If you love the variety of four distinct seasons, the allure of New England town life, and the excitement of the city, Worcester might just be the place for you. From the Worcester Art Museum to the Hanover Theater and Bancroft Tower, our city has plenty of attractions to keep you entertained, without being so big that it loses its small-town charm.
Unfortunately, with the frigid winters in our region comes a variety of cockroaches that seek shelter from the biting cold wherever they can find it – especially in our warm, inviting New England homes. We’ve got three main types of cockroach here in Massachusetts:
- American Cockroaches – often more than two inches long, rusty-brown, and flightless, these roaches are fast runners and can scatter at almost unbelievable speeds for their size and shape. They don’t like the cold, and they need a lot of moisture, so they’re usually found in basements, drains, bathrooms, and other warm, wet areas of your house.
- German Cockroaches – small, tan to dark brown, with two dark stripes running from the head to the wing base. These roaches are also vulnerable to freezing winters, so they often seek shelter inside our homes.
- Oriental Cockroaches – over an inch long, dark brown, and flightless, these roaches are usually found in moist, low-light places like basements and laundry rooms or under sinks and other appliances that use water.
Tough Little Buggers
No matter their species, cockroaches are tough animals. Most everyone knows the legend that they’re one of the few species that can survive a nuclear holocaust. Regardless of the validity of that rumor (hopefully it won’t ever be tested), the resilience of roaches is indisputable. They can run at 3mph. They can hold their breath for up to half an hour. They can survive higher levels of radiation than humans. They can even live hours to weeks after being decapitated. All this means one thing for area homeowners: these are tough bugs to get rid of.
Dangerous Carriers
Not only are they resilient; but they’re also truly disgusting. Everyone knows roaches are nasty, but most people don’t understand just how truly dangerous they are. These insects carry dozens of different pathogens from parasitic protozoa to viruses to bacteria, molds, and fungi – they can even introduce other pests, like mites, into your home. Studies have shown that up to 98% of roaches carry some kind of pathogen. They hang out in drains, sewers, garbage dumps, and corpses, picking up whatever parasites and germs are there and bringing them into your home.
Elimination Challenges
Speaking of accessing your home, roaches are notorious for their ability to squeeze through spaces much tinier than themselves, meaning it’s almost impossible to seal up every hole and crack that could provide access to your house. Once they’re in, they’re even harder to eliminate than they were to prevent. Roaches have an insane reproductive rate, meaning they can replace every individual you kill multiple times over. Sometimes, females don’t even need a male to procreate! Furthermore, roaches are already resistant to some of the most common, store-bought chemicals used to eliminate other pests – and research shows their levels of resistance are only increasing. All this means that no matter how many bugs you stomp, spray, or trap, more will just keep on coming.
Ridding The Roaches
The adage that “if you see one roach, there are a hundred you don’t see” holds. That’s why it’s important to take action as soon as you start noticing a few individuals scurrying back to their dark corners after you turn on the light. If you start noticing roaches in your home, don’t waste time and money on ineffective traps that will kill a few adults and leave the majority of their offspring unharmed. Call the professionals!
Here at Big Blue Bug Solutions, we’ve got the tools and the know-how to give those bugs the boot for good. Our pest programs will not only help you eliminate current infestations in your home but make sure they never come back. So give us a call at (888) 411-5699 or visit our contact page to schedule your service today.