Cockroaches: Prehistoric Pests of the Here and Now
By: Amanda S
I don’t know about you, but when I encounter cockroaches, my skin crawls…literally. Cockroaches have been around since prehistoric times, and it doesn’t appear that they will be going anywhere any time soon. In this blog post, I will share some creepy crawly facts about cockroaches and some tips and tricks to keep your home roach free!
Cockroaches are insects that tend to live socially in communities. They prefer warm, humid, and dark places and develop social structures that can be seen through their community dwellings together, depending on other cockroaches for help with shelter or food, exchanging information and even recognizing their relations. Males tend to have 2 sets of wings while females have either vestigial wings or are wingless. Fun fact, females can mate once and remain pregnant for the rest of their lives! Females either carry their egg sack with them or deposit it somewhere safe until their eggs hatch.
A few other fun facts about our creepy crawly cockroaches are they can hold their breath for up to 40 minutes and run up to 3 miles per hour! American roaches also have an affinity to alcohol! (Talk about a party crasher…) Roaches tend to spend about 75% of their time resting and can survive without food for up to 30 days!
No one wants to see a cockroach breach the safety of your home. Cockroaches carry serious health risks via the spines of their legs. They can carry decaying matter like feces, bacteria like e. coli, parasites, and deadly pathogens. Roaches also trigger allergy and asthma attacks because they leave behind these health hazards, and we pick them up without realizing it. It is important to take precautions to avoid cockroaches and to reach out to a pest professional if you fear an infestation. Your family’s health and wellness are at risk even if you only see a couple.
Pest control and prevention is more than hiring a pest professional for treatment. Here is a list of things you can do alongside regular pest control services to prevent roaches from find your home as comforting as you do!
- Always clean spills and crumbs as soon as possible
- Remove trash and clean trash cans frequently
- Sweep, mop, and vacuum periodically
- Keep pet food covered or sealed
- Create a cleaning schedule weekly for your home
- Clean Kitchen nightly
- Seal any cracks or holes that may allow entry into your home
If you find yourself doing these things and still have more than a couple roaches living at home with you, reach out to a trusted pest professional to schedule an in-home inspection to develop the best plan to resolve your infestation and keep your family safe from the health hazards that cockroaches bring with them.
We at Bust-A-Bug, pride ourselves on providing convenient, effective, and affordable pet and family friendly pest control options and our team has over 25 years of combined experience in the pest control field. We can help you keep your family safe! Call our office today at (757) 821-5420 to schedule an in-home inspection or learn more about PestShield Pest control and how it can be the solution you need for roaches by clicking this link, https://bustabugva.com/roach-pest-control/.
