Ocean Isle's Extreme Guide To Cockroach Prevention

2/14/2020

Cockroaches are a nightmare. If you see one in your home, you are sure you’ve got a problem. That’s because cockroaches multiply very quickly. German cockroaches, one of the species of cockroach found in Ocean Isle Beach, North Carolina, for instance, is one of the fastest breeders. A female German cockroach can live for 6 months. They can produce seven egg capsules in a lifetime, with each capsule holding as many as 48 eggs. Furthermore, German cockroaches mature fast because of their short life span, and they are ready to have their own babies within a few weeks of being born. This means there can be thousands of cockroaches in just a short period of time. 

Other cockroaches in the Ocean Isle Beach area include the Western Wood cockroaches, the American cockroach, and the Brown-hooded cockroach. While none of them produce as profusely as the German cockroach, they are all capable of quickly overrunning the environment. You can identify different cockroaches visually. The American cockroach, for instance, is reddish-brown in color with a yellow figure 8 pattern on their heads. The German cockroach is light brown or tan with dark stripes while a shiny black cockroach can be identified as an Oriental cockroach. In this Ocean Isle guide to cockroach prevention, we are going to discuss some tips for preventing cockroaches in Ocean Isle Beach, North Carolina, and surrounding areas.

What Attracts Cockroaches To Your Home?

There are several things that can attract cockroaches into your home. One misconception, however, is that a clean home cannot get cockroaches. This isn’t true. While a dirty home is certainly more likely to attract cockroaches, you can still find yourself in the throws of an infestation with an immaculately kept home. This is because cockroaches are capable of scavenging. They can find sources of food and water no matter how minuscule. 

Cockroaches don’t need a lot to survive. They look for food, water, and warm shelter. Your home is the perfect place for all of their basic needs. There are leaking pipes, standing water in basements, cabinets full of food (sometimes poorly sealed), cracks and crevices where roaches like to lay their eggs, and food crumbs that act like a beacon inviting cockroaches to dine. While many insects are limited to a particular season, cockroaches are active all year long. In the colder months, your warm house is a favorite gathering spot, and once they are there, no amount of store-bought bug spray will alleviate the problem.

As we’ve already mentioned, food, water, and shelter are essentials for cockroaches, but individual species are attracted to different types of environments. Warm, humid places attract German roaches, so you may seem them frequenting bathrooms, showers, and sinks. Oriental cockroaches prefer the outdoors and are often found under leaves and rocks. When inside, they frequently hide out in cracks and crevices. You may find American cockroaches in restaurants and other commercial settings around food areas, while the Brown-banded cockroach prefers dry, warm settings. Even with these preferences, any of these roaches can find their way into a home and be more than content with their surroundings. The cockroach is highly adaptable.

How Do Cockroaches Find Their Way Into Your Home?

There is a myriad of ways cockroaches can enter your home. Cracks, holes, water pipes, drains, and vents are easy to access for roaches. They can also hitchhike inside in boxes, in bags, or on clothing. If you are moving from a home that is infested with cockroaches, they can hide in coffee pots and furniture and make the trip to your new place, quickly infesting that home as well. If you visit someone who has a roach problem and bring home a box of dishes, a bag of clothing or other items, you run the risk of making their cockroach problem your problem. 

Tips for Cockroach Prevention

Though a clean house isn’t a guarantee that you won’t have a cockroach problem, its still the first step towards preventing an infestation. Keeping food sealed, wiping away crumbs, and frequent sweeping and mopping can help keep the small amounts of food off the floor that cockroaches find appealing. Also, making sure there are no damp, humid places or leaking pipes can keep cockroaches at bay.

The best thing you can do to prevent cockroaches from entering your home is to locate and seal even the tiniest of openings. These small entry points are one of the most common ways roaches find access to your home. This can be a daunting task because cockroaches can enter your home through openings you may not even know exist, which is why a thorough inspection of your home is often necessary.

Of course, there are plenty of bug sprays on the market and even cockroach traps, but these are ineffective for doing anything other than killing a few cockroaches at a time. Furthermore, cockroaches are adaptable creatures and will often develop an immunity toward chemical treatments. 

To tackle a cockroach problem, you have to eliminate it at its source. Therefore, its best to contact the professionals. Jay Taylor Exterminating Company has been in business for 75 years and is the best choice when it comes to getting rid of your cockroach problem in Ocean Isle Beach, NC. Not only can we get rid of an existing cockroach infestation, but we can also help you set up a preventive plan to keep them away. Don’t let the cockroaches take over. Call Jay Taylor Exterminating Company today or fill out the form on our website to set an appointment. We offer a fast response time, experienced technicians, complete customer satisfaction, and a range of pest control services in Ocean Isle that includes bed bug, flea, termite, and rodent control.