Do I Need Professional Cockroach Control? – Yes!
Cockroaches are a common problem that plagues households in New Jersey. There are over 4,000 species in the world, but thankfully in this area, we commonly deal with five kinds, which are the: American, German, Oriental, Pennsylvania, and brown-banded cockroaches. In this country, there are around 70 species depending on the area in which you live.
Most people are horrified when they find that they have a roach in their home. Consequently, the steps you take next can mean everything in terms of how quickly you get rid of them. When you use trial and error and home remedies to try to eradicate the problem, it can be a costly mistake.
Each product that fails gives time for the infestation to grow, and things can quickly get out of hand. A professional will assist by using the right chemicals for the pest you have invading your space. Identifying the type of insect you have means everything, as they all have unique qualities and characteristics. Learning this information is beneficial in eradicating them.
Identifying New Jersey’s Five Most Common Cockroaches
Identifying the distinct species is important, even though they’re from the same family, they are many differences. For instance, the Pennsylvania wood roach isn’t nearly as invasive as the German cockroach.
Here is some information for each type of roach. Learning how they look, their food preferences, and how fast they multiply can help you with the identification and eradication process.
1. American Roach
Though it’s named the “American” roach, it migrated from Africa in the 1600s. Many people call these roaches water bugs due to their overwhelming size. Technically, they’re not water bugs. In fact, these roaches have wings and can fly throughout your home, though you will mostly see them crawling.
Identifying Characteristics
The American variety is by far the largest. They can get up to two inches in length. If you’ve ever seen those gigantic Madagascar hissing roaches, you might think these two are directly related, but they’re just another variety in a large category.
They have a unique pattern at the base of their head that helps them distinguish themselves from others. The yellow figure eight patterned design is hard to miss. These roaches come in a few hues, but typically they’re a reddish-brown to dark brown color.
Nesting Preferences
The female will lay up to 16 eggs at a time. They generally hatch quickly, usually within a couple of weeks. Regarding living conditions, these insects would rather be outside in mulch or woodpiles, especially when the weather is hot and humid. However, they will move into your home if the situation warrants.
All they need is access to water to survive, so if you have a basement or crawlspace, they may move inside when it’s too cold outside. Even if you don’t have a bottom level to your home, you will find that they love to be around the pipes in the kitchen.
Diseases They Carry
These bugs are not safe to have in your home. They carry 33 diseases as they crawl through some of the vilest places in this state, including the sewers. If they scurry through fecal matter, they can distribute microscopic bits on your counters and other surfaces, and you will be none the wiser.
Did you know that many cases of food poisoning happen because of bacteria from insects like roaches rather than poorly cooked food? The American roach carries salmonella and E. coli, and when they crawl around on work surfaces, it causes contamination. When you think about it this way, it adds a whole new spin on a horrifying condition.
Another major issue with the American variety is that they have these proteins that occur naturally in their body. While walking around your home, they will deposit these proteins from the feces, saliva, and urine. Those who have compromised breathing systems may find that being in a home infested with the American roach causes them to have asthma attacks or triggers their allergies.
Food Preferences
These roaches are omnivores, and they’re known for eating the following things:
•Makeup and cosmetic products
•Plants
•Soap (both liquid and bar varieties)
•Milk
•Fruit that’s starting to decay
2. German Roach
The German roach is a “die-hard,” as it takes a lot to kill them. Even if you’ve done everything to prevent them from living in your home, these insects can feed on glue from the back of an envelope. You certainly don’t want to risk treating these alone and fail, as the problem is often so massive it’s overwhelming.
This is the most common of the roaches to infest a home in this area. You will often see drops like pepper flakes on counters and other frequented locations. Don’t be alarmed if you see casings from them either. Thankfully, we have plenty of experience in handling this roach.
Identifying Characteristics
The German roach is a smaller species, as they only get up to five-eighths of an inch in length. This is a common roach for an infestation in New Jersey and abroad. Though this roach has wings, they prefer to scurry across the floor than fly.
They come in a few color varieties but are pretty distinguishable with their light brown to tan coloring. One thing that helps to identify this roach from others is the two stripes down its back. They’re a bit darker than the body, which makes them easy to spot.
Nesting Preferences
The German roach prefers to nest where it’s humid and warm. In the home, you will find them mainly in the kitchen or bathroom area, as there’s plenty of water to drink and food nearby.
These roaches are a significant issue for commercial facilities and warehouses. If a restaurant has a problem with cockroaches, you can almost guarantee it’s these little brown pests.
Diseases They Carry
Like the American roach, these pests carry a lot of diseases. Another added problem is the staphylococcus infections that they often bring. They are not safe to have in your home, so time is of the essence to get rid of them.
Food Preferences
The problem with the diet of the German roach is that its appetite is endless. They will eat anything they can get their mouth on. Some of the more bizarre things they will eat include:
• Soap
• Toothpaste
• Glues of all kinds
• Anything and everything in your kitchen
3. Brown Banded Roach
The brown-banded roaches are often confused with other varieties, especially since they favor the German cockroach. They really blend in with cabinets, making their presence often undetectable until they move. It’s believed they came to this country in the early 1900s from Cuba.
Identifying Characteristics
It’s easy to spot a brown banded roach by the bands that wrap around its body. They’re usually brownish-red, and the bans are a lighter tannish color. They’re not the largest, but they can get up to a half-inch long. Unlike other roaches, the females have wings, but they don’t fully develop. Only the males can fly about your home.
Nesting Preferences
These roaches have a short lifespan of only 200 days, but they will lay up to 250 eggs in that time. These roaches like things hot, so they tend to frequent areas that get above 80 degrees. Unlike the other varieties, they don’t like being near water and prefer their nesting places to be dry.
As hot air rises, you will find them in your kitchen and bathroom near the ceilings and upper cabinet areas. These roaches love to get behind your light switches, as electricity generates heat. They will crawl into appliances like your toaster, television, and other electronics. This variety doesn’t like the light, so they will scurry when you flip a switch on in your home.
Diseases They Carry
In addition to the same things the other roaches carry, these varieties also have a bacterium on their legs called protozoa. This can cause gastrointestinal discomfort and ailments like diarrhea. Those with breathing difficulties are at greater risk in their presence.
Food Preferences
The brown-banded roach is a scavenger, so it will eat a wide variety of foods. Their diet includes some of the following:
• Decaying matter
• Bodily fluids
• Grains and cereals
• Starchy foods
• Envelopes, books, and wallpaper (glues)
• Anything in your kitchen
4. Pennsylvania Wood Roach
The Pennsylvania wood roach is a different species altogether. In South Carolina, some confuse them for palmetto bugs, but they are two different varieties. They love to be outside, but occasionally, they get inside the home. Unlike the other varieties, they aren’t known for infesting your abode. Instead, they probably hitched a ride on some firewood or flew in by the open door.
Identifying Characteristics
If you have a porch light outside, these bugs will often fly into your home. Their a dark chestnut brown color, and they have long wings that are white or yellowish in color. The females are about one-half inch long, but the males will grow to three-fourths of an inch.
If you see these roaches flying in your home, it’s the male varieties. The female has wings, but she cannot fly.
Diseases They Carry
Unlike the other roaches, these aren’t nearly as dangerous to you or your family. However, they will crawl through some decaying matter, which can bring some bacteria into your home.
Nesting Preferences
The Pennsylvania wood roach doesn’t want to be in your home any more than you want them there. They cannot reproduce inside, so they want to get out as quickly as possible. The female can lay about 960 eggs in her lifetime, which is only a few months.
This roach prefers the great outdoors, and they will get behind the bark of a tree, in gutters, and in woodpiles. They love areas where there’s decaying matter.
Food Preferences
As their name implies, they will eat rotten, moldy, or fermented things, especially wood. There’s nothing better than a mulch pile, tree bark, or pile of wood that’s been sitting outside for a while.
5. Oriental Cockroach
The Oriental roach is another immigrant to America, and it’s believed it came from Africa. They’re very similar in behavior and eating habits to the American cockroach, but there are visual differences to note.
Identifying Characteristics
The Oriental roach is often mistaken for a black beetle because they have a shiny, hard black shell on their back. They can become quite large at one inch in length, but they don’t tend to be as flat as the other varieties. Ironically, they have a rounder body, yet they can squeeze through the smallest of spaces.
Nesting Preferences
They prefer a damp area, but these pests love to find gaps in doorways, siding, and pipe insulations to nest. This is one tough roach to eradicate as they can run from the chemicals with their ability to hide in inconspicuous places.
Diseases They Carry
Their disease profile is the same as the other roaches, and those with compromised immune or breathing systems should beware.
Food Preferences
The Oriental roach isn’t a picky eater. In fact, they will make a meal out of the most disgusting things. They love:
• Decaying organic matter
• Trash
• Starchy foods
• Grains
Getting Professional Help from Cockroach Control for Your Infestation
Do you need professional help to get rid of these pests? Yes! This is not a common insect, and you can’t buy a spray at the local hardware store and hope for the best. It would help if you had professional strength pesticides and a knowledgeable technician working beside you to eradicate this common problem.
One of the main reasons why roaches are so hard to get rid of is that they don’t need a male to lay eggs. The female uses facultative parthenogenesis to produce offspring, which means it’s a solo job. Roaches can live for weeks without their head, which is a disturbing thought, but it’s another reason why complete eradication is so challenging.
Don’t handle your roach issue alone. There’s nothing embarrassing about calling for help. We see hundreds of people from all walks of life who deal with this same issue, and we can assist in the battle against nature’s most vile insect.
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