How can I tell I have a cockroach problem?
Roaches move about in the dark. If you enter a room and open a cupboard, or turn on a light, you will often see them scurrying away. If the roaches have been there for a while there is a distinct odor that builds up over time. You might see signs of their fecal matter. A way to know what you are looking for is this: take a spray type of cooking oil and spray some on your counter. Next, throw some pepper into it. That is what roaches will leave behind – it is a combination of their urine and their poop.
Roaches have been around for millions of years, so they know how to survive. If you have them they could have come from many different places. They like woodpiles around your property. They could have been living in the walls all along. They might have come along for the ride with someone else.
If you are seeing roaches in the daytime it means that a colony has become comfortable around humans and doesn’t consider you a threat. With the grandkids of a single female cockroach becoming a colony of 250 – 500,000 cockroaches in a couple of years it is easy to see how the population can grow quickly. This is a really bad situation because they are usually large colonies and hard to get rid of without a professional.
What steps can I take to keep my home cockroach-free?
Cockroaches come into the house looking for food. If they find what they like, they will move in. Make sure the kitchen is clean; no dirty dishes, clean the dishwasher, sweep regularly, and keep the pet food areas clean. Make sure your oven, microwave and air-fryer are cleaned often. Keep your pantry and cupboards organized, crumbs wiped up, counters wiped down. Don’t leave tempting food out, and take your garbage out to a bin every night.
As mentioned, cockroaches are survivors. You can use store-bought sprays and foggers, glue traps and bombs. You can find them at local home and garden stores. However, those will only kill the roaches that are out in the open crawling on the walls or cabinets. It won’t do anything to the ones that are in the walls, behind the cabinets, or under or inside the furniture. A pest control expert is the best way to ensure that cockroaches don’t pose any kind of a health risk to your family.
Why pick Jerry's for my cockroach problem?
In Yakima we have three different species of cockroaches. The German cockroach is the one everybody seems to recognize – it is a dark mahogany brown. Its cousin is the Brown Banded cockroach. It is similar to the German roach but with yellowish bands on its legs. The third roach is called the Asian cockroach. You will mostly see those after the city has flushed the irrigations lines.
It is important to be sure what you have is cockroaches and not some other kind of crawly critter. They might take different treatments. If we assume you have cockroaches and you don’t, then we will have wasted time, energy, and money.
The best thing is for me to come out and assess what the infestation might be. I can leave glue traps to see if we can catch something to identify, and then we can go from there. More than 20 years in the Yakima Valley treating for pests has taught me that it is better to be cautious and do the job right the first time.
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