The Best Way To Get American Cockroaches Out Of Your Durham Residence

Spotting One American Cockroach Almost Certainly Means More

Have you ever heard this said? Do you know why seeing one American cockroach is almost certain proof that you have more? It's because these roaches are rarely seen until their populations have exceeded available food resources—which means there are a ton of cockroaches hiding out of sight. Here are facts you should know.

• Cockroaches can eat a crazy number of things. They'll eat the food you eat. They'll eat decaying food long after you'd eat it. They'll eat fabrics, cardboard, paper, toothpaste, dead skin, hair, feces, and more. It is hard to starve cockroaches because they eat so many things. So, if the population of cockroaches is too large for the food available in your home, it is likely that you have thousands of roaches.
• Cockroaches are nocturnal insects. If you see one come out during the day, that is a very bad sign. We can say for certain that you would not want to see an x-ray of your home. Your wall, floor, and ceiling voids have lots of roaches.
• Cockroaches are attracted to tight spaces. While American cockroaches are the largest roaches that get into Durham homes, they can compact their bodies and slip underneath objects in your home, such as a carpet. You can walk into a room and not realize there are roaches right underneath your feet. They'll also squeeze into the tight spaces between wood floors and subflooring.
• Cockroaches reproduce quickly. There is no chance that you only have one cockroach in your home. The cockroach you see has family members hiding in your home, and that family is getting bigger by the day. That's the reality of an American cockroach infestation. 

Most of the time, you won't see cockroaches. You'll only see warning signs of a cockroach infestation, such as roach droppings, shed cockroach exoskeletons, oothecae (egg cases), egg casings (broken egg cases), or you'll detect a smell. If you find a cockroach in your house, that's just bad news.    

Why American Cockroaches Are Considered Dangerous

The World Health Organization sums it up best. Cockroaches are "unhygienic scavengers in human settlements." This is the root of the problem. They crawl in trash bins and dumpsters. They move through sewer culverts. They crawl on compost. They feed on carcasses and animal feces. They are just plain-ol-disgusting. When cockroaches invade your home, they carry harmful organisms in with them. Here are some facts you should know.

• Cockroaches are reported to spread at least 33 kinds of bacteria, including salmonella and E. coli. These can cause stomach ailments and create health risks for the elderly, children, and the infirm.
• Cockroaches are known to carry and spread at least seven kinds of human pathogens, such as poliovirus.
• Cockroaches pick up and spread at least six kinds of parasitic worms. The worms cockroaches collect in urban environments include Ascaris, Trichuris, Capillaria, Toxcara, Hook Worm, and Eimeria. These worms are ingested and get into the intestines, where they cause discomfort before eventually being expelled.
• The shed skins of cockroaches are known allergens. Recent studies show that cockroach infestations increase hospitalizations for those who suffer from asthma, particularly children.

American cockroaches are not clean insects. Their skins, saliva, and excrement are all sources of contamination. They contaminate stored foods, surfaces, and toothbrushes, and they climb on people while they sleep. When a cockroach passes over your skin while you sleep, you can wake up with a rash. If a cockroach feeds on the dead skin around your eyes, it can accidentally bite you and cause a welt. You could also get conjunctivitis.

In light of the many ways cockroaches can impact human health, we highly recommend professional pest control for the control of American cockroaches. It is best to seek professional assistance to address the cockroaches in your home.

How And Why American Cockroaches Find Their Way Into Our Homes

It is hard to keep cockroaches out of homes because of their unique abilities. An American cockroach can compact its body to more than half its height, which is quite low already. Cockroaches can scale walls at full speed and run across ceilings. On a hot day, American cockroaches can fly. Their advanced mobility is one reason why American cockroaches can find their way into our homes.

American cockroaches are attracted to landscaping. They have a high moisture requirement and prefer to hide under leaves and in damp vegetation. In tropical and subtropical areas, they hide under Palmetto leaves. That is why they're often called Palmetto bugs. Their love of landscape vegetation brings them near our homes and increases the risk of them finding a route to come indoors.

Another zone near your home that attracts cockroaches is the area where you keep your trash receptacles. Cockroaches are attracted to poor sanitation. If you have a stinky receptacle, you'll attract cockroaches from a distance. When roaches come near, they'll notice tiny gaps and cracks in your exterior and squeeze right in.

American cockroaches aren't just adept at squeezing into tight spaces, they are prone to doing so. It is not commonly understood, but in a tight space, a cockroach can relax. Why? Because roaches are top-heavy. That's why you find cockroaches lying on their backs when they die. While alive, they're always clinging to surfaces, even the floor. That takes energy. So a cockroach likes to tuck itself into a gap or crack so it can relax. When it sees an entry point in your exterior, it can't help itself. It is going to squeeze right in. It is also equipped to do so. When it compacts its body, its legs shoot out to the sides and it scrambles to wedge itself in. Cracks are inviting. That's why American cockroaches find their way in—and why it is hard to keep them out.