Commercial Property Pest Spotlight: The Cockroach

It’s nighttime, a dark figure covered in slime breaks into your building using its flattened body to slide through the crack under the door while its two pairs of wings lay flat on its back. Scary, right? Sadly, that is not the description of an extraterrestrial life form dreamt up on a Hollywood set, it’s the description a cockroach. Cockroaches, while not alien, are one of the most invasive pests in the Roseville area.

Biology

Cockroaches originally lived in moisture-rich and warm tropical climates, but nowadays, you are more likely to find them in your bathroom, storage room, kitchen or office. Cockroaches are a nuisance pest that offers little environmental value other than driving customers away from your business. One of the most unsettling things about these invasive pests is their speed of reproduction and their relatively long lifetimes.

Life Cycle

An adult American cockroach can live up to two years, releasing 12-36 eggs a month after reaching sexual maturity. So once cockroaches get into your business, you can see why it can be hard to get rid of them. The American cockroach is considered a fairly primitive insect, with only three stages in their lifestyle.

Egg

American cockroaches lay their eggs in a lima bean shaped sac known as an ootheca. Each ootheca can have anywhere from 10-20 eggs inside, ready to hatch and infest your commercial property. Cockroaches lay their eggs near food sources so that upon hatching, their offspring may have a chance to survive. If you find more than one ootheca in your business, you might want to consider calling a commercial pest control company, as it is a sign of a large infestation.

Nymph

Cockroaches enter the nymphal stage as soon as they hatch. This is the stage where the cockroach grows in size, molting up to ten times while developing its wings. Unlike in the egg stage, nymphs actively forage for food and water. Congratulations, you officially have a pest!

Adult

An egg is laid, and 600 days later, poof, we have an adult cockroach. Now the cockroach will try to achieve its life goals of reproducing, and well, eat. In the wild cockroaches are known for consuming decaying organic matter, but in your business or home, it will likely eat anything that it can find.
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Behavior

Cockroaches are commonly associated with living in close association with people, living off of food waste and trash. Because they originated in tropical climates and are biologically programmed to search for damp, dark and warm places to live. Cockroaches usually find refuge in dark pockets in buildings, as they are most active at night. If you see a cockroach in the light of day, call an exterminator, because you likely have a large infestation on your hands.

Health Importance

Nuisance

Cockroaches are the poster child of nuisance pests, ruining food and textiles as well as spreading filth. As well as physically ruining items, cockroaches also can leave a smelly secretion inside your building, leaving the scent of cockroaches long after they are gone.

Disease

Cockroaches are known for spreading diseases because of their large range of activity. A cockroach walking through your business today may have been walking through the sewer yesterday. This contamination caused by the cockroach can be responsible for diseases such as dysentery, cholera, plague, typhoid fever and various viral infections.

Control

Cleanliness

Keeping a clean business is essential to both preventing and treating cockroach infestations. Food storage is essential as well because if you take away the food source, the cockroaches will be less likely to stick around. Lastly, try to keep dark places dry and dehumidify your business, as the cockroaches seek moisture.

Chemicals

Chemical control is a solution to cockroaches, but it is not a permanent solution. Cockroaches may become resistant to commonly used chemicals. A chemical application can only be effective when it is accompanied by sanitation and other business improvements.

Professional Pest Management

For cockroaches, the best option is to call a professional pest management company. A professional commercial pest control company can not only exterminate the cockroach infestation in your business but can also ensure that the infestation will not return.

Don’t Let Cockroaches Take Over Your Business

Having pests on your commercial property can drive away customers, hurting you and resulting in a loss of business. Don’t let cockroaches drive your customers away. The most important step in exterminating cockroaches is prevention. If you can’t prevent a cockroach infestation, contact us at Earthwise Pest Management today and ask us about our pest removal services and pest control prices.

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