As the weather gets colder, this Tulsa exterminator notices of genuine rising cockroach issues. Every year around the fall this happens. Cockroaches are tropical insect so they don’t like the cold at all. For this reason it’s often that we see an increase in activity during this time. So it’s important to vigilantly maintain health and safety of your home during this time. So let’s take a good look at cockroaches. In this article will explore cockroaches, their lifecycle in ways that we can keep them out of our homes and businesses.

TULSA EXTERMINATOR AND COCKROACH SPECIES

In Oklahoma, your Tulsa exterminator will deal with four species of cockroaches predominantly. The first and most common species of cockroach that we find here in Oklahoma are German cockroaches. These cockroaches are a light brown in color with two racing stripes down their pronotum or armor plate behind their head. They’re about 3/4 of an inch long and are often found in your pantry and kitchen area. These insects love to eat our food. They tend to stay lower to the ground and don’t climb high up on things unless there’s food that they can consume. 

German cockroaches can also be the most difficult to eliminate. They are unique in the fact that the female carries their young in an egg sack on their back. This egg sack is known as an ootheca. Most other species of cockroaches will take the ootheca and hide it in a crack or crevice, leaving the young to fend for themselves. The German cockroach is different and the fact that it carries it with her, tending to her young for a short period before they’re released in to their own accord.

TULSA EXTERMINATOR AND BROWN BANDED COCKROACH

The second species of cockroach that your Tulsa exterminator will find often are the brown banded cockroaches. These cockroaches have a light brown pair of bands that go around their abdomen longitudinally. Brown banded cockroaches are much more likely to be seen high up on the wall or behind pictures and that sort of thing. These insects are also active consumers of the food that we eat. They will get into our cereals and fats and consume anything that they can. Their numbers will grow large if they have a place to stay and food to eat.

The third species of cockroach that we find often in Oklahoma is the American cockroach. This is the behemoth of the cockroaches. It’s about 2 1/2 to 3 inches long and tends to stay lower along the ground. These insects don’t necessarily eat our food, but live off the refuse of sewage and dead animal and plant matter. In many cases, you will find these larger insects when excessive water is found around or near your home. Plumbing issues can be a cause of these insects finding their way into your house. If you’re seeing this cockroach you probably need to call a Tulsa exterminator and a plumber.

The oriental cockroach is also a large cockroach, but is a little bit smaller than the American cockroach. While the American cockroach is brown in color, the Oriental is jet black. This cockroach is found the least often within the walls of our homes and businesses. We see these oriental cockroaches often in drainage ditches and sewers. Only when plumbing lines have brakes or other water issues do we see oriental cockroaches in our homes. They don’t feed on our food nor do they seek shelter in our homes. They are also bottom feeders eating dead plant matter and other forms of waste.

FLYING COCKROACH AND TULSA EXTERMINATOR

While cockroaches do have wings they are not avid flyers. It’s more of a gliding or proactive falling that they do. Some species of cockroaches only have wing pads they don’t actually have full blown wings. But the ones that do have wings will leap from a tall place if threatened and use their wings to flutter down to the ground. Brown banded cockroaches are some of these semi flying cockroaches. They can definitely startle you if you aren’t prepared for them and they start flying down from above in your kitchen area. Call a Tulsa exterminator for more help.

Cockroaches follow an incomplete lifecycle. This means that they are laid as eggs to begin with. Once the egg hatches, a nymph will emerge. This is an insect that looks much like the adult but is much smaller in shape. Often these nymphs will have wing pads as opposed to full blown wings and will grow wings if their species have them as time progresses. As they grow, they will outgrow their exoskeleton. When this happens they will need to molt or shed their skin. They will do this multiple times before they reach full grown reproductive adulthood. Once this happens, they will seek out a mate and lay eggs renewing the process. Cockroaches are prolific reproducers. A pair of cockroaches can become hundreds in a matter of weeks. This is why it’s very important to maintain sanitation and good pest control at all times.

TULSA EXTERMINATOR ELIMINATING THE COCKROACH

Because these insects feed off of our food, it’s very important to keep a clean home. This is 70% to 90% of the battle against cockroaches. If they can’t find a place to eat then they will go elsewhere. Leaving grease out in a pan on the stove or forgetting to wash your dishes every night will lead to a problem down the road with these unhealthy and unsanitary insects. For the sake of your children and for the sanitation of your home, it’s important to keep up with these things.

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