It’s no surprise that this little pest would rank near the top of a list of most annoying insects. Cockroaches have been scurrying underfoot for the better part of 400 million years and are known for their resilience to nearly every method of eradication nature or otherwise can throw at them. Nowadays, over 4,000 different varieties of these prehistoric creepy crawlies roam Alberta! Here’s what you need to know about this bug that’s been a nuisance for millions of years!
The Bad
Cockroaches are notorious for having insatiable appetites and we’re not lying when we tell you these six legged menaces can eat pretty much anything. Garbage and rotting food is fine dining to a family of cockroaches, but when regular food is hard to come by, they aren’t exactly picky. Toothpaste, glue, soap, leather and even grease aren’t safe from roaches. They’ll essentially consume anything with a shred of nutritional value! They are nocturnal little creepy crawlies and if you’ve found a roach or two during the light of day, it’s a sign there are more roaches competing for food behind the scenes. They commonly hide under kitchen stoves, refrigerators, dishwashers, in the cracks and crevices of baseboards, behind wallpaper and anywhere else dark, warm and moist.
The Badder
The easiest way to figure out if you have roaches, besides the presence of a few scurrying around during the day, is their feces. Often mistaken for flakes of black pepper or coffee grounds, cockroach droppings smell absolutely terrible. An oily, musty smell is overwhelming in particularly nasty infestations and if this is the case, you’ll also find roach bodies littering the premises. The presence of ootheca, roach eggs, is another solid indication of an infestation and these egg sacks are often found behind furniture, in cracks in floors and walls and even in pantries.
The Ugly
Most people think a messy house is the only house that attracts a roach, but once again we have to remind you that roaches aren’t picky! As long as there’s some kind of food, somewhere dark to hide and the occasional water source, cockroaches will feel right at home. However, there are a few easy ways to let roaches know they aren’t welcome! Vacuuming, emptying your garbage often and cleaning up the crumbs, food scraps and spills is your first attack against a roach approach because if you eliminate easy food sources, they won’t be as tempted to come into your home. This also means that storing your food items in airtight containers is a must! Keep your faucets and plumbing free of leaks to remove the temptation of moisture and plug any nooks and crannies around the foundation of your home with caulking or steel wool. There’s no such thing as too much protection!
If even through your best efforts a pack of roaches manages to invade, don’t be afraid to call in some backup. We at One Man and a Lady Bug are trained experts at roach removal and we’re here to help you fend off even the thought of invasion. Give our friendly staff a call at 403-262-1666 and we’ll help you stay roach free in 2020!
