Cockroaches are the most common house pests worldwide. They can be really a nuisance as well as a health risk if measures are not taken immediately. 

Cockroaches come in different sizes and types and each type has different things that attract them into your home and different amounts of damage they cause.

The best way to get rid of roaches is to know the type of roach you are dealing with. That way you can know what has attracted it into your home, the risks involved and how to get rid of them.

The most common roaches are the German, Oriental and American roaches.

Amongst these, the most common cockroach found in homes is the German roach. 

These are attracted to water, food and damp areas so make sure you cover most water sources or drain unused water in order to keep them away from your house. 

The Oriental type is mostly attracted to water sources. Adult males are around 18–29 mm (0.71–1.14 in) whilst adult females are 20–27 mm (0.79–1.06 in).[2] It is dark brown or black in colour and has a glossy body.

Cockroaches also come into homes in search of food, shelter and water so make sure you don’t leave food lying around and clean your place regularly since dirty places are a good breeding ground for cockroaches.

Leaving your leftovers uncovered or sleeping without emptying your household bin is another way of calling cockroaches into your home.

Make sure you dispose of your bins before you go to sleep and put leftovers in tightly covered containers or put them in the oven.

Cockroach Habits

Cockroaches can multiply very easily once they invade your home. They lay eggs that produce hundreds of tiny nymphs which start to fend for themselves as soon as they hatch. 

This means that once you have cockroaches in your house they are going to multiply and invade your space in a short period of  time. 

Those little ones who also fend for themselves are also as harmful and contaminate your food and water resources.

Cockroaches are also known for leaving their stools in food.

For instance, if you leave your bowl of rice anywhere where they can reach, and it is not covered properly you will wake up to see it with tiny black drops in it. Those are cockroaches’ stools and the food will not be safe to eat anymore.

Some roaches are notorious for laying their eggs everywhere that is on furniture, important documents or utensils.

Some of these eggs can damage furniture and documents mostly. The place where the eggs are hatched is usually left with a rusty colour that doesn’t come off even when you clean.

If these roaches become a pandemic in your house, they are very difficult to get rid of and they often cause a foul smell into your home. Very unpleasant that no one will want to visit you.

Cockroaches can also fall into liquids like milk, cooking oil or even beverages that are not properly sealed. 

They are very active at night and can disappear very quickly when you turn on the light.

Damages that are caused by Cockroaches 

Cockroaches can cause a lot of damage to your home. They can stain your furniture, destroy your documents, and pose some health risks.

Cockroaches carry germs like Salmonella and E.coli that can cause health risks to people. 

Eating contaminated food can cause diarrhoea, allergies and food poisoning so if you find out that your food is contaminated it’s better to throw it away.

How to detect if there are cockroaches in your home

If your home is infested by cockroaches it is very easy to see because they are very easy to detect. 

The German cockroach is easy to see as it is big enough to see. It is approximately 1.1 to 1.6cm so that’s big enough to detect. The Oriental is bigger than this so you can’t miss it if it passes by.

You can also know that you have cockroaches in your house if you find tiny black stools in food if you leave it uncovered.

Cockroach eggs are some of the things to look out for if you want to confirm their infestation. You can find both hatched and unhatched eggs attached to furniture, mostly unused utensils or dark corners in the house.

When they have multiplied, you won’t even need to look for them. You can see them everywhere like in food sources, cupboards and even clothes.

Humane Cockroach Removal

Getting rid of cockroaches once they have fully invaded your space can be such a daunting task. 

Squashing them can help but it’s not that effective, not even mentioning disgusting. 

Cockroaches are very difficult to kill as they are immune to most regular pesticides and sometimes you can find out that the pesticide you sprayed aiming at cockroaches killed flies while the cockroaches continue going about their business as if nothing happened.

You can try recommended cockroach killers that are strong enough to do the job and if that one doesn’t help then the last option is to contact pest control services.

Always keep your house clean and store away food and anything that will make a favourable environment for cockroaches and they won’t stay long in your house.

Find out about local pest control services in your area and contact them to come for an inspection. 

They will assess your place, rate of infestation and apply an effective way of dealing with the situation.