There are many pests that affect Worcester homeowners. Some are nuisances, while others are a clear danger. One pest that satisfies the criteria to be both is the cockroach.
Types Of Cockroach
Like other pests, there are more than one species of cockroach in the Worcester area, which means it's important to understand the slightly different behaviors of the three main species, which are:
- German cockroach: This cockroach only grows to 1/2" in length at most and is light brown in color. They are known to be an indoor cockroach and to reproduce rapidly. As such, you can count on a large infestation if it's a German cockroach.
- American cockroach: This one is the largest of the three, growing up to three inches long. More troubling, this species can fly, which greatly increases their travel ability. They can be further identified by their dark red or brown coloring.
- Oriental cockroach: This species is shiny black in color and grows up to an inch long. Although the male has wings, the Oriental cockroach is flightless. Oriental cockroaches prefer damp, dark environments like sewers, storm drains, and gutters.
While all three are different in appearance and behavior, it's the similarities that make them interesting and troublesome for homeowners. All three species are highly adaptable to their environment.
Because of their adaptability, they are formidable enough to remain difficult to kill. They also possess detoxification enzymes specifically designed to keep them safe from whatever they eat, including many common insecticides, making them even more challenging to eradicate.
Cockroaches Are Truly A Danger
Everyone can agree that cockroaches are considered gross. Unfortunately, being gross is just the tip of the iceberg with this pest. Cockroaches embrace disgusting habits like crawling in the garbage or across fecal matter. Some, like the Oriental cockroach, even feed on these materials.
These habits mean they pick up a range of pathogens and bacteria during their travels that inevitably spread to humans when they invade their homes. Some common illnesses associated with cockroaches include salmonellosis, cholera, typhoid fever, gastroenteritis, plague, E.coli, and listeriosis, among others.
If that wasn't bad enough, it's also been proven that cockroaches can trigger allergic reactions and asthma, especially in children or those with existing respiratory issues.
It's A Battle To Remove Them
Because of their resilience, cockroach prevention is always better than cockroach control. If you have a cockroach infestation on your hands, you're in for a long, drawn-out battle without professional intervention, due to the following:
- Resilience: Cockroaches can survive without a head for as long as a week. They can hold their breath for more than 40 minutes, making it difficult to drown them. They're also resistant to extreme cold and boast other signs of resilience that make them nearly unkillable.
- Small size: This pest is small and can slip through the cracks and crevices you don't even notice. If it's the size of the thickness of a quarter, they can get through.
- Speed: Despite their small size, they move quickly. We're talking about speeds of three miles per hour. The newborns are barely slower. Good luck catching them in a speed contest.
- Feeding habits: They can live for a month without food and a week without water. You won't starve them out of your home. You may be able to dehydrate them, but you'll have to be vigilant in your efforts.
- Rapid reproduction: Like other pests, this one reproduces rapidly. Even worse, they reproduce in large numbers at a time. Their egg capsules will have anywhere from 16 to as many as 48 eggs inside, depending on the species.
Remove The Cockroaches With Big Blue Bug Solutions
At Big Blue Bug Solutions, we know how difficult it is to remove cockroaches with DIY or other methods. That's why we're ready to be the hero you need when fighting this troublesome pest, thanks to the training and tools we bring to the fight.
We know where to look to find their hiding spaces, and we have the effective products necessary to get rid of cockroaches in your home. Contact Big Blue Bug Solutions today to find out about our residential and commercial pest control programs, and bid farewell to your cockroach problem.