Many people have issues with cockroaches. These insects are pests that love to find their way into our food supplies in our homes and our businesses to stay. They enjoy a symbiotic relationship with humans that in many cases the humans don’t enjoy. It’s important to understand these creatures so that we can make sure they stay out of our homes and businesses. They can lead to unsanitary conditions that are not good for anyone. In this article let’s explore cockroaches, the different types, their lifestyle and how we can deal with these insects.

UBIQUITOUS COCKROACHES

Cockroaches can be found all across the globe. Antarctica is the only continent that I know of that they don’t exist in, and if we found a species there it would not surprise me. They come in many different sizes. In the homes that we enjoy here in the states in Oklahoma we see some small is the German and the brown banded cockroach which are between a half inch and an inch long. We have larger cockroaches as well like the American cockroach which is almost 3 inches long. But the Madagascar hissing cockroach is massive. These bugs can get as long is 6 to 7 inches.

Cockroaches, like many insects, find themselves at the bottom of the food chain. They are prayed upon by almost every other meat eating animal. Because of this, they’ve gotten to be good at a few things that allow their species to survive. First they’re pretty quick. I say pretty quick because this is in relation to the fact of their size. They are agile and they have defense mechanisms in which they can move in ways to protect them selves from predators. Your Tulsa exterminator will have more information.  

DEFENSIVE COCKROACHES

The jewel wasp actually tries to lay an egg within the body of a living cockroach. When the egg hatches it feeds its way out and kills the cockroach. Cockroaches have figured out a way to flip in order to protect themselves from the wasp. It doesn’t always work but when it does it saves their lives. Cockroaches are very good at reproducing. A typical ootheca or egg sack can carry 30 to 40 eggs. And because of this they can be difficult to control in your homes.

Cockroaches are tropical insects. They originated around the equator. Because humans are somewhat attracted to tropical areas as well, we try to bring the heat with us. We heat our homes and our cars and use air conditioning when it’s hot. This creates the perfect environment for a cockroach. Combine that with all the food that we store and you have a paradise for these insects. This is why the cockroach has found its way outside of the tropical regions to everywhere where man has gone. Call your Broken Arrow pest control company for more help.  

SPECIES OF COCKROACHES

In Oklahoma we have four different species of cockroach that tend to find their ways into our homes. We have the German cockroach, the Brown Banded cockroach, the American cockroach and the Oriental cockroach. German cockroaches are most often found in kitchens and pantries in our homes. These insects feed off all the same foods that we do and love to live and hide in our walls and cupboards. Brown Banded cockroaches are much the same. In most cases, you’ll find Brown Banded cockroaches tend to be higher up on the wall than German cockroaches, but still found in the same places, feeding on the same things and enjoying the same spaces that we do.

The American cockroaches are the behemoth of cockroaches in Oklahoma. They tend to find themselves in damp areas feeding on waste. Oriental cockroaches are the same way. They are a little smaller than the American cockroach, but are often found in drainage pipes and plumbing because they enjoy damp areas with lots of waist to feed upon. Both of these types of cockroaches are usually found in homes when you have problems with either drainage or plumbing issues. Both of those problems can lead to an infestation of the American or the Oriental cockroach. It’s important if you see either of these in your house, to take a look and see what’s going on and why this is happening.

THEIR PREVENTION

The best way to deal with cockroaches to prevent them from ever getting into your home to begin with. At the top of the list of prevention steps that are necessary is to maintain the best and highest levels of sanitation. Wash dishes before you go to bed. Don’t leave out grease in pans. Don’t leave food out. Keep your food stuff in hard plastic Tupperware containers. Clean behind your oven and refrigerator from time to time, making sure to wipe down the sides of the oven where things seem to fall and splatter on. These kinds of things will make the huge difference in keeping cockroaches out of your home. Call your Broken Arrow exterminator for help.  

If you do find yourself with the cockroach infestation, there are many over-the-counter solutions available. While these are not the best solutions, they can kill one or two roaches and keep a small infestation from getting worse. It’s important to be careful with many of the spray types of pest control items that you can get in hardware stores. Raid and other direct sprays are repellent sprays and can be counterproductive in many cases. If you have cockroaches in your walls, for example, and you spray a bunch of raid around, you can trap them in the wall. They won’t come out because they smell the repellent spray. While in the wall, they will continue to reproduce and grow in number and once the repellent pesticide wears off, you’ll have a larger problem than when you started.

WHO YOU GONNA CALL?

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

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