Roaches – Roach Exterminator

Although Smoky brown cockroaches are related to the American cockroach, they are slightly smaller in size and uniformly mahogany in color.

Color: Mahogany
Legs: 6
Shape: Oval
Size: Up to 1.5 inches

Habits

This cockroach is a ready flier and easily travels from trees onto houses. It is commonly attracted to homes to feed on improperly maintained trash containers and pet food on patios and decks. Once by the house, the insect may then enter.

Habitats

The Smoky brown cockroach usually invades the attic or crawl space where it finds conditions similar to those found within a tree hole. Once populations grow large inside these areas, the cockroaches regularly venture down into the home. The occasional cockroach may wander into a home from harborage outside but chronic infestations are most always associated with attic or crawl space populations. Research has shown that attics and crawl spaces that have good ventilation are less likely to have these cockroaches living within them. The smoky brown is a common pest of homes along the Gulf Coast from central Florida to eastern Texas.

Threats

Cockroaches have been reported to spread at least 33 kinds of bacteria, six kinds of parasitic worms, and at least seven other kinds of human pathogens.

Prevention

The best way to help prevent Smoky brown cockroaches is to ensure the attic and crawl space have sufficient ventilation. Make sure that all foundation and attic vents are equipped with tight fitting screens. Do not allow pet food to sit out overnight. Pick it up after the outdoor pets are finishes eating, store fire wood as far from the house as possible, locating it off the ground and covering it with a tarp.

Using a Roach Exterminator, such as Expert Pest Solutions, can assist you with prevention methods.

Contact Us at 417-413-4776 to schedule a roach exterminator today.

The German cockroach is the most economically important urban pest. It is the most common cockroach species in houses, apartments, restaurants, hotels, and other institutions throughout the United States.

Color: Light brown with two dark stripes along the pronotum
Legs: 6
Shape: Slender
Size: ½ inch long

Habits

Adults of both sexes have well-developed wings, but they never fly. Adult females carry the egg capsule protruding from the rear of the abdomen until the eggs are ready to hatch. Nymphs have habits similar to those of adults. They are active mostly at night but hide in dark crevices during the day. If German cockroaches are seen during the day, the population is probably so large the available cracks are already full, or food and moisture are in such short supply that daytime foraging is necessary. The German cockroach is a general feeder but is particularly attracted to fermented foods and beverage residues.

Habitat

Infestations are sometimes found in areas not generally suspected of harboring German cockroaches, such as dressers drawers in bedrooms. German cockroaches found scattered through non-food areas of a home or building is usually a sign of a very heavy infestation or of the repellent effects of insecticide applications elsewhere in the facility. Adult males appear to be the most mobile stage, followed by nongravid adult females and large nymphs; gravid females probably rarely leave the harborage.

Threats

Besides the nuisance factor, German cockroaches can spread disease and can spread cockroach specific allergens that have been known to cause asthma.

Prevention

Keeping the home clean and food debris free and harborage reduction/removal are the first steps to successful German cockroach control. A vacuum cleaner with a HEPA (High Energy Particulate Air) filtration system can be used to remove large amounts of cockroaches in a short period of time. Do not attempt to vacuum this pest without a HEPA filter on the vacuum.

Using a Roach Exterminator, such as Expert Pest Solutions, can assist you with prevention methods.

Contact Us at 417-413-4776 to schedule a roach exterminator today.

Male is light brown. The female may have dark brown wings. Both sexes, however, have the lighter-colored bands running across the wings directly behind the prothorax.

Color: Male light brown, female may have dark brown wings
Legs: 6
Shape: Slender
Size: ½ inch long

Habits:

Like all cockroaches that invade buildings, this species prefers to spend much of its time resting in cracks and voids. Most of its activity will occur at night when it feels safe to move about and search for food and water. The brown banded cockroach does not seem to require as much moisture s the German cockroaches, and therefore may be found in rooms other than kitchens and bathrooms.

Habitat

Brown banded cockroaches are far less common than German cockroaches and are usually found in apartments, motels, and long-term care facilities. Like German cockroaches, these will be found in kitchens and bathrooms. However, because brown banded cockroaches can survive in drier areas, they will also be found in bedrooms, living rooms, closets, bookcases, etc. This behavior can make the brown banded cockroach a bit more difficult to control.

Threats

Besides the nuisance factor, Brown banded cockroaches can spread disease and spread cockroach specific allergens that have been known to cause asthma.

Prevention

Cockroaches require plenty of food, water, and shelter in order to thrive. Limiting any one of these makes it more difficult for cockroach populations to become established and escalate in size. Inspect all incoming food goods, boxes, and furniture and appliances for the presence of cockroaches or egg capsules. In commercial facilities, avoid storing food items in cardboard boxes on shelves. Cardboard is a preferred harborage site for cockroaches. In homes, do not store paper bags under the sink or elsewhere in the kitchen. Store bags in the garage or room other than the kitchen, utility room, or bathrooms.

Using a Roach Exterminator, such as Expert Pest Solutions, can assist you with prevention methods.

Contact Us at 417-413-4776 to schedule a roach exterminator today.

The American cockroach is the largest of the house-infesting cockroach.

Color: Reddish brown, with a yellowish figure 8 pattern on the back of the head
Shape: Oval
Size: 2”

Habits

American cockroaches are found in food processing areas and food storage areas; as well as other types of buildings. They are active when the temperature is 70 degrees or higher, but they can survive lower temperatures with the right conditions.

Habitat

American Cockroaches are often found in sewers and basements, particularly around pipes and drains.

Threats

Cockroaches have been reported to spread at least 33 kinds of bacteria, six kinds of parasitic worms, and at least seven other kinds of human pathogens. They can pick up germs on the spines of their legs and bodies as they crawl through decaying matter or sewage and then carry these into food or onto food surfaces. Germs that cockroaches eat from decaying matter or sewage are protected while in their bodies and remain infective for several weeks longer than if they had been exposed to cleaning agents, rinse water, or just sunlight and air. Recent medical studies have shown that cockroach allergens cause lots of allergic reactions in inner city children. They were even shown to cause asthma in children. These allergens build up in deposits of droppings, secretions, cast skins, and dead bodies of roaches.

Using a Roach Exterminator, such as Expert Pest Solutions, can assist you with prevention methods.

Contact Us at 417-413-4776 to schedule a roach exterminator today.