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Let's start this conversation with a quick question; "How do cockroaches get into houses and move from room to room?" Do you know? If you do, you're in the minority. Most Hattiesburg residents don't know that roaches climb through cracks and crevices and that they can only enter a home with entry points already available. These insects don't tunnel through wood or chew on other building materials, and even if cockroaches can get into your walls, they can't come all the way inside if you completely seal off the interior.
Today, we will share some maintenance tips to help you say goodbye to roaches for good. Before we do, we'll look at a few key facts you should know about the cockroaches in Hattiesburg so that you can see the entire cockroach pest control picture. As always, your Havard Pest Control team is here to answer any questions or provide information about our home pest control service options. Contact us at any time.
Understanding The Cockroach Problem: Identifying The Culprits
The best way to tell that you have a cockroach infestation is to look for their droppings. But roaches aren't the only pests that leave droppings in your home. Therefore, cockroach droppings identification is helpful. What do roach droppings look like? They are about the size of coffee grounds and are completely black. You'll find these droppings on floors, walls, and ceilings. Roaches leave their droppings on surfaces even when climbing.
When you find roach droppings, you know roaches aren't far away. You can prove this fact by removing the roach droppings. When more droppings appear, you'll have an idea of the magnitude of your infestation. Lots of droppings means lots of roaches. Wear protective gear during the removal of cockroach fecal matter to avoid illness.
Another way to tell that you have a cockroach problem is to see live roaches. If you are fortunate to see them, you can tell a bit about your cockroach problem by identifying the species. Here are a few quick characteristics to consider:
If you see black cockroaches about 1 inch long, you have an oriental cockroach infestation. These roaches, often called water bugs, love wet environments, so you will often find them around sewer pipes, drains, basements, or anywhere else with abundant moisture.
- If you see large brown cockroaches, you have American cockroaches. An American cockroach can grow to as long as 2 ⅛ inches. These roaches prefer damp and humid environments and high temperatures. You can have some success driving them out if you reduce humidity and lower the temperatures in your home.
- You have a smoky brown cockroach infestation if you see small brown cockroaches.
- These roaches have a high moisture requirement and often infest homes with leaky roofs. Moisture control is key.
- If you see a small, tan cockroach with a black equal sign on its back, you have a German cockroach infestation. These are the worst roaches to remove from your home. Professional cockroach control is required.
Now that you know a bit about the kind of roaches that may infest your Hattiesburg home, let's turn our attention to the risks. We don't have to tell you that it is bad to have insects leaving their droppings all around your house, but there is more to it than that.
Health Risks Of Roaches: The Dangers Of Cockroach Infestations
It is not good to have cockroach stains on walls in your home. Fecal matter is a potential disease threat. But a more serious threat is the one you don't see. Cockroaches climb in unsanitary places and pick up germs. These invisible organisms are deposited in stored foods, on plates, on surfaces, and in other sensitive areas.
Cockroaches are also a serious concern for anyone suffering from asthma. Studies reveal that hospitalizations for asthma-related symptoms rise in homes with cockroach infestations. We strongly recommend getting a professional assessment of any cockroach infestation to limit the health impact on your family.
Expert Cockroach Elimination: Call In The Pros Right Away
In light of the health concerns associated with roaches, it is best to get professional pest control for cockroaches. However, health concerns aren't the only reason to call an expert. There are many benefits to having a trained and experienced professional address the cockroaches in your home.
- It is possible to make yourself sick if you use harmful materials. Many over-the-counter products are more dangerous than the roaches themselves. What's worse is these insects are resistant to many products and can pick them up on their legs and spread them around your home, so you are now interacting with these chemicals. Have you ever sprayed a cockroach and watched it walk away?
- Cockroaches are adaptive pests that develop skins to protect themselves from habitat hazards.
- Cockroaches are elusive and frustrating to treat. If you don't properly identify the roaches in your home and apply an effective strategy, they will outsmart you, leading to ongoing frustration.
- Cockroach control is hard work. You'll have to get your hands dirty when you go after cockroaches. Roach control will have you crawling through areas you don't normally go and dealing with creepy things you don't normally see. Letting a trained technician deal with these disgusting, hidden pests is much better.
- You can lengthen your roach infestation and add to your misery. As we pointed out above, cockroaches can make you sick. Often, sickness comes in the form of ongoing flu-like symptoms. As you work to get rid of cockroaches in your home, you'll have to deal with the misery that comes along with roach infestations. It is much nicer to get a fast solution and stop these pests as quickly as possible.
When you find evidence of cockroaches in your Hattiesburg home, contact Havard Pest Control for an evaluation. We'll help you find an effective solution that works best for you and apply industry-leading control products and methods.
Maintenance Tips: Ensuring Long-Term Cockroach Control
Once your home is free of cockroaches, you'll want to keep it that way. Right? The first thing you'll want to do is perform maintenance to physically block cockroaches from moving through your walls. You can do this both inside and outside. Here are some proactive steps you can take:
- Pipes: Cockroaches gravitate to moisture. You can expect them to use gaps around pipes to enter your home. Check your utilities and use expanding foam to seal any openings you find. Check under your kitchen sink and fill any gaps around the water pipes. Do the same around other pipes entering your home, such as bathroom or utility closet pipes.
- Windows: Cockroaches can squeeze the small gaps. Use caulking to seal the smallest gaps around your window frames. Fill in gaps where frame sections meet. Repair damaged screens and make sure you don't have any gaps between your screens and windows. Do the same on the inside. Window gaps are a common entry point for cockroaches.
- Doors: There are many ways a cockroach can get past your exterior doors. Check your door sweeps to make sure you have good contact. Check your weatherstripping for even the slightest gaps. Look for holes in your frames or openings between frame sections. Use caulk to seal structural gaps and repair screens. Once you finish, check the inside.
- Air Conditioners And Vents: Cockroaches often climb in through air conditioning units. You can prevent this by applying a screen to block entry. Do the same with any unprotected vents in your exterior. On the interior of your home, remove ceiling vent covers and do a detailed inspection. Seal the tiniest of gaps you find.
- Foundational Cracks: Use mortar to seal cracks in the foundation or slab. Pay close attention to foundation windows.
If you do the hard work of sealing every possible gap a cockroach can use to enter your house, you may not need to do anything else. When you add yard maintenance on top of this, such as leaf raking, vegetation trimming, grass cutting, and clutter removal, you can make your home highly resistant to roach infestations. But, it takes work.
Whether you take these steps or not, your Havard Pest Control team can help eradicate cockroaches. We don't just get rid of cockroaches in your home; we provide ongoing pest control to stop roaches and other pests from entering in the first place. Check out our home pest control page to learn about our Pest Shield, Pest Shield Gold, and Pest Shield Platinum programs. You can pick the service plan that best meets your needs.
These year-round pest control services in Hattiesburg come with routine interior and exterior treatments. On the interior, we address all of the key places pests travel. We apply a perimeter treatment on your exterior to stop pests from entering.
Want to learn more about ongoing pest management or local cockroach control in Hattiesburg? We're here to answer your questions. Connect with us by phone or through our Contact Us page for assistance.
