You've probably seen roaches before, but hopefully not inside your home.
There are few grosser things to find in your home than roaches. They look scary, they tend to get away before being killed, and they can be dangerous to your health. Roaches are hard to get rid of and rarely alone.
Roaches are very common in Virginia. In fact, in a recent study, Richmond ranked in as the 12th most roach-infested city in the entire country, with almost all the cities above it being significantly larger metropolitan areas (like Las Vegas and New York).
Roaches are also unfortunately hard to eradicate and they have long active seasons, lasting from March into December. This leaves all of us in Central Virginia open to a cockroach problem. And, maybe the worst part, cockroaches are not just disgusting, they're dangerous as well. Learn more about why you're seeing them and how to get rid of them.
What Do Roaches Look Like?
In this area, we have several types of cockroaches roaming around. The most common type of roach we encounter in new customers' homes is the German cockroach (Blattella germanica). It is the gross bug you see in the picture at the top of this post. The adults can be between 1/2 to 5/8 inches long and are usually a shade of brown. They have wings along the back of their flat, wide body, but fortunately do not fly.
We also have American roaches, which are larger- even over 2 inches long- and are usually more of a reddish color. They also have the same oval-shaped, flat bodies. American roaches will also infest the inside of your house.
Additionally, especially in the more rural areas of Chesterfield, Goochland, Hanover, and Mechanicsville, we have a large population of wood roaches. While these primarily live outdoors, they are no more welcome, and they will sometimes invade structures. Wood roaches are a little less to a little more than an inch long and are also shades of brown. Wood roaches have wings that do enable to them to fly (at least the males).
Why Am I Getting Roaches in My Home?
Roaches are attracted to a lot of the same things as other house-infesting pests: food, moisture, and shelter. While roaches can be hard to eradicate from your home and property, they do not do well in cold conditions and need the warmth of your home on cold nights. They especially like to live in places with ample room to hide, such as cluttered areas.
Roaches need food and water, which are more easily accessible in homes with uncleaned spills, crumbs and uncovered food. Leaky pipes, overwater plants, and dripping faucets attract cockroaches as well.
It's important to take immediate action if you see even one cockroach in your living space. Roaches will not bite you, though they may scratch you, and they can make you sick. They carry bacteria, which can be deposited on your food. Or, even more horrifying, on your body- cockroaches will eat food residue off your face and hands while you sleep.
How Can I Get Rid of Roaches?
The best way to protect yourself from roaches is prevention. Make sure that gaps and cracks around doors and windows are sealed. Keep crawlspaces free of moisture. Clean up all spills, crumbs, and dirty trash cans. Keep garbage moved out and food sealed up. Fix leaky plumbing. Store pet food securely and regularly wash food and water bowls.
Be wary of used furniture or electronics. Cockroaches are attracted to the warmth of these places and you could unknowingly be bringing roaches or eggs into your home inside one of these items.
Make sure to check bags, hiking packs, sleeping bags, or even jackets or clothing coming in from outside.
Maintain a professional preventative pest barrier around your home.
Roach baits are a great tool for after-the-fact. Consult with a pest control technician about what will be right for you.
In cases of severe infestation, more drastic measures will need to be taken by a professional pest control company and can be costly. Do your best to prevent a roach infestation and take immediate action to keep it under control if discovered. One roach almost always means more.
Call us today, we can help with roaches (or any other pest issue you may have)!
To learn more about pests in Virginia, check out our pest library
Comentarios