There are various kinds of insects that live in this world. However, your own and that infest households. One of which is the cockroach. This insect is a winged insect with a brown or black leathery integument, and an oval and flattened body. Cockroaches also have long antennae which differentiates them from other species. Furthermore, its head is bowed down, and its mouth is pointed backward.
A cockroach is an insect from the Blattodae family. Its hind legs have the same size and shape as their middle legs. These body parts along with their wings enable them to travel rapidly. Did you know that they can crawl about three miles per hour? This is one of the reasons why they reach homes and establishments easily and quickly whenever they need to.
This insect can surprisingly live for two weeks without water and a month without food. Creepy as it sounds, that cockroach can also live without a head for over a week. Unlike most insect species, roaches do not rely on their nose to breathe. These creatures have spiracles located all with their bodies which they use for respiration.
Have you tried throwing a cockroach on the drain or flushing it down the toilet? Many of you believe that this will kill the insect. Because of its spiracles, it can survive for more than 30 minutes on the water. Instead of killing them, they just gave them a safe way out.
Most individuals hate cockroaches because of the nuisances they bring. Who would want an icky creature at home? To eliminate them, we first need to understand what they do and where they hide.
Where Do Cockroaches Hide?
Cockroaches prefer to live in warm, dark, and wet places. This includes sewers, drains, sinks, and bathrooms. They also love areas where they have easy access to food. This includes our kitchen and our dining area.
There are a lot of ways how these roaches get inside our home. When we buy second-hand appliances and materials, there could be cockroach eggs and nymphs inside it. This is why experts recommend checking your baggage first before you bring them home. Not only will this lead to cockroach infestation but also bed bug and weevil infestations.
Another way they can enter the house is true unsealed cracks and crevices. Cockroaches are called winter pests because of their inability to survive cold weather. By the time winter comes, they should have found a stable place to stay where there is an abundance of warmth, moisture, and food. By any chance, your home has all these features, cockroaches and other pests are likely to choose your humble abode as their home.
Signs Of Infestation
According to experts, regardless if your house is clean or not, cockroaches are likely to infest it. As discussed, not only are they attracted to human food but also warmth and moisture. To determine if you have a cockroach infestation, here are the signs you need to look out for:
Presence Of The Cockroach
Cockroaches have no regard for personal space, much less personal hygiene. If your home is infested by roaches, you’ll know because of their presence. You could see them walking on your cupboards, sink, dining table, and floor. Sometimes you can even see them in your cabinets.
Unusual Odor
Cockroaches also secrete a foul smell. This comes from their saliva and their feces. If you observe the trails of roaches, you can see orange spots or linings. This is the substance where the unusual odor is coming from. You can often see this on walls, floors, cardboards, and clothing. If you see these stains on food containers, it's best to sanitize these materials to avoid contamination.
Droppings
Cockroach droppings look like black specks of dust. Usually, these are concentrated on areas where roach activity is at its peak. From their droppings, you can assess their population and their nest.
Egg Capsule (Ootheca)
And sure that most of you have seen an ootheca. This is the protective covering that encloses the eggs of a cockroach. It is a brown, capsule-shaped object that female roaches leave in a secure place once it's ready to hatch. Did you know that one ootheca can contain 50 to 100 cockroach eggs? Without intervention, you will be facing a full-on infestation within a couple of months.
Diseases That Roaches Bring
Many people believe that having cockroaches at home is completely normal and harmless. Little do they know that these creatures are known to transmit 33 kinds of bacteria; this includes six parasitic worms, E.coli, and Salmonella. Here are the most common illnesses brought by cockroaches to human beings.
Typhoid Fever
This is a bacterial infection that can affect the internal organs without prompt treatment. It is caused by the Salmonella typhi bacteria that is related to the bacterium that causes Salmonellosis.
However, this illness is more serious and more life-threatening. Plus, it is highly contagious. An infected individual can transmit the bacteria through their stool or urine. If you have a weak immune system, seeing that you don't get in contact with people who have this disease. It could have a greater impact on you, considering the status of your body.
The symptoms of typhoid fever include but are not limited to high fevers that can reach up to 40° C, headaches, body pains, cough, and constipation. Many make the mistake of diagnosing themselves as having the flu. They resort to taking ibuprofen and antibiotics to eliminate the bacterium. However, it's not always the case. If the person is misdiagnosed and the bacteria spread to his organs, it could lead to complications or death. This is why it pays off to visit your health care provider whenever you feel symptoms of typhoid fever.
Cholera
This is another in this caused by the cockroach. It is an infectious disease that causes severe diarrhea that can lead to dehydration if untreated. Most people who contract Cholera acquired the bacteria by eating and drinking contaminated food and water.
In the 1800s, Cholera was prevalent because of the lack of functional treatment systems. People were likely to ingest contaminated water which led to the outbreak of this disease. In the modern world, despite the innovations in treatment systems, cholera is still prevalent. The World Health Organization reports that there are over four million cases a year.
It is common in areas where there are poor sanitation and famine. Most victims of the bacterium come from Asia, Africa, and Latin America. The symptoms of this disease include but are not limited to dehydration, rapid heart rate, thirst, low blood pressure, muscle cramps, and loss of elasticity. These are only two of the most fatal illnesses caused by cockroaches. This is why it is necessary to upscale your methods for pest control.
Cockroach Infestation Treatment & Control
Most individuals resort to pesticides once they see pests in their environment. Little do they know the consequences of using such chemicals. We all know that pesticides are substances or biological agents used to kill pests. It has been the ally of farmers, residents, and business owners for pest control. Useful as these are to eliminate pests, these are harmful to people and the environment.
Since pesticides carry some harmful chemicals, here are a few red flags attached to it:
They release toxic chemicals to the environment.
While it does its job by warding off pests from crops, pesticides are harming the environment in the process. These chemicals sneak into permeable openings like gravel deposits which enables groundwater contamination. What is even more dangerous is that rainfall can carry chemicals through percolation and spread it to distant places.
They cause long-term health issues to farmers.
According to The Guardian, farmers are at risk because they are more exposed to pesticides. They can develop prostate, lung, thyroid, and bone-marrow cancer. Aside from that, they also develop diabetes, Parkinson's diseases, asthma, and macular degeneration to mention a few.
Consumers are not excluded. They can get ill if they inhale or consume food products that were grown in soil exposed to pesticides.
Now that you know the harmful effects of using pesticides, you have to learn how to eliminate them using natural methods. Here’s how you lure a roach to a trap.
The first thing to do is to locate the nest. As we discussed earlier, cockroaches are attracted to moist and humid places. They also love to dwell on areas where there is an abundance of food. Check your compartments, cabinets, under-sink, and under-appliances. If you see egg capsules, cockroach feces, and the roaches themselves, you know where to apply baits and traps.
After you lay down these materials around the nest, clean the surrounding area. Eliminate clutter and blockages. This ensures that they have nowhere else to hide when you cause frolic.
When everything’s set, that’s the time to cause frolic. Target the nest of roaches. Make them panic and run into the traps you laid down. They may not take the bait at first, but as they look for other places to hide in, most of them will fall into the trap.
Of course, the strategy only works for minor infestations. For severe cases, you're going to need the help of expert roach exterminators. If you're looking for pest control providers that offer high-quality services at an affordable price, contact Go-Forth Home Services. We offers the best Pest management procedures in North Carolina. For a pest-free life, there’s no stopping you to have these experts on speed dial.