Are There Roaches Living Inside Your Chesapeake Home

They lurk in the shadows. They appear unexpectedly before your blurry eyes at three in the morning as you visit the bathroom half asleep. They surprise you by coming out of a crack in your baseboard that you didn't even know was there. They go running for cover when you open your pantry door. If you live with cockroaches, we can understand why you might want to get a can of something extremely harmful and use it to wipe those roaches out of existence. But before you do that, there are a few things you should know about those creepy, dirty pests. Join us today as we look at four critical cockroach facts that every Chesapeake resident should learn. If you find a cockroach in your house, these facts will help you decide what to do about them. If you just want the roaches gone, remember that help is only a few clicks away. Navigate to our contact page and reach out to us for professional pest control in Chesapeake. We know how to deal with roaches. 

Types Of Cockroaches Found In Chesapeake

We have a variety of cockroach species in Chesapeake. The four primary species are German, American, oriental, and wood cockroaches. There are others, but these help to describe the differences between the species. Let's quickly run down through them. 

German Cockroaches: No other cockroach species holds a candle to German cockroaches—not even American cockroaches (though brown-banded cockroaches are gaining ground). What makes German roaches so much trouble? They do very well in structures. While they prefer humid spaces, they can put up with dry conditions that other roaches won't tolerate. Their ability to adapt to indoor living has led to a transition from the wild life to the domestic life. What do we mean? There are currently no known wild German cockroach population in the entire world. All German cockroaches live near, or inside, structures created by humans. When you see these insects, it is time to get a German cockroach treatment. There is no getting around it, expert pest control is needed.  

American Cockroaches: How bad are the roaches that bear our name? These are exceptional pests. But there is some good news. American cockroaches need moisture. Often called palmetto bugs or water bugs, they have a close association with moisture. If your home is appropriately dry for human habitation, it is too dry for American cockroaches. But don't get your hopes up too high. They are remarkably resilient pests and may make do with less-than-ideal habitats if they feel like they have to. It is, however, important to note that humidity control is often effective against these pests.

Oriental Cockroaches: These are the black ones. The only good news we have to share about these gross little bugs is that you won't see black flying cockroaches in your home. Oriental roaches don't fly. Females have wing stubs and while males have fully-developed wings, they don't fly. So you don't have to worry about an oriental cockroach scaring you half to death on a hot humid summer day, like an American cockroach will. But the downsides are great. These roaches are exceptionally dirty and they have a preference for laying their oothecae (egg pouches) in rotting organic goo. Yup. It is as gross as it sounds. But their desire to find stinky places to reproduce may allow you to seal them outdoors. Sanitation is your key weapon to stop oriental cockroaches. Clean exterior trash receptacles and address anything stinky in your yard and these roaches may find another yard to live in. 

Wood Cockroaches: These are the roaches that crawl around during the day. If you see a cockroach climb out of a light fixture on a sunny day, it is a wood roach. These are the best roaches to have, though they are more than capable of pestering you. Wood cockroaches prefer to live outside. They aren't likely to establish themselves inside. Therefore, exclusion work is the ideal solution to address a wood roach problem.      

Did you see how these cockroaches differ? German roaches require professional control. You may drive American cockroaches out of your home by addressing humidity. You may drive oriental cockroaches away from your home by cleaning your exterior. And you may stop wood cockroaches simply by sealing exterior entry points. When you combine all three of these management methods, you'll add even more control for each. 

Why Are Cockroaches Dangerous?

Some cockroaches are worse than others when it comes to infectious diseases. The worst on our list above are oriental cockroaches because of their desire to lay their oothecae in gross stuff. Wood cockroaches are the cleanest because they feed on natural food sources predominantly. But wood roaches that have crawled on an animal carcass are just as bad as urban roaches that have crawled in trash bins, dumpsters, or sewers.

German cockroaches are somewhere in between. They are attracted to dirty things, but it is much harder for these insects to find dirty things inside a clean home. When you work hard to deep clean your home and keep it clean, you deter cockroach-related illness. It also helps to store all garbage in sealed containers. You have some control over the threat cockroaches represent. Do you see how that works?

One last point we need to make about the dangers of cockroaches is that these insects are linked to increased hospitalizations for asthma-related symptoms and illness. Kids are impacted the most. If you have roaches in your home, you may have issues with sickness no matter how clean you keep your home. 

Why Do-It-Yourself Cockroach Control Usually Fails

We touched on what works to drive cockroaches out of your home and away from your yard. While these are important facts, those methods may not get rid of cockroaches. The success of natural cockroach control methods is impacted by conducive conditions. When the cockroaches don't leave your home, you may turn to cockroach control products for a solution. Before you do, you'll want to know these final facts.

Roaches Are Strong: Cockroaches began as robust insects. They have a high tolerance for many things that would harm a human, such as exposure to radiation, rotting organic matter, and feces. It is also hard to squish a cockroach with a newspaper. They compact when struck and can spring back up and scramble to safety.  

Roaches Are Adaptive: Cockroaches shed their skins several times as they develop into adult roaches. During that development process, strong roaches that are exposed to control products can create new skins that are resistant to those products. We don't need to tell you how bad it is when this happens.

Roaches Share Their Genetic Resistance: Strong roaches share their genetic resistance with their offspring. You may make the roaches in your home stronger when you attempt to wipe them out. It is also possible that the roaches in your home are already resistant to the products you're thinking about using on them.

Roaches Are More Adaptive Than You Might Think: It is commonly known that cockroaches have developed a resistance to control products but are you aware that they can also alter their taste receptors to reject foods that are harmful to them? Researchers have found some German cockroach populations born with bait aversion. That is scary! It is also why we recommend a German cockroach treatment when you see these roaches in your home. They are extremely hard to control if you don't have training and experience.    

There is more we could say about the many ways DIY cockroach control can fail, but these are the primary issues. Cockroach control is not about finding the right product. It is about using the right strategy. 

The Trick To Total Cockroach Control For Chesapeake Homes

If you try to deal with the cockroaches in your home, we recommend all-natural solutions such as sanitation, food storage, exclusion work, yard work, and moisture control. All of these work together to drive roaches out and keep them out naturally. If control products are required, it is best to have a licensed pest control technician address your issue so that you don't accidentally make your roaches harder to control.

Are you in Chesapeake? If so, contact Hawk Mosquito & Pest for effective pest control solutions. Our technicians use field-tested strategies and a multipronged control plan to locate cockroaches, evaluate conducive conditions, seal potential entry points, and apply layers of exterior protection. We also have solutions for long-term cockroach control. Our residential pest control service plans can reduce pest activity in your yard and stop pests from gaining entrance to your home. We would love to speak with you about your options. Hawk MP is an industry-leading pest control service provider that leans on the advice and training of industry experts. We don't just get rid of cockroaches, our technicians provide long-lasting and sustainable solutions that require the least amount of control materials. Connect with us today to learn more. We're here to help you address all of your pest concerns in Chesapeake.