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Cockroaches are one of nature’s nastiest nuisances, and here in South Bend, IN, we don’t get a pass. Roaches invade homes and businesses in our area all year round, using our buildings for food, shelter, moisture, and safety. Since we also need all of those things, it’s tough to make our dwellings unappealing to roaches. Fortunately, there are a few things you can do to make your property a more hostile environment for them and encourage them to move on.
Cockroach Behaviors And Signs Of Infestation
While there are over 4,500 roach species in the world, most of the roaches in our area share a few key characteristics. They’re oval-shaped, generally have long wings that cover their entire backs (though there are exceptions), have six legs, and sport long antennae. Most cockroaches share a lot of common behaviors as well. For instance, they seek out dim, moist places without a lot of traffic from larger animals. They’re not picky about it either – they’ll set up shop in the garbage, feces, rotten flesh, and just about everywhere else.
Cockroaches in South Bend are also all really good at hiding. They can squeeze into just about any out-of-the-way spot you can think of, including underneath large appliances, inside cracks and holes in walls, beneath or inside furniture – even under loose floorboards! That means you might never see a cockroach, even if you have a major infestation. Rather, you’ll need to look for other signs besides seeing a live roach. These include:
- Smear marks from roaches crawling through water
- A foul, musty odor
- Egg capsules and roach droppings
- Shed roach skins
- Dead roach bodies
What To Do About Roach Infestation
Roaches aren’t just annoying bugs that you see scattering the second you turn on the light. They’re dangerous pests that contaminate everything they touch and can spread over 40 different illnesses. Some of the nastiest pathogens you can pick up from a cockroach include cholera, dysentery, giardia, and Salmonella. Cockroaches are also known or suspected to carry ancient scourges like leprosy and the plague. Because of all the deadly diseases they spread, it’s important to prevent cockroach infestations in South Bend from establishing themselves on your property. While this isn’t always easy, there are a few things you can do:
1. Block cockroach entry by going around your home and sealing up every potential access point, including gaps in doors, crawlspaces, cracks in the foundation, etc. Don’t be fooled by the size of a potential entry point – cockroaches can squeeze through some pretty small places, so it’s important to get them all.
2. Reduce food attractants by keeping all foods in airtight, hard plastic containers. This includes not just pantry staples, but pet foods and even some compost-based fertilizers! Also, make sure to store all indoor and outdoor trash in containers with tight lids.
3. Repair issues that could offer roaches moisture by fixing leaky plumbing, unclogging pipes, and dehumidifying places that are typically humid like basements and crawlspaces.
4. Decrease roach hiding spaces by cleaning frequently and removing clutter both in your home and your yard.
If even these measures don’t keep out roaches, don’t try to deal with them yourself. Roaches are notoriously resistant to most common extermination methods, and over-the-counter (OTC) insecticides that normally kill other insects are unlikely to be effective against roaches. The good news is there’s a better way.
Here at Termishield, we’ve been keeping up with the latest cockroach termination technologies for over a decade. That means no matter what resistance these wily pests develop next, we’ll be able to deal with it. So give us a call or visit our contact page to schedule your home pest control inspection today!