When you think about cockroaches invading your house, you might picture the large, dark, nasty looking pests that range up to an inch and a half in size. However, it’s not always the biggest that are the baddest. German cockroaches might be the smallest roach species in America, but they can wreak havoc in your Frisco home.
German Cockroaches In Frisco
If you picture sand at the beach, you understand that the grains of sand are small, so, individually at least, they don’t do a whole lot of damage. But they really do get everywhere, and when there are enough of them, they can cause some serious problems.
You can think about German cockroaches in the same way. Their small, tan bodies are only about four to seven millimeters long, and they’re sometimes confused for crickets. They aren’t the cockroaches of your nightmares.
However, a German cockroach infestation can cause some severe issues in your house. One of the problems with German cockroaches is that they travel in large numbers. A small German cockroach won’t do too much damage or eat a lot of your food, but a hundred will definitely pose a problem. Plus, their small size allows them to access your home and food stores much more easily than larger roaches who can’t squeeze through gaps and cracks in the walls. This combination of small size and large numbers makes them one of the most destructive pests that plague Frisco homes.
And it’s not just that they travel in numbers, it’s where they’re traveling from. Before they enter your home, they’ll typically live in places like landfills, sewers, and dumpsters, which makes them dangerous bacteria carriers. As they squeeze into small crevices to get into your kitchen, they’ll spread this bacteria to your food and food preparation surfaces, exposing you to diseases like salmonella and E.coli.
Prevention Techniques
Because a German cockroach infestation can be so dangerous, preventing these pests from getting in is essential to maintaining a healthy home. Maintaining a clean, healthy, clutter-free environment is one of the best ways to prevent attracting German cockroaches in the first place. Once they get in, German cockroaches are very hard to get rid of, so your prevention focus should center around reducing the attraction they have towards your home.
- Clean up the clutter. Having a lot of clutter provides cover for German cockroaches to move around without being spotted. Open environments are intimidating to them and will encourage them to infest someone else’s house.
- Put away food promptly and properly. Any food left out in the open, especially overnight, will attract German cockroaches very quickly.
- Vacuum and mop regularly. When crumbs accumulate on the floor, they attract German cockroaches. Vacuuming and mopping every few days can maintain a clean environment that won’t attract pests.
- Address moisture issues. You’re most likely to find these roaches in damp, dark places like under counters and appliances. If you can keep your humidity levels low in the crawl spaces, along with monitoring for leaking pipes under counters and in the basement, this will reduce cockroach attractions.
Unfortunately, you can get everything on this list right and still wind up with German cockroaches in your kitchen. If you spot German cockroaches during the day (as they’re usually active at night) and see their droppings (which look like small pieces of pepper) in light fixtures or along the wall, then you have a severe infestation. Don’t try to get rid of them yourself and expose your home to diseases and damage: contact the professionals at Adams Exterminating Company. We will make sure you gain a cockroach-free property.