Everyone’s Fav, the Cockroach!

 Everyone’s Fav, the Cockroach!

Most of us associate the presence of cockroaches with dirty places which isn’t completely true.  Roaches can live in the walls of clean homes as well, but have larger colonies in places with a bigger and more available food supply.  They also prefer a humid environment.  This is why they are a common problem in restaurant kitchens and Pest Control companies service those types of establishments on a regular basis.

Cockroaches are omnivores; they eat both plants and meat.  They can carry disease causing germs and have an antigen that can trigger asthma. 

Here are some simple things you can do to help prevent a cockroach infestation.

       Wipe off counters, tables, & stove tops after all meals, snacks & food prep.

       Keep food confined to specific areas of the house & clean spills right away.

       Don’t leave dirty dishes in the sink, on the counter, or in dishwasher     overnight.

       Remove piles of boxes, newspapers, etc. from both inside & around the house.

       Fix leaky pipes, faucets, toilets & other plumbing problems.

       Use a bathroom fan that vents to the outside to reduce humidity.

       Caulk all cracks & crevices throughout the home around systems such as    plumbing, electrical & gas lines, as well as in places like cupboards & walls.

                                Fun Roach facts from Squido.com!

 Crushed cockroaches when applied to a wound, can help ease the sting.

 Cockroaches have white blood.

 Roaches primarily come out for water, not food.

 Cockroaches can live a month without food, but only a week without water.

 A roach can live a week without a head. (OMG!) It dies after a week due to lack of water.

 A cockroach that has just shed its skin is white and has black eyes. (TMI!) It takes 8 hours to reproduce the skin layer.

 Laboratory female roaches are able to reproduce without aid of a male. They produce all   female offspring. (Impressive)

 The largest roach in the world is the largest body, Macropanesthia rhinocerus from   Australia weighing in at up to 50 grams.

       Cockroaches thrive in all conditions and live in the desert as well as the arctic

 Most roaches have the ability to fly, but not all do.

 Fried Cockroaches are common snacks in Cambodia, as are spiders & rats. (Um,no)

If you think you are seeing roaches in your home, you can purchase glue traps at any grocery or hardware store to collect a specimen for your Pest Control professional to identify.  Dealing with these critters early, before they increase in number, is the best way to go.