Cockroaches can be a problem, but your Tulsa exterminator has a solution. Cockroaches are a pantry pest that attempt to get inside of our homes and make it to our kitchen and pantry areas. These insects love unsanitary conditions and will make their way in, in order to set up camp and then have a huge family. Cockroaches love to get our food, our warmth and any water supply they can find in our homes. So it’s important that you understand cockroaches, and how to deal with them. In this article, let us take a good hard look at cockroaches, their life cycle, and what you and your Tulsa exterminator can do to protect your home from them.

COCKROACH COMMUNITIES AND TULSA EXTERMINATOR

Entomologists have found out that cockroaches are actually closely related to the ant and the termite. These insects are eusocial insects that use a colony to divide up their work and work together in order for the survival of their colony. While cockroaches are not as developed as these insects, they do use their sense of community in order to work together and help each other survive. The oldest and largest cockroaches are the ones that you’ll see in your home if you have any. When we see a large cockroach make its way across your countertop or other area, they’re searching for food. 

While you will find a cockroach, they are not only eating food, but tracking through it.  That means that it will pick up some of this food product and put it on their exoskeleton. Once they are finished, they will head back to the harborage point where all of the other cockroaches are. Most of these other cockroaches are going to be young and adolescent cockroaches. They will begin to feed off of the food materials that have gotten stuck to the side of the adult cockroach. In addition, any droppings that the adult cockroach leaves behind will be food for the young cockroaches.

COCKROACH CANNIBALISM

These cockroaches also will limit their numbers if they get to be too large. It’s not uncommon for an over populated area do use cannibalism to limit their numbers. Cockroaches will turn on another cockroach and feed off of it, killing it in the process. While, this seems counterproductive to the community of cockroaches, it actually protects the community by limiting the population to the amount of food is available to them. When there are too many cockroaches, there can be a lot of starvation and other problems. So if you are having an issue with cockroaches or any other pest than its time to call your Tulsa exterminator for help.

COCKROACH DEVELOPMENT AND TULSA EXTERMINATOR

Cockroaches use an incomplete metamorphosis in order to develop. This means that they are hatched out of eggs. When the eggs hatch a nymph will emerge. A nymph is a smaller version of the adult cockroach. The smaller version will grow and develop until it outgrows the exoskeleton that it’s in. Once this exoskeleton can no longer stretch to accommodate more growth by the cockroach, it will have to molt. This is a process by which it sheds its exoskeleton for a new one underneath. Much like a snake sheds its skin, cockroaches will molt, making a way out of it and leave this old exoskeleton behind.

In excessive populations, the molting process happens very often. These discarded exoskeletons tear and become a dust that can be very toxic in the air. There are many studies showing that apartment complexes in inner-city areas with excessive cockroach populations, have a much higher occurrence of childhood asthma. This dust creates an asthmatic situation that can victimized you, your children, or anyone else in your family. Because of this, it is important that you contact your Tulsa exterminator if you’re having a problem with cockroaches.

COCKROACH DISEASES AND TULSA EXTERMINATOR

Cockroaches eat all sorts of dirty things. They can often be found in the sewers, as they eat off of raw sewage and other droppings, they will feed off of dead plant and animal material and other disgusting things. The young even eat poop from the adults. Because of this, they carry a lot of diseases on their exoskeleton. It’s not uncommon for a cockroach to transmit a dangerous bacteria like E. coli or salmonella onto a food preparation surface that you may use to make dinner. This can cause huge problems and possibly a sickness or disease in your family if it’s not taken care of.

COCKROACH PESTICIDE

Many people will go to the hardware store and buy a can of their favorite pesticide as soon as they see their first cockroach. While this may be able to eliminate the cockroaches that you see, the mountain of cockroaches that are hidden will not be affected. In fact, in many cases, these pesticides can be counterproductive. They contain two different kinds of pesticide. The first is a knock down agent. This is what actually kills the cockroach that you see on contact. It only lasts for a few minutes, but can be very effective to spray directly upon an insect.

But the second part is a repellent pesticide. This pesticide will stick around for up to 30 days. They will sense this pesticide when it’s on the surface and will run from it. If you spray this excessively, it’s very likely that you’ll trap cockroaches in a wall or behind an appliance. When this happens they will sit and wait and reproduce until the pesticide has broken down. By the time that it’s all said and done, you’ll have more cockroaches then when you began.

If you’re having an issue with cockroaches or any other pests, then it’s time to call a Tulsa exterminator that can help. Here at TermMax pest control, we are the best in the business when it comes to dealing with cockroaches, or any other pantry pests. We service the greater Tulsa area, including Broken Arrow, Sand Springs, Claremore, Coweta, Catoosa, Prattville, Sapulpa, Owasso, Turley, Jenks, Bixby, and so much more. Call today for a free estimate. We’re here to help!