Have you noticed a cockroach in your Denver home? How about more than one? Seeing even one cockroach is a bad sign. It usually means there are thousands you don't see. Cockroaches are experts at staying hidden from view, even at night. But you'll want to detect them in your home because cockroaches bring several problems worth considering. Today, we're going to give you a comprehensive guide to cockroach control. We'll tell you how to tell if you actually have roaches living with you, how to protect yourself from the risks, and how to get rid of cockroaches forever. If you've been looking for a complete guide to roach control, you'll find most of what you need right here. Before we begin, we'd like to quickly remind you that Absolute Pest Control Inc. is available to help if you need local cockroach control in Denver. We provide the most advanced treatment options. Navigate to our contact page or give us a call to get connected.
Visible Signs Of Roaches: How To Identify A Problem
The first, middle, and last step in cockroach control is knowing how to track signs of infestation. At first, an inspection is needed to target the areas that need the most attention and select appropriate control products. In the middle, an inspection provides valuable data to evaluate the success of the treatment and make alterations if needed. In the end, an inspection provides peace of mind, ensuring no roaches remain active. Unfortunately, cockroaches often make this job hard. Here are some of the best ways to tell that you have an active infestation and reasons why you may have difficulty finding the evidence.
Sightings: Can you look around inside your home and find these insects crawling around in hiding places? Yes. But you have to look in voids and hard-to-get-into spaces. And you have to be fast. Cockroaches in Denver are thigmotactic, which is to say, roaches prefer tight spaces. They like to touch surfaces with their bellies and backs at the same time. So, they'll hide under and between objects and slip into cracks. You'll need a flashlight to search for them.
Nests: Can you look for a cockroach nest in your home? Sadly, no. Unlike many other pests, cockroaches don't make nests. But they do congregate in large numbers. You may find a group of them all huddled together. But you're only likely to find a large number if you have access to a wall void or some other structural void.
Droppings: Can you track roaches by looking for their droppings? Yes. This is the best way to track them. The droppings of cockroaches look like black, sticky pepper grains. Finding roach droppings is a sure sign that you have roaches, but it is not a great way to track whether any roaches remain after attempting treatment. Cockroach droppings are hard to clean off certain objects, and you'll have a hard time telling if you have new droppings.
Debris: Do cockroaches leave a trail? Not like other insects. However, you may track the places they're active by looking for shed skins and egg casing shells. The skins may look like hollow cockroaches or just appear in fragments as roaches eat the shed skins over time. The egg casings are likely to appear reddish-brown unless you have German cockroaches, which have orangish oothecae or egg cases.
Pheromones: Do cockroaches stink? Yes, but it takes many cockroaches to create a noticeable smell. If you can smell roaches, it means you have an advanced infestation. We hope you find them before this sign is observable. Use your nose to smell the faint presence of roaches in hiding places. The smell is described as oily, musty, and mildly sweet.
Damage: Won't you see the damage? Yes. But you may not know that roaches are to blame. There are many insects that can damage your belongings. The damage caused by roaches looks like damage caused by carpet beetles, clothing moths, silverfish, etc. You'll find holes in food packaging, wallpaper, clothes, sheets, table clothes, and other materials in your home.
We have only scratched the surface of cockroach inspections, but hopefully, you have what you need to track cockroaches down in your home. If you need help, contact a professional for an inspection. Professionals use specialized methods and equipment to find cockroach activity and put a stop to infestations.
Health Risks Of Roaches: The Dangers Of Cockroaches
It is critical to find signs of cockroaches in your home because of the hazard roaches bring into your home. They are attracted to unsanitary spaces and feed on dead and decaying matter. As they travel through these spaces, cockroaches pick up various pathogens and can spread them into your home. Consider the following:
- Roaches eat fecal matter. Keep bathrooms clean, manage cat litter boxes, and clean up dog waste in the yard to reduce the ability of cockroaches to come in contact with this material in or near your home.
- Roaches feed on decaying food matter. Keep your trash covered with tight-fitting lids and routinely remove trash before things start to decay. Be sure to clean floors, counters, shelves, and cabinets near your trash receptacle.
- Roaches shed their parts in your home. These shed parts contain allergy-causing proteins and are a serious risk to anyone who has asthma. Studies reveal an increase in hospitalizations for homes that have cockroach infestations.
- Roaches get into drains. Keep your drains as clean as possible and cover unused drains, such as the drain in a laundry room sink.
Managing unsanitary materials and environments will help you reduce the health risks associated with cockroaches. If you want to know the level of risk and the potential danger of the diseases spread by roaches, check the resource pages on the CDC website. You'll find what you need there.
Professional Roach Extermination: Call The Experts Right Away
In light of the unhygienic behavior of cockroaches, it is best to contact a licensed pest control service provider when you detect roaches in your home. A professional has the training and experience to track your problem and apply the treatments needed to arrest all roach activity in your home. Most of all, a professional is able to give you peace of mind by letting you know when cockroach activity is no longer detected.
For cockroach control in Denver, contact Absolute Pest Control Inc. Our team is familiar with the common roaches in the Denver area, and we routinely address infestations. You'll always get experienced advice and appropriate treatment options to address the roaches in your home. Call, text, or e-mail us today to get started.
Preventing Cockroaches: Tips For A Roach-Free Home
Once the cockroaches in your home are gone, what comes next? How do you get rid of cockroaches forever? It requires diligence and a little bit of hard work. Here are our best tips to help you maintain a roach-free home. You can use these tips to prevent a cockroach infestation or to avoid future infestations after treatment.
- Remove clutter near your home. Cockroaches will hide underneath anything they find in your yard. They are particularly drawn to organic hiding places, such as a pile of sticks or a stack of wood, but they'll just as easily hide under man-made objects.
- Store pizza boxes in a container with a lid. Why? Because roaches don't just eat the remnants of pizza in those boxes; they also eat the boxes.
- Keep bagged trash in clean and covered receptacles. Doing so will reduce the scent that attracts roaches to your property.
- Clean up dog waste as you go. It is gross to think about, but fecal matter is a food source for roaches.
- Replace building materials used for weather-proofing as they wear out. Your door sweeps and weatherstripping keep more than just the cold winter air out.
- Make sure all gaps and cracks are filled. A can of expanding foam can go a long way toward keeping cockroaches out of your home. The first place to check is around utilities, such as your water main or wire conduits.
- Clean your gutters to remove debris that can lead to overflows and ground saturation. Cockroaches are attracted to damp habitats.
- Trim your landscaping to reduce moisture in this common cockroach habitat.
- The best possible way to deter cockroaches is to apply a liquid crack and crevice treatment to your exterior. A licensed professional can do this for you. The materials and methods used by professionals provide a high level of efficacy.
Use these tips to keep cockroaches from entering your home. It takes a bit of effort, but remember that you also control many other pests by taking these steps. If you need help with cockroach prevention or you are in need of professional home pest control in Denver, contact Absolute Pest Control Inc. for assistance. We can guide you toward the best options for you, your family, and your property. Connect with us today. We look forward to helping.