What It Takes To Get Rid Of Cockroaches In Your Pearland Home
Cockroaches are filthy pests that no one wants to admit to having in their home. People often assume these insects only enter dirty houses, but the reality is roaches will enter any location that will provide them with food, water, and shelter. This article will help you learn everything you need to achieve effective cockroach control in Pearland.
Roaches are nocturnal and are adept at hiding and staying out of sight. Because of these characteristics, they can be inside the house for a long time before a homeowner catches sight of one. We'll explain the signs to watch for and the clues they leave around the house to help you detect their presence sooner.
While having cockroaches in the house doesn't reflect on your housekeeping skills, these pests spend plenty of time in unsavory, germy environments before entering your home. We'll review how living with cockroaches can impact the health and well-being of your family so you have a clear idea of what you are up against.
When roaches invade homes, most of the time, people's first reaction is to run to the store and buy anything that says it will get rid of them. But these highly adaptable pests can be incredibly challenging to eradicate. We'll provide more information about safely and effectively getting these insects out of the house.
Proactive prevention is one of the most effective ways to control cockroaches. We'll provide expert tips to help you avoid attracting these pests and removing their access to your home. Read on to learn all about cockroach control with the pros at Modern Pest Control.
Clear Signs You Have A Cockroach Problem
As we said above, cockroaches are very good at avoiding detection. If someone spots one in the house, it is usually in the middle of the night when you flick on a light and surprise one. However, if you have an extensive infestation, you may see them out during the day because there is greater competition for food.
Learning to identify roaches and the evidence they leave around the house can help you catch a problem in its earliest stages. The following list includes the most common signs of a cockroach infestation with details below:
- Seeing the actual insects
- Cockroach droppings
- Egg capsules
- Shed skins
- Musty odor
Four types of roaches commonly infest Houston homes—German, Asian, oriental, and American cockroaches. Each species shares physical traits, such as being flat and oval, with six legs and antennae. Identifying the species in your house can help you determine how they got inside and what's attracting them.
German cockroaches are light brown to tan and have two dark, almost parallel stripes running down their backs. They are between 1/2 and 5/8 of an inch long and prefer running over flying. You'll likely find these roaches in warm, humid areas of the house, like kitchens or bathrooms, close to food and water sources.
Asian and German cockroaches are nearly identical and are tough to tell apart, but there are a few differences. Asian roaches have longer and more narrow wings than German ones, and Asian cockroaches are more likely to fly. German cockroaches are much more likely to be inside the house, while Asian roaches are attracted to light and are more common outside.
Oriental cockroaches have smooth, glossy dark bodies that are black to reddish-brown. These roaches are around 1 inch long, with females being slightly larger. These roaches do not fly. Oriental cockroaches have high moisture requirements and prefer dark, moist areas with little human activity, like basements and crawl spaces.
American cockroaches are the largest on our list, growing between 1 1/4 and 2 1/8 inches long. These reddish-brown roaches have a yellow figure-8 pattern on the back of their head. They prefer dark areas of the home, like laundry rooms, under cabinets, and behind appliances in the kitchen, and can fly short distances.
Finding droppings around the house is a telltale sign of a roach problem and can help determine the species infesting your home. German cockroach droppings look like black pepper, or you may see smears, while Asian droppings are dark brown to black and have blunt ends. American cockroach droppings are blunt on the ends with ridges on the sides, and oriental ones are cylindrical.
You may notice egg capsules around the house, and their appearance can also help to pinpoint the species in your home. German cockroaches produce tan to light brown egg capsules, and Asian roaches lay smaller egg capsules that are dark reddish-brown. American cockroach egg capsules are about 1/3 of an inch, dark in color, and often glued to surfaces, while oriental capsules are slightly larger and dark brown.
Cockroaches go through several stages in their life cycle, and as they grow, they shed their outer layer of skin. These skins have an oval shape like the roaches and a crisp feel. Finding these pieces of light brown or whitish skins throughout your home is a sure sign of a roach problem.
Cockroaches also emit pheromones to communicate with each other. These pheromones create a musty, damp odor in the house. The larger the infestation gets, the worse this foul smell will become.
Whether you have seen an actual roach in the house or some of the above signs, the sooner you get rid of them, the better. Modern Pest Control's pros can help you identify and eliminate an infestation in your home. Contact us today to learn more about our cockroach control services or to schedule your free inspection.
The Health Risks That Cockroaches Pose
One characteristic that every cockroach on our list shares is their tendency to travel through garbage, sewers, and decaying matter. These insects have spiny legs, and as they walk through the waste, they pick up pathogens on their legs and bodies. Once inside your home, they can spread these germs by walking on food prep surfaces, contacting food, and through their saliva and feces.
Cockroaches can spread diseases like salmonellosis, typhoid fever, cholera, dysentery, and E. coli infection. They can transmit up to 33 types of bacteria, six kinds of parasitic worms, and at least seven other pathogens that are a health risk to humans.
Cockroach droppings in your home, along with their saliva and urine, contain allergen proteins. These proteins work similarly to dust mites, and when the particles become airborne, they can trigger year-round allergies and asthma attacks. Children are especially susceptible to these health problems, partly due to their developing immune systems, and they tend to spend more time on the floor.
The best way to protect your family from the health risks of cockroaches is to work with a pest control company to eliminate these insects quickly and prevent them from returning. Contact us today at Modern Pest Control for assistance in eradicating roaches from your home and preventing future infestations.
The Safe And Effective Way To Get Rid Of Cockroaches
Cockroaches are one of the most challenging pests to get rid of when they are infesting a home. Part of the problem is their ability to hide and their rapid reproduction rates. Over-the-counter control products only work on the roaches you can see, meaning the rest of them hiding in cracks and crevices throughout the house, and the egg capsules they have laid will remain after treatment.
These pests are also highly adaptable and can learn to spot and avoid bait. Roaches can also form a resistance to pesticides, rendering them ineffective, and they can pass that resistance on to their offspring. These chemicals can be easily misused and potentially endanger your family and pets.
The safest and most effective way to eliminate cockroaches is to team up with the pros at Modern Pest Control. Our pest management professionals are highly skilled at finding the source of the infestation and have the products and equipment necessary to eradicate these troublesome pests from your home.
Our services start with a thorough inspection to determine what type of cockroach you have, what attracts them, and how they enter the house. We will then choose the best approach for treatment. Our pros know all the nooks and crannies these sneaky pests like to hide in and how to locate and destroy egg capsules to prevent the problem from coming right back.
Following treatment, our expert technicians can pinpoint factors on your property that may attract roaches and potential entryways to help you avoid a future infestation. We can also suggest a plan to help you keep cockroaches and many other pests out of the house for good. We offer a variety of preventative service plans and can help you find the coverage that works best for your family and home.
If you are ready to get rid of cockroaches once and for all, the pros at Modern Pest Control are here to help. You and your family deserve a safe, pest-free home, and we are here to help you achieve that. Contact us today to learn more about our services or schedule your free inspection.
Helpful Tips To Prevent Future Cockroach Problems
After your infestation is taken care of, it is time to learn how to prevent cockroaches in your Pearland home. Here are some proactive steps you can take to avoid future problems with cockroaches, with further information below:
- Seal cracks and crevices.
- Screen drains and vents.
- Store trash properly.
- Store food properly.
- Repair moisture problems.
- Keep your home clean and tidy.
Keeping cockroaches from getting inside can take effort, but it is well worth the work. Take a close look around the outside of your house for any cracks, crevices, or gaps. You'll want to pay close attention to the foundation, siding, and around utility pipes for potential entryways and seal them with a silicone-based caulk.
Check windows and doors to ensure they have a tight seal and the weatherstripping is intact. Cockroaches can fit into very tight spaces by flattening their bodies and stretching out their legs, so seal any gaps wider than the edge of a quarter. Also, make sure your screens don't have any tears, and repair them if necessary.
Cockroaches can crawl up from sewers and pipes to enter homes through drains. To keep them from entering your home this way, install mesh screens over drains and vents. If you have a guest bathroom, you don't often use, periodically run water through those drains to fill the U-traps.
Proper trash storage is essential to avoid attracting cockroaches to your property. Take the garbage out of your house frequently, seal the bags tightly, and place them in clean receptacles. Ensure the lid of your trash container fits securely and has no gaps or cracks that roaches could squeeze into.
Cockroaches will eat almost anything, but giving them easy access to your food is like an open invitation to your home. Avoid leaving food out, including pet food, and store what you can in pest-proof glass or plastic containers. Wash dirty dishes instead of letting them sit in the sink, and clean up spills and crumbs immediately.
Cockroaches can go a long time without food if necessary but need water to survive. Moisture problems around your home often attract these pests, so repair any leaking pipes or air conditioning units and eliminate any standing water on your property. Ventilate humid parts of your home, like basements, attics, or crawl spaces, or install a dehumidifier.
Keeping your house clean and neat can also help to deter these pests. Vacuum frequently, especially in areas where people eat, and reduce clutter wherever you can to eliminate hiding places.
If you continue to find roaches in your house, despite your best efforts, it is time to call in the pros. Modern Pest Control offers expert cockroach pest control to eliminate these pests and can help you to prevent reinfestations. Contact us today for more information or to schedule your free inspection.