roaches from living there.
If you keep things clean outdoors and indoors, you can deter cockroaches. When you also take measures to seal exterior entry points, you'll have a good chance of keeping cockroaches out. These methods require no knowledge of pest control. Anyone can implement them.
