We have many cockroach species that call California home. The most common and most prolific is the German cockroach, which is a tiny tan roach that gets into man-made structures and reproduces like crazy. What makes German cockroaches the worst are traits that all pest cockroaches share. German cockroaches just happen to have these traits in abundance. Let's take a look at them!
Roaches Have A Tolerance For Dry Conditions
Most cockroach species require high levels of moisture and humidity to survive. Some require so much humidity that they rarely get into man-made structures. What makes a pest cockroach a problem is its ability to adapt to conditions cockroaches would consider to be dry.
There are a few reasons it is important to understand this:
- Cockroaches will gravitate to basements, cellars, boiler rooms, laundry rooms, bathrooms, and other humid locations.
- In bathrooms, cockroaches can present a disease threat because they are as attracted to the bristles of toothbrushes as they are to the dirty rim of a toilet.
- In a damp basement, cockroaches will crawl around in mold, algae, and fungus that has developed in secret places.
- Cockroaches will get into moist drains where they are exposed to rotting organic matter.
Roaches Have A Tolerance For Limited Food Resources
Man-made structures don't have a lot of food, especially for a cockroach. But pest cockroaches make do with what they can find—and find it they will. Roaches have a knack for locating what they prefer to eat.
Here are a few ways this can impact your health:
- Cockroaches eat organic juices in the bottom of your kitchen trash.
- Cockroaches eat grime off the sides of your oven.
- Cockroaches feed on cat feces in litter boxes.
- Cockroaches feed on dry skin and eyelashes, which they will sometimes eat off of sleeping people. This can lead to accidental bites. We say accidental because cockroaches don't prefer live tissue.
- Cockroaches can feed on dead rodents inside wall voids, attic spaces, and other hidden places.
- Cockroaches drink saliva from the mouths of sleeping people and are particularly attracted to the milky scent of a baby's breath.
Roaches Reproduce Quickly
A German cockroach can go from hatched egg to adult cockroach in as little as thirty-six days. So, in just over a month, a new generation of cockroaches can begin. As the population of cockroaches increases in a home or business, so does the opportunity for illness. Cockroaches are known to spread more than thirty-three kinds of bacteria, six parasites, seven human pathogens, and particulates that can exacerbate allergies. An increase in cockroaches can also lead to bites. While cockroaches don't generally bite people, they'll when they start to get hungry. Cockroach sightings are a sign that cockroaches have reached the maximum population. Roaches don't prefer to show themselves.
Cockroach Control In Southern California
If you're seeing cockroaches in your California home or business, contact Excel Pest Management. The risk of illness warrants immediate cockroach control. Our licensed pest professionals can inspect your property, establish a treatment plan, and execute that plan to eliminate any cockroaches present. Once this is done, we can help you decide on a long-term strategy to manage cockroach pressures and prevent cockroaches from getting in. Our team uses Integrated Pest Management and field-tested methods to achieve the best results with the least amount of pest control product.
Do you live in the Greater Los Angeles area, reach out to Excel Pest Management today. We're here to assist you with all your pest control needs. Get cockroaches out and keep them out to prevent cockroach-related illness. We can help!