Cockroach Guide
Since cockroaches can date back to about 320 million years ago, it’s safe to assume they’re here to stay. Since they’re here to stay, we might as well learn about them and do what we can to eliminate them from our living habitat.
Cockroaches undergo a gradual metamorphosis during their life stages. This consists of the egg, nymph and adult stage. Nymphs have a similar appearance to adults but smaller in size. As the nymphs matures, they will shed their exoskeleton in order to grow. When you see a cockroach that has a very light color, it means it was freshly molted. The life cycle from the egg to adult stage is dependent upon environmental conditions and varies with each cockroach species. By identifying the correct type of cockroach, this will make it easier to eliminate them.
The most common species of cockroaches consists of the following:
- American cockroach (Periplaneta Americana)
- Brownbanded cockroach (Supella longipalpa)
- Smokybrown cockroach (Periplaneta fuliginosa)
- German cockroach (Blattella Germanic)
- Oriental cockroach (Balatta orientalis)
Cockroaches can usually be found in the following places within a structure: an area with high humidity and free standing water, dark damp places with limited air movement (no wind gust) and cracks along walls. Usually they will be under sinks, refrigerators, dishwashers and stoves, near the bathroom by the bathroom sink and around toilets, trash containers, under cabinets and food storage areas. It is also very important to check behind objects that are on the walls such as picture frames, paintings or anything hung on the wall.
Best ways to treat for cockroaches:
The importance of sanitation is critical to get rid of cockroaches. The reason is because you never want competing food sources for cockroaches. If there are food crumbs in the location, a cockroach is more likely to eat those than to eat cockroach baits. The more clutter there are in the area, the less likely baits will be effective since this will cockroach’s sensory abilities. They simply cannot detect the baits to consume. Because of the importance of having a sanitary environment, cockroach problems can be reduced dramatically and be easily eliminated.
When you are ready to use cockroach gel baits and /or cockroach bait stations, this is what we recommend. Cockroach gel baits are highly recommended for indoors and hard to get to places where it’s difficult to use liquid concentrate sprays. Always put baits as close to the places where you see cockroaches. We recommend putting the gel in a bead size and place multiple beads. Keep in mind, when placing the gel baits in easy to reach places, the cockroaches are more likely to consume the bait. When using bait stations, we recommend putting 4-5 per 100 square feet.