What is the most horrifying insect you may find lurking in your home? Most of us are going to say it’s a cockroach. And there could be nothing more annoying and embarrassing than a roach infestation inside the house.
But merely having signs of roaches around the house won’t let you know whether you actually are dealing with a serious roach infestation. The entire process of how to tell if you have cockroaches can be a pretty traumatic experience for any homeowner.
If you’re wondering how to know you have roaches in your home, there are some signs you need to identify. Through this article, we will help you know them better.
Key takeaways
- Cockroaches are a common and disgusting type of insect that can infest homes.
- Roaches seek food, shelter, and warmth, making homes an ideal environment for them.
- Signs of roach infestation include droppings, foul odor, egg capsules, shed skin, smear marks, living roaches, property damage, and evidence from glueboards.
- Different roach species may be found in different parts of the home, such as basements, bathrooms, kitchens, and hidden spaces.
- Roach infestations are highly contagious, so if your neighbors have them, it may be a red flag for your home.
What are roaches?
It’s disgusting to even bring them up, but let’s face it, we’ve all experienced a cockroach prowling about the room, toilet, or corridor at some point in our lives and been horrified by it. In fact, it’s uncommon to come across someone who thinks of a cockroach as a cute creature.
These disgusting cockroaches are of the Blattodea order of pests, and that also includes other termites. They are one of the most primitive winged insects that have survived million years of evolution and bothers human to date.
Globally, there are more than 4,600 types of roaches. They mainly live inside houses and other buildings. Under bathroom sinks, behind cabinets, porous wood objects, and such can cause serious discomfort in the household. They mostly breed and dwell in dark, warm, and wet areas inside buildings and travel through pipes and sewer lines.
What causes roach infestation?
Cockroaches seek three things to survive: food, shelter, and warmth. There’s a strong chance your house has food, is warmer than the outside, and has plenty of hiding places, making it the ideal setting for a cockroach to create a family.
Cockroaches are not picky eaters and will eat almost everything they come across. Garbage, wallpaper paste, bookbinding materials, and other organic products – be it anything.
Different roach species might be found in various parts of the house or company. They favor the dark, wet corners of a house. Their common hiding places are under sinks, under walls, and behind refrigerators. When you switch on a light, they scatter since they are creatures that thrive in the night. If you can follow their movement, this might assist you in finding out where they’re hiding.
How do you know if you have roaches?
A cockroach infestation may be a common issue, but how do you know if you have roaches? Cockroach control involves expertise. Before deciding on what to do, we’ll look at the signs of roach infestation.
Droppings
Cockroaches create a dust of black droppings that resemble coffee grounds. They’re about 1mm wide and come in all sorts of lengths. Their droppings tend to collect along with the corners and edges of closets and shelves, as these are their preferred hiding spots and trails.
Stench or foul order
Cockroaches produce a pheromone that invites other cockroaches to converge where they feed and sleep. It gives out a lasting, unpleasant musty odor that taints surfaces it comes into touch with, and it gets worse as the infestation spreads.
You may also identify an unpleasant smell when you have cockroaches’ dead bodies lying around the house.
Egg capsules
Cockroaches deposit eggs in ootheca capsules, which contain numerous eggs. Each species of cockroach has a different ootheca. This is dropped by most cockroach species right away, but the German cockroach keeps it until just before hatching, when it releases roughly 30 small nymphs.
Shed skin
Cockroaches, like other insects, shed. Shedding or molting is a stage in their development that allows them to attain age. If you have cockroaches, you’ll see them all around your house, apartment, or office. Look for this evidence in places you think they could be hiding.
Smear marks
Cockroaches, in addition to droppings and lost skin, produce smear markings. Look for these dark brown stains on horizontal surfaces and at wall-floor connections since this is where they are most commonly found.
Living roaches
To figure out whether you have roaches lurking around the house, try randomly switching on the lights around the house in the middle of the night. You will find them lurking around.
German cockroaches require heat and humidity and can usually be found in bathrooms, laundry rooms, and kitchens. Oriental cockroaches can survive in colder, damper environments and are commonly found in basements or drains.
Property damage
Not only should you look for unusual marks of contamination on food packaging, but these pests also eat away organic materials such as leather and books.
Your neighbors have roaches
Keep in mind that roach infestations are highly contagious. So if you find out your neighbors have one, consider it a red flag.
Common places to look for cockroaches
Cockroaches hide in various parts of your home, depending on the species. The type of cockroach that has infested your home can substantially influence the location of an infestation. Some species favor warm, humid environments, while others can withstand lower temperatures.
- Basement – In basements, look for any spaces that cockroaches may squeeze through at the base and corner joints of the walls.
- Bathroom – Examine plumbing under sinks, bathtubs, toilets, and any covered dark locations with access to water, even if it’s only dampness. They may creep through drainage systems and up to plug holes in sinks and bathtubs.
- Kitchen – Cockroaches are drawn in by the darkness, especially if the cabinet contains pipes. They may hide in kitchen equipment because they provide warmth and concealed cracks.
- Laundry rooms – Check cabinets behind sinks, where the piping comes through walls or floors and leads to washing machines and tumble dryers.
- Drains – Examine downpipes for cracks and crevices where they may hide and broken drain covers through which they could scurry.
Say goodbye to roach infestations
Keeping an eye out for these signs can help identify whether you have roach problems. However, for guaranteed results, your best bet is to contact your local pest control service to exterminate these pests.
