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Artificial intelligence is the most significant innovation in the last few years, and we are just beginning to see the power of this new creation. Creativity, adaption, and implementation of an idea fuel innovation, and stopping cockroaches in your home requires all three components. To end a cockroach infestation requires more than spraying a store-bought product throughout the house.
When cockroaches invade your home, the first step is to secure cockroach control in Covington from Havard Pest Control. Our family-owned, QualityPro Certified company has eliminated cockroaches from homes for over 75 years. High ratings on Google and Facebook demonstrate our commitment to 100% customer satisfaction. Furthermore, we are one of only 3% of pest control companies in the United States that has earned the National Pest Management Association-endorsed QualityPro certification from the Foundation for Professional Pest Management.
You probably found this page because cockroaches are inside your home, and the headline probably intrigued you. Before we discuss innovative ways to remove cockroaches from your Covington home, you should learn about these elusive creatures, so please keep reading.
First, Understand How To Spot A Cockroach Problem
Cockroaches are nocturnal insects that travel through homes during the night. These creatures often hide in warm, dark areas near high moisture sources. Although they move through homes in the darkness and stay hidden during the day in obscure locations, you will find these signs of a cockroach infestation if you know where to look:
- Cockroaches
- Droppings
- Egg capsules
- Discarded shells
- Odor
Let's look at each description to get more information.
Because cockroaches are insects, they have six jointed legs, two antennae, an external skeleton (exoskeleton), and a three-part segmented body (head, thorax, and abdomen). Although many cockroach species exist worldwide, only four infest homes in the Covington area.
German cockroaches are the ones we find at home most often. These insects have a 1/2 to 5/8-inch light brown to tan oval-shaped body with two dark stripes on the back behind the head. German cockroaches typically do not enter a home from the yard but hitchhike into locations in cardboard storage boxes, clothing, used furniture, and appliances. When they enter a house, German cockroaches migrate to kitchens and bathrooms.
If you see a large cockroach running across the floor, it is likely an American cockroach. These bugs have a 1 1/4 to 2 1/8-inch reddish-brown body with a yellowish figure-eight pattern on the back of the head. Although all cockroaches have antennae, those on American cockroaches are longer and thin. They prefer the same living environments as German cockroaches.
Smokybrown cockroaches are the size of the smallest American cockroaches (1 1/4 inches) and have dark brown to black bodies with no distinctive markings; however, their wings are longer than their bodies. Like American cockroaches, smokybrown roaches prefer to live outdoors in wooded areas, but when they invade a Covington house, they migrate to the attic or live near the fireplace.
An easily identifiable cockroach is the oriental cockroach. Also known as "waterbugs" or "black beetle cockroaches," these insects have a shiny dark reddish brown or black body. Unlike American, German, and smokeybrown cockroaches, they prefer the colder environment of high-moisture crawl spaces. Next, we will examine the other indications of a cockroach infestation.
As cockroaches move through a home foraging for food, they defecate. Due to their size, American and oriental cockroaches produce blunt, cylindrical droppings, while German and smokybrown roaches leave behind specks resembling coffee grounds. Sometimes, feces from the roaches create smears or spots on items in the house.
Insects lay eggs, and many deposit them individually or in clusters, but cockroaches produce egg capsules (ootheca) filled with eggs. An American cockroach ootheca is 5/16 inches, dark brown, and contains 13 to 14 eggs. German cockroach egg capsules contain 30 to 40 eggs, are light brown or tan, and are about 13/64 of an inch long. Smokybrown dark brown or reddish brown ootheca are 15/32 of an inch and have 20 to 26 eggs. The egg purses of oriental cockroaches are the same color as those of smokybrown cockroaches but are smaller in length and have around 16 eggs. Using their saliva, the females glue these containers in cracks, crevices, and under ledges near food and water sources.
Cockroaches have an external shell (exoskeleton) that protects their body and holds it together. To progress through each growth phase (instars), a cockroach must shed its exoskeleton (molt) to allow its body to expand. Finding discarded molt skins is another sign of a cockroach infestation.
Cockroaches communicate danger, the desire to mate, and the location of food and water sources using chemicals known as pheromones. A musty odor is present when a massive cockroach population exists in a confined area.
Look for these indicators around kitchen and bathroom cabinets, in the basement, crawl space, water heaters, drains, and other dimly-lit areas. If you see these signs, you need Havard Pest Control. Our trained technicians know all the signs of a cockroach infestation.
The Importance Of Cleanliness In Deterring Cockroaches
Cockroaches are omnivores that will consume anything. Due to a cockroach's need for warmth and the desire for moisture, food and water in locations with these elements present, like a home, will attract it. Thus, house cockroach prevention includes the following:
- Repair leaking pipes and fixtures.
- Vacuum the house regularly.
- Suction out the corners, cracks, and crevices.
- Wipe down cooking and eating surfaces after meals.
- Store food products in airtight containers.
- Remove clutter from the floor.
- Clean dishes and put them away before bedtime.
- Close indoor garbage containers.
When a cockroach enters the house and finds food and water, it will communicate with other cockroaches. Also, female cockroaches will deposit egg capsules filled with eggs in locations near their nutritional sources; soon, you will have a cockroach infestation in your Covington home.
When a Havard Pest Control technician inspects your home for signs of cockroaches in your home, we can provide additional tips.
Why Most DIY Cockroach Control Methods Fail
When you move a cabinet and cockroaches scurry across the floor, your natural inclination may be to purchase a product and resolve the problem yourself. If you have done that, you know there is a satisfying aspect as you watch the cockroaches writhe in pain as the product destroys them. However, you may be reading this article because the satisfaction was short-lived, and the cockroaches have returned.
Do-it-yourself seldom works with cockroaches. While a store-bought product may kill visible cockroaches on contact, it does not destroy their ootheca or hidden nests. You need a product that allows the bugs to carry it back to their group so it can spread among the members. Also, DIY products usually consist of outdated home pest control treatments that are no longer effective against cockroaches. Regarding DIY products, another concern is safety. In their zeal to eliminate cockroaches, some homeowners overapply or misapply cockroach pesticide products, exposing pets and children to unnecessary risk.
Most homeowners cannot identify the cockroach species infesting their home. One needs to know which species are in the house because they have different habits and behaviors. In other words, you must treat an oriental cockroach infestation differently than an American or German one. Not knowing where to focus treatments is why many DIY attempts fail.
It is tempting to think that spraying a product throughout a home will end a cockroach problem, but product application is only part of the picture. Effective cockroach control requires sealing entry points and removing attractants. Most people do not address the reasons why cockroaches invade the home.
Our Havard Pest Control technicians are certified in the safe application for professional-grade product application. Furthermore, they have experience with cockroach infestations, so they know where to look for signs and hot spots in the house.
Why Professional Pest Control Is The Best Way To Get Rid Of Cockroach
When you contact us, we will dispatch a trained technician to inspect your Covington home for cockroaches. We will investigate to determine entry points, attractants, hot spots, and the kind of cockroach species inside your home. Using the information we gather from you and our search, we will develop a comprehensive treatment plan utilizing Integrated Pest Management (IPM) protocols.
IPM is a holistic pest control approach that focuses on disrupting the life cycle of pests by considering the habits and behaviors of the cockroach species infesting the house. This method requires minimal product usage to achieve maximum results while protecting the environment, pets, and children. In addition to precise product application, IPM strategies focus on identifying and eliminating attracts to deter future infestations. We will work with you to address those issues so you don't experience a re-infestation.
Because we are a QualityPro Certified company, all our technicians and customer service team members have certifications in their respective fields. We meet and exceed 16 Federal, state, and local regulations. Furthermore, our technicians have passed background checks, so you can be at ease when we inspect your home.
Contact us today to learn about our pest control programs and request your free inspection. Havard Pest Control is the best cockroach exterminator in Covington.
