Cockroaches are never a welcome site in your Arizona home. That’s because they’re dirty, they spread disease, they’re unsightly and they reproduce very quickly. With their ability to take over an area within an amazingly short period of time, cockroaches are especially hard to kill with traditional methods. The store-bought stuff is just not effective, particularly if you have German Cockroaches.
Because cockroaches are so resilient, you need to enlist the help of acockroach pest control in Phoenix, AZ to give you the best chance of success. Here’s your guide to cockroach pest control!
What to Look For
While German cockroaches are the most common in Phoenix, you will find other types out there as well, and they all look slightly different. Here are the most common types of cockroaches and how to identify them.
- German cockroach: These insects grow to between ½ and 5/8 inches long, characterized by a light brown or tan color. With distinctive black stripes located behind their eyes, you will also notice that these stripes stretch down their backs.
- American cockroach: The biggest of the cockroaches, this insect grows to between 1 ¼ inch to 2 1/8 inches long. You will notice they have a reddish-brown color, marked by a yellow figure-eight pattern on their heads.
- Brown-banded cockroach: Conversely, this is the smallest of the cockroaches, growing to about a half-inch in length. They are brown with banded wings.
- Oriental cockroach: These insects are shiny and black, but sometimes dark reddish-brown. They grow to one inch long.
Causes and Prevention
Cockroaches, like many pests, come into your home in search of warmth and food. The best way to combat them is to practice good sanitation practices. Because cockroaches will eat pretty much anything, even soap and glue, keep your house clean. This includes wiping up spills and crumbs in the kitchen as soon as they happen.
Place all opened food in tightly sealed in containers and take out the trash each night.
Treating for Cockroaches
Cockroaches are resilient critters and won’t go away easily. You can’t ignore them either, as the longer you let them live with you, the higher the risk of contracting a disease such as salmonella or E.coli.
If you have spotted cockroaches in your kitchen or bathroom, your first instinct is to head to the store for baits, traps, and sprays. Truth is, these are unlikely to work on pests that have been known to survive nuclear blasts!
Professional attention is vital to getting rid of them. Calling a professional cockroach exterminator in Mesa should be your first step.
Popular Cockroaches in Phoenix
The most popular cockroaches in Phoenix are:
- German cockroaches, which lay between 20 and 40 eggs at a time, with an incubation period of 28 days. Each female has the ability to lay 200 young over her life, with between four and five egg cases before dying.
- American cockroaches: Laying 16 eggs at once, the incubation period is longer for American roaches (44 days). Females lay up to 14 egg cases over their life, which is more than 220 offspring.
- Oriental cockroaches: Laying 16 eggs at once, the incubation period for these guys is 60 days. Females lay eight egg cases over their life, resulting in 130 offspring.
- Brown-banded cockroaches: Laying up to 18 eggs at one time, the incubation period is 40 to 100 days. Females lay 14 egg sacs during their lives, resulting in 200 offspring.
Upon hatching, the nymphs grow fast, shedding their exoskeletons during each developmental stage.
All cockroaches pose health risks for humans. Not only can they trigger asthma symptoms and allergies, they can bring pathogens into your home and spread diseases. They also leave behind their fecal matter and urine – even in your food products. Worst of all, they carry bacteria and parasitic worms throughout your house.
Early detection and treatment for cockroach infestations is the optimal course of action.
Contact Phoenix Cockroach Exterminators
Call our cockroach exterminators in Phoenix if you have seen one of these critters in your home or business. Prompt action is key. Please contact us at 602-338-9223 and our reliable Mesa pest control company can help.