Cockroach Pest Control in Phoenix, Arizona
Cockroaches. The Name Alone Makes Your Skin Itch.
Unfortunately, Arizona is not exempt from the wrath of the cockroach. Roaches come in all shapes and sizes. Some species, such as German cockroaches, are harder to get rid of than others.
Take the following preventative measures and call in the expert exterminators at Insectek. Then, you’re well on your way to, as they say, “putting cockroaches back in their place,” which is not in your home.
Common Cockroaches in AZ
German Cockroaches
The German cockroach produces a pungent smell and can carry various bacteria and viruses. They’re attracted to dark, moist areas and can find their way inside starchy and sugary household foods like cereal boxes.
Brown Banded Cockroaches
If you like to keep your home warm and cozy in the cooler months, you might have one of these uninvited pests. Brown-banded cockroaches need warm temperatures to survive, and once in your home, one female can give birth to up to 600 babies. Besides being visibly unpleasant, brown-banded cockroaches can spread up to 33 kinds of bacteria in your home.
American Cockroaches
This is your typical and most commonly known cockroach. The American cockroach can leave illness-causing bacteria on the food they infest and are known to trigger allergies and asthma.
Turkestan Cockroaches
Unlike other cockroaches, the Turkestan cockroach is attracted to light and will fly into an open door or window to get to it. Like American cockroaches, their saliva and feces can cause allergy and asthma attacks.
Oriental (Sewer) Cockroaches
The Oriental cockroach is known to infect foods with diseases like E. Coli, food poisoning, salmonella, and dysentery. They’re attracted to left-out water and food sources like leaks and crumbs.
Are Cockroaches Harmful?
Cockroaches can, indeed, be harmful to you and your family. For instance, they’re known to carry diseases and can cause allergic reactions. These factors, when coupled with their quick rate of reproduction, can make roaches a problematic infestation requiring professional extermination.
What is Attracting Cockroaches to My Home?
Whether it’s your food, cat or dog food, birdseed, or even paper and cardboard, cockroaches are attracted to anything they can grub on. Having crumbs on the floor and counter or having an exposed pet food bowl is like inviting a family of cockroaches into your home.
Roaches will seek food from the dirty dishes in your sink. They’re not picky at all. They’ll even be happy to explore your garbage for a good meal.
Ways to Prevent a Cockroach Infestation
- Dispose of cardboard boxes and newspapers.
- Inspect grocery bags and food. Roaches and their eggs are great hitchhikers.
- Don’t leave out food (even pet food).
- Fix any plumbing problems to eliminate excess moisture.
- Seal any cracks around your house to keep cockroaches from finding their way inside. You can refer to our scorpion home seal guide for ways to seal off your home from all manner of pests, including roaches.
- Generally, de-clutter and clean your home to give roaches fewer places to hide, nest, and feed.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is it hard to get rid of roaches?
Cockroaches are one of the most resilient and sneaky pests to deal with. Because of their ability to hide in a host of areas and rapidly breed, infestations can be difficult to get rid of.
Roaches can develop a resistance to certain pesticides and may require tougher extermination methods. The key to getting rid of roaches is consistent integrated pest management with the most effective extermination methods.
How long do roaches last in a house?
Depending on the breed, cockroaches can live between 100 days to a year. Without food, roaches are capable of surviving for a month or a week without water.
Along with their long lifespan, roaches lay eggs within one week of mating, typically once a month. Female roaches can lay an average of 16 eggs each time. Letting an infestation go untreated puts your home or business at high risk for damage.
What is the best home remedy to get rid of cockroaches?
Along with professional integrated pest management, you can use DIY extermination methods to deter and kill roaches in your home. Among these, the strongest home remedy for roaches is boric acid.
To create a boric mix, combine equal parts flour and sugar to create one-inch dough-like balls. As you place these around your home where you’ve seen roaches, the ingredients will kill the roaches when they feed.
Essential oils can also deter roaches from entering your home. Use a mixture of salt water and peppermint oil in a spray bottle on infected areas in and outside of your home.
Spices like bay leaves, cayenne, garlic, and onion powder can help get rid of cockroaches. Place crushed leaves or powder of the spice in cupboards, the pantry, and any other infected area.
Store-bought pesticides and traps are always an option for cockroach control. Be aware of the ingredients and directions prior to application. Some methods are toxic to pets and children and need to be used in places out of reach.
Some of the most popular sprays for roaches include Bengal Gold Roach Spray, Combat Roach Killer, and Ortho Home Defense Insect Killer. If you’re weary about using store-bought pesticides, you can buy non-chemical methods like sticky traps.
Is it safe to live in a house with cockroaches?
No, cockroaches spread diseases, bacteria, and germs on surfaces they come in contact with. Over time, an infestation can lead to allergies and asthmatic symptoms in the household members. Likewise, diseases like cholera and salmonellosis can be potentially transmitted to humans through contaminated food.
What causes roaches in a clean house?
It can be frustrating to find out you have cockroaches in your home despite your efforts to keep a clean space. Unfortunately, cockroaches can be motivated to enter your home for reasons other than food debris and clutter.
There may be other attractants in your home that you’re unaware of. For example, roaches like standing water like bird baths, plant pots, and gutters. Roaches also like warm environments in the cooler months and built up humidity common in less ventilated rooms like attics and basements.
It’s unreasonable for you to have to eliminate every possible factor that may entice a roach. Rather, investing in integrated pest management can ensure your home is safe from roaches.
Greater Phoenix Area Pest Control Services
Pest Control and Removal Services
Our team works to protect Arizonan homes and businesses from daily nuisances to the most destructive pests, including:
Related Articles
Instant Pest Removal Now!
Receive an instant pest removal and pest control quote now!