The Types Of Roaches That Might Invade Your Home
Most people agree that roaches are a great nuisance when they invade your home. Not only are they dirty and annoying, but it can also be quite difficult to get rid of them.
It is important to know which type of roaches you are dealing with so that you can take the right approach in completely ridding your home of them.
Here are the most common types of cockroaches:
American Cockroach
This roach is also known as a sewer roach and is found in many homes and apartments, but also prefers the outdoors. It can spread disease and trigger allergies and even asthma. Although they do not fly, they can move rapidly.
The American cockroach is the largest cockroach in North America, coming in at about 2 inches as an adult, says Schal. It’s also shiny and reddish in color, and is often referred to as the “palmetto bug.”
Where you’ll find them: American cockroaches are most commonly found on lower-floor apartments in cities, says Schal, because this type of cockroach lives primarily in sewer systems.
“In many cities, I think of them as kind of floating on a mat of cockroaches because there’s a vast sewer network under us, and that sewer network is usually occupied with millions of these cockroaches,” says Schal. Especially during the summer, American cockroaches will often come out of the sewer system to escape the heat and look for food. Read more from Prevention…
They are among the largest roaches and are reddish-brown with yellow banding on their thorax.
Oriental Cockroach
This type of cockroach is also called a water bug. They are mostly found in moist areas like basements. The females do not fly as they do not have wings, but the males have short wings.
The Oriental cockroach, Blatta orientalis is a dangerous pest that mostly lives outdoors. They are most common in homes that have a lot of vegetation around them. They don’t move as fast as other kinds of roaches and don’t fly. Unable to climb smooth vertical surfaces, they often become trapped in sinks and bathtubs.
Oriental cockroaches are even more unpleasant than other cockroach species because of their diet: garbage, feces, and decaying plant and animal matter.
They stink, too. They spend a lot of time crawling over fecal matter, rotting things, and other bacteria-laden material as they search for food (making them potentially more dangerous than other types of cockroaches). They’ll contaminate food, food preparation areas, and utensils simply by walking over them. Luckily, their odor is strong enough to warn you that your food has been contaminated. Read more from Cockroach facts…
They are dark in color, ranging from brown to black. It can be difficult to get right of them as they lay eggs in hard-to-reach places such as cracks in walls.
Smoky-Brown Cockroach
These are slightly smaller than the American cockroach. You will often find them in suburban environments, usually outside, but might be brought in with firewood during winter.
Slightly smaller than the American cockroach with a reddish-brown exterior, Smokybrown roaches can be found in sub-tropical environments such as Texas, Florida and the rest of the Southeast. Predominantly an outdoor insect, these pests enter the home when attracted to night lights, food or shelter. One of the more aerial species of cockroach, the Smokybrown is common in trees and house roofs, flying from place to place in search of its next ideal home. Read more from Family Handyman…
They can reach up to two inches and are brown in color. They have a shiny coat, but not as shiny as that of the American cockroach.
Cockroaches are not easy to get rid of once they infest your Columbia, MD home. But with Backyard Bug Patrol, the process can be managed well, as we are experts in pest control. Get in touch with us and let us help you get rid of those nasty roaches.