Cockroach Identification & Prevention

What are cockroaches?

Cockroaches are the most primitive living insects we know of. There are around 4,000 species alive in the world today. They are very resilient pests that find their way inside, searching for food, water, and shelter. Some of the most common species we deal with include:

American Cockroach

• Measures around 1-3 inches long (largest house-infesting roach)
• Also known as water bug, Bombay canary, or palmetto bug)
• Reddish-brown in color with a distinct, yellow-colored figure-eight pattern behind the head
• Have wings and can fly short distances

German Cockroach

• Measures around ½ to ¾ of an inch long (smallest sized cockroach species)
• Breeds in dark, damp spaces and prefers to reside indoors near human food sources
• Yellowish-brown with two black stripes running horizontally from back of the head to base of wings
• Hates light and cannot fly

Brown-Banded Cockroach

• Measures around 1/2 an inch long
• Has a dark brown body with two distinctive broad bands across the wings
• Lives nearer to the ceiling than the floor, lurking in kitchen cabinets, bathrooms, furniture
• Males fly, but females do not

Oriental Cockroach

• Measures around 1 inch long
• Has a dark brown, smooth, shiny body and is sometimes referred to as water bug or black beetle cockroach
• Lives at or below ground level and invades homes under doors and through gaps in siding, pipes, sewers, and drains
• Males have wings and females do not, but neither can fly

Where do cockroaches live?

Cockroaches are mostly outdoor scavengers, with a tendency to live in areas with wet, decaying matter. They prefer cool, damp areas, and they usually live at or below ground level. You can find them in sewers, drains, dumps, mulch, flower beds, and underneath piles of leaves. Inside, they often hang out in moisture-rich areas like the basement, crawl space, bathrooms, kitchen, and laundry room.

Are cockroaches dangerous?

As roaches crawl around your space, they contaminate vulnerable surfaces, spreading pathogens and causing illnesses. Cockroach infestations are linked to a long list of diseases, such as dysentery, cholera, leprosy, typhoid fever, and a host of viral diseases. Not only do roaches contaminate insulation, causing allergens to become airborne, but they also leave feces, saliva, shed skins, and drop bacteria everywhere they go. These dropping can seriously affect allergies and asthmatic symptoms and cause a slew of consequences that result from general contamination.

What do cockroaches eat?

Cockroaches feed on organic food sources, including anything from human food to decaying matter, sewage, and other unsanitary sources. As they travel around from one dirty area to the next, they eat all kinds of things and pick up germs and pathogens, which can be harmful to you once they get in your space.

How do I know if I have a cockroach problem?

If there are cockroaches in your home, you may spot egg casings and droppings in active areas, and you may detect a musky, unpleasant odor. Noticing these signs is usually indicative of a larger cockroach infestation.