Cockroaches

Even the name can make people physically uncomfortable. The word “cockroach” conjures up images of dirty homes filled with garbage and rotting food. The stigma of having roaches in your home is very real and very negative. However, the real truth is that cockroaches are just a part of nature, the same way that spiders, ants, and other insects are. They don’t come into your house because it is dirty, they come in for looking for food and water. Even so, they do present enough of a health risk that the World Health Organization has even dedicated entire publications to discussing them.

With more than 4,500 species in the world, cockroaches are the most hardy, successful, and prolific pests on the planet. The vast majority of cockroach species are around thumbnail sized, although some can be bigger. They have small heads, broad, flattened bodies, and are reddish-brown in color. They have compound eyes, with up to 2000 lenses in each, and a flexible, long antennae. 

Unfortunately, by the time you start to see cockroaches in your home, there are usually many more of them behind the scenes. Knowing the early signs of an infestation, so that you can contact us right away to come to evaluate the situation, can save you all sorts of frustration and added expenses.

Keep an eye out for roach droppings. They usually look like pepper, small and dark, and are found in areas cockroaches frequent the most like the insides of drawers or on counter tops. As infestations worsen, you may notice something called fecal staining. Fecal staining happens as cockroach droppings build up in areas like the tops of doors, corners of the room, openings into walls, and around small cracks. Severe infestations are also often accompanied by a telltale, “musty” smell.

Cockroaches can be a significant asthma and allergy trigger. According to the American College of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology, it’s not just the bugs themselves but their feces, saliva, and shedding body parts that trigger these responses when kicked up into the air in the home. Symptoms include coughing, nasal congestion, rash, wheezing, and ear and skin infections that can become chronic. 

Per the National Pest Management Association, they are also known to spread more than 30 different kinds of bacteria (salmonella, dysentery, leprosy, etc.), seven types of human pathogens, and six kinds of parasitic worms. Left untreated, a roach infestation in your home isn’t just gross. It’s also potentially very harmful to you and your family.

If you’re noticing any signs of a cockroach infestation, or if you’d just like to be proactive and have your home evaluated by a professional and efficient pest control company with more than ten years of experience, give Karma Pest Solutions a call today. Don’t forget… relax, let Karma handle it.