Fort Mill pest exterminators all agree that cockroaches are the dirtiest creatures they have ever faced. Cockroaches are nocturnal pests that are not only known for ruining fabric, paper, and food, but are also disease vectors that can transmit numerous deadly diseases and cause allergies.
There is little surprise then that people are very terrified by roaches. They are ugly, they smell bad, and they are dangerous. This is why humans cannot—and should not—cohabitate with these filthy insects. Residents of Fort Mill, SC know this, and are always looking out for ways to control roaches. This is where Go-Forth Home Services, the best pest control experts in Fort Mill, SC steps in to help homeowners with some tips and tricks.
If you have roach infestation problems, read on.
History
Nature has designed cockroaches to adapt to ever changing conditions in the environment, and it has been successful at surviving almost unchanged for several millions of years. They roamed the earth together with the dinosaurs.
Fossils of cockroaches that were discovered were said to be around 300 million years old. The roaches we loathe today are almost exactly the same as how they were seen by the dinosaurs. They have survived conditions that have made several creatures extinct; extinction events like that of what happened to the dinosaurs come to mind.
Their love affair with humans, however, started only about 15,000 years ago. Roaches invaded caves that humans lived in, because where there were humans, there was food. Those caves also gave good shelter for the roaches. Since then, roaches have always been our companion at home.
The reason why cockroaches have been so successful is that they are very hard to kill. Roaches do not need to eat or drink everyday. They can live without food for 1 month and without water for 1 week. They can live without their heads for 1 week, breathing through the tiny holes located all throughout their bodies. The thin bodies of cockroaches enable them to hide in the thinnest of cracks and crevices, so if ever they feel threatened they can just run to hide in these narrow cracks. Cockroaches run faster than any other insect.
Roaches will also eat anything. They will never run out of things to eat. Their diet includes rotten food, feces, garbage, dead animals and insects, and even their own.
Lately, there has been another discovery about cockroaches that is bad news for all humans: cockroaches have developed resistance to pesticides. As hard it is to kill them, the poisons that we used to kill them before are not as effective anymore. Indeed, cockroaches are great survivors. It would be a surprise if cockroaches get extinct any time soon.
About Cockroaches
There are around 4,000 identified species of cockroaches, and they are found in all parts of the world save for Antarctica. Most roaches are actually beneficial to the environment as they live in the forests. They only become pests when they get near human dwellings, just as in the case of our prehistoric ancestors in their caves.
Cockroaches belong to the order Blattodea. They are related to another pest, the termites. Cockroaches have chewing mouthparts, so sometimes you can find your food packs with parts that were chewed on. They are built to survive any type of conditions, even apocalyptic events.
In the United States, there are 4 types of cockroaches that are considered as pests. These are the American, German, Oriental, and brown banded cockroaches.
Types Of Cockroaches
American Cockroaches
American cockroaches are very resilient. They are hard to eliminate and can seem to take any kind of punishment; they just keep coming back for more. American cockroaches are reddish brown in color with a yellow mark that looks like the number 8 at the back of their heads. Their sizes range from 1 ¼ inch to 2 ⅛ inches with oval shaped bodies. They have six legs which enables them to run faster than any other insect. They are equipped with wings and can fly short distances, albeit clumsily. They are the largest and the most common cockroach pests. They produce a musty smell which are actually the pheromones that they release.
They primarily live outdoors, but once in a while you can find them inside your house looking for food, water, and even shelter. They can be found living in drains and sewers, or near garbage where their food source is.
Food shortage or a change in climate will force them to move in with you. They come in from the sewers through the drainage or through cracks, crevices, and holes in your home. Once inside, they find their way in the kitchen and bathroom most of the time in search of food and water. They eat whatever they can find, including feces, rotten food, and dead animals. Due to their filthy habits, they carry with them lots of bacteria and viruses. This makes them disease vectors.
They contaminate our food with their droppings, saliva, urine, and vomit; or they can contaminate our food by simply crawling on the food. Their droppings, urine, and saliva also contain allergens that can cause allergies and asthma.
German Cockroaches
These are the type of cockroaches you would normally see in restaurants, factories, and warehouses. They are considered as the most troublesome of all the troublesome cockroaches; the pest of all pests. Just like with the American cockroach, German cockroaches can be found all over the world. They are smaller in size though, being at just 10 to 15 mm long. And just like their so-called “American” counterparts, they contaminate food and water with their feces and urine.
They love sweet, starchy foods. They are a threat to food-related businesses because their presence alone can cause scandal, health risks, and even closure of the business. After all, infestation by cockroaches is associated with unsanitary conditions. To identify, German cockroaches are brown to dark brown in color and have two parallel bands running across the plate-like structure that covers its thorax.
Oriental Cockroaches
If the German cockroach is small, its Oriental counterpart is big. It is probably one of the largest species of cockroaches. They like to live in damp areas, which earned them the nickname “waterbugs.” They are black in color, about 1 inch in length and oval shaped bodies, 6 legs and antennae. They like to live in sewers and under clutter.
Their diet includes garbage, decaying organic matter, and starchy foods. They find their way inside houses through small cracks, crevices, and holes, and once inside they prefer to go to the basements and crawl spaces. They crawl around toilets, sinks, pipes, and anywhere that is damp and cool. They are considered to be the filthiest of all cockroaches.
Brown-Banded Cockroaches
They can be identified by the two lighter bands on their dark brown bodies. They are ½ inch long, with oval shaped bodies, 6 legs, and antennae. They enter homes through cracks, crevices, and small holes. Female brown banded cockroaches lay their eggs under furniture.
Control
Roaches are insects we can all do without. Their negative consequences to our health—and to our wallets—are enormous and cannot be ignored. Fortunately, there are DIY pest control methods you can do.
Try out these tips to prevent roach infestation:
1. Inspect around your home and look for cracks, crevices, and holes. These can be used by roaches as entry points. Seal them off by caulking.
2. Cover your trash cans and dispose of your garbage regularly. This cuts them off one of their food sources.
3. Put your food inside sealed containers to keep them away from roaches. They come and stay for the food; without it there is no point in them staying.
4. Fixed leaky pipes and faucets since they love moist and damp areas.
5. Use Diatomaceous earth. These are made from fossilized remains of diatoms and look like little shards of broken glass. It works by inflicting tiny cuts on the bodies of roaches, causing them to bleed to death.
If you already have cockroach infestation problems, it would be the perfect time to call on pest control professionals near you. There are plenty of Fort Mill, SC exterminators, but certainly you only want the best. You might end up with so-called professionals who do not have licenses, or the experience to be true experts in the field of pest control.
A great pest control company will be willing to communicate and cooperate with homeowners. Ask for referrals from people you know and trust. Researching online will also help. For the best pest control professionals, call on Go-Forth Home Services.
Go-Forth Home Services has a team of excellent professionals who are licensed to do their jobs. They use the latest and most advanced technology in the business, so you can say goodbye to those pests. Go-Forth is a one-stop-shop for pest control; they have excellent experience in dealing with all kinds of pests.
For more information, get in touch with us now!