The most effective cockroach control method

Habits And Behaviors Of Common Cockroaches

Four types of cockroaches invade homes in the Los Angeles area; German, American, brown-banded, and oriental cockroaches. A common feature of these cockroaches is that they need warmth to thrive. German and American cockroaches prefer temperatures ranging from 70? to 80?, brown-banded cockroaches enjoy temperatures above 80?, and oriental cockroaches like temperatures between 68? and 84?. Cockroaches can survive temperatures below (down to 15?) and above (up to 120?) these ranges, but when they are in locations with these temperatures, they reproduce quickly and are more active. 

Cockroaches need moisture, and some need more humidity than others. For example, the top of kitchen and bathroom cabinets are preferable to brown-banded cockroaches because they like drier areas of the house; oriental, German, and American cockroaches live near drains, leaking pipes, crawl spaces, and other damp areas of the house. 

All cockroaches are nocturnal. While you sleep, cockroaches actively scour through the house and yard foraging for food. Because they work at night, you typically will not see them unless you stumble out of bed, walk into the kitchen, and turn on the light surprising them. During the daytime, they hide in cracks as small as 3/8 of an inch between baseboards and walls, underneath furniture, appliances, cabinets, drawers, and outlets near food and water sources. 

Cockroaches prefer fermenting foods. Cockroaches are omnivores, meaning they will eat practically anything ranging from meat to plants and everything in between. Some, like the German cockroaches, feed on glue, soap, toothpaste, and other unusual items. Because cockroaches prefer rotting food, they gravitate toward garbage cans, crumbs, drains, and sewers. A disgusting fact is that American cockroaches are the most common species in sewer systems. According to one report, 5,000 American cockroaches were in a single sewer opening.

Although American, German, brown-banded, and oriental cockroaches invade Los Angeles houses, they do not have an aversion to living outdoors. Perhaps the only one that gravitates to homes naturally is the German cockroach, which is why it is the most common cockroach in homes. In addition to the German cockroach's preference for houses, it is the most prolific reproducing cockroach, which is another reason they are the most common home invaders. 

Our service professionals at HomeShield Pest Control are roach pest control specialists. They are not only familiar with the habits and behaviors of cockroaches, but they can identify the species infesting your Los Angeles home. Their expertise enables them to prescribe a treatment that targets the particular cockroach species infesting your house. 

Why Are Cockroaches Dangerous?

Cockroaches make your house feel dirty because of their known propensity for sewage. While you sleep, these insects forage for food in unsanitary places and over disgusting items like pet feces. As they crawl over these vile areas with their six legs, the spines on their legs attract bacteria, viruses, and parasitic worms lying on the surface. When they find an entry point and enter your house, these disease-causing organisms fall off their legs and contaminate surfaces in the kitchen, bathroom, pantry, and other areas. 

Cockroaches do not crawl over filthy areas for fun, but they eat the rotting, pathogen-ridden foods in these areas. As is the case with all living creatures, cockroaches produce waste, and their feces is ripe with the bacteria, viruses, and worms they ingested. When cockroaches move through the house, they defecate constantly. German, oriental, and brown-banded cockroaches leave pepper-like droppings resembling coffee grounds, and American cockroaches produce pellet-like, blunt feces with ridges, similar to mice droppings. These droppings can get mixed in with exposed food products and consumed accidentally, transferring the pathogens to humans.

Cockroaches spread over 30 bacteria, several worms, and other human pathogens. Some of the more well-known diseases cockroaches spread are E. coli infection, salmonellosis, typhoid fever, cholera, and dysentery. Many of these infections cause flu-like symptoms that, in some cases, require hospitalization. 

The general public associates disease with cockroaches, but many do not realize that cockroaches may trigger allergic reactions. A protein in the body, feces, and urine of cockroaches causes some people to experience a runny nose, sneezing, itchy and red eyes, coughing, and postnasal drip. Another trigger is the airborne particles of cockroach droppings. In addition to allergic reactions, the protein and airborne particles may exacerbate the symptoms of those who suffer from asthma and cause shortness of breath and a tightened chest.

HomeShield Pest Control is your professional cockroach remedy. We remove these filthy, disease-spreading pests from Los Angeles homes. 

How Can I Prevent Cockroaches From Returning To My House?

You need not live at the mercy of cockroaches! Even if your neighbors complain of cockroach problems, that does not mean they have to be an issue for you. If you wonder how to deter cockroaches from invading your Los Angeles home, the following are the answers: 

• Seal all entry points into the house: Survey the foundation and roof line and identify all cracks; cover foundation and roofline cracks with caulk. Pay attention to gaps between incoming pipes and wires and those around outdoor utility boxes. 
• Trim shrubs and branches away from the house: Cockroaches use limbs as a highway onto your roof and window sills, where they can launch a reconnaissance mission to find ways into your home. Another benefit of trimmed shrubbery and trees is that it allows more airflow and sunlight reducing moisture on your property, which attracts cockroaches. 
• Cover vents with screens: Ensure the crawl space, attic, and chimney openings have a fine wire mesh to prevent cockroaches from entering. 
• Repair holes in window and door screens: Cockroaches enter the home when the temperature drops, and while you may be enjoying the cooler fall air, cockroaches are looking for a warmer venue. If you have holes in your screens, they will enter the house.
• Install sweeps on all exterior doors to stop cockroaches from creeping under your entrances: Oriental cockroaches are particularly fond of entering homes under doors. 
• Keep a clean yard: Animal feces, rotting fruit, and piles of leaves and wood attract cockroaches to properties, and once they are in your yard, it is only a matter of time before they get into your house!
• Keep garbage containers inside and outside the house closed.
• Provide adequate ventilation in the crawl space, attic, basement, and bathrooms: Check that all vents are operating and, if necessary, install a dehumidifier. 
• Repair leaking pipes and drains: Cockroaches are in bathrooms, crawl spaces, and laundry rooms because they like moisture. 

When a service professional from HomeShield Pest Control inspects your Los Angeles home for roach control, they will identify entry points into your house. Due to their high level of training and expertise, they will likely see possible ways into your home that you didn't realize were there.