With reddish-brown coloring and pale yellow bands on the back of their heads, American cockroaches are the biggest types of roaches you’re going to find in your Southern Maine home. These pests do have wings that are functional, but they usually can’t fly more than short distances.
While American roaches are easy to identify, spotting live roaches isn’t always the first sign of a cockroach infestation. There are more subtle signs you need to watch out for, including:
Droppings: Near the areas they hide, cockroaches leave behind tiny droppings, which are often mistaken for mouse droppings. If you find droppings, it’s usually a surefire sign that roaches are hiding nearby.
Egg Capsules: About eight millimeters long with dark coloring, egg capsules get left behind after the eggs have hatched. The location of egg capsules can vary, but it’s not uncommon to find them near food sources, in your basement, bathroom, or even the laundry room.
Smells: If you’re noticing a “musty” smell that lingers around your house and isn’t coming from anywhere specific, cockroaches could be the culprit. American roaches produce a pheromone that triggers this odor, and if the infestation is big enough, it can spread across your entire house.
Live Cockroaches: While it may not be the first sign you see, if you spot bugs that skitter away every time you turn on a light, they could be cockroaches. These pests are nocturnal and they’ll usually flee to a dark area if you turn on a light.
Once they’ve made it inside your home, American cockroaches aren’t easy to get out. Here’s what you should know about the health risks associated with cockroaches, why they’re so difficult to get rid of, and what may be attracting them to your Southern Maine home.
How Dangerous Are American Cockroaches In Southern Maine?
While American cockroaches may not bite or be aggressive, that doesn’t mean they’re harmless to your health. Roaches are known for carrying bacteria that can become harmful if it ends up in your food, like salmonella, streptococcus, or staphylococcus.
American cockroaches have also been known to play a role in spreading certain intestinal diseases such as dysentery, cholera, diarrhea, and typhoid fever.
Besides the bacteria and diseases they may spread to you by contaminating your food or scratching you with their heavy leg spines, cockroaches also spell bad news for anyone with allergies or asthma. Certain enzymes found in their droppings, discarded skin, and saliva can cause allergic reactions or trigger asthma in some people.
Why Are American Cockroaches So Hard To Get Rid Of In Southern Maine?
Cockroaches are far from easy to eliminate for a couple of different reasons. First, American cockroaches are master hiders, and it’s often very difficult for homeowners to root out every hiding spot. These pests also breed quickly and each female has the potential to lay up to 160 eggs a year – which means a few cockroaches can turn into a full-blown infestation in no time.
Rather than try and tackle the infestation on your own, your best option is to get professional help – like those of us at Big Blue Bug Solutions. We’ve been offering professional, effective pest control for decades, and dealing with American cockroaches is no exception. If you think you’ve got American cockroaches in your home, don’t wait to call us at Big Blue Bug Solutions to schedule an inspection or learn more.
What Attracts American Cockroaches To Your Southern Maine Property?
Like most pests, cockroaches enter your home for a reason, namely they’re looking for food and water. Some of the factors that may lure them inside include:
-
Leaving leftover food unsealed and out in the open
-
Dirty dishes left in the sink for long periods of time
-
Open garbage or trash bins
-
Excess moisture that may stem from leaky pipes
-
Pet food or crumbs left out in the open
To reduce the risk of cockroaches, good sanitation practices go a long way. This means sealing food and leftovers in airtight containers, dealing with excess moisture issues, sealing trash cans, and regularly reducing clutter around your home. You may also want to seal any potential entry points that cockroaches may try to use to get inside, including gaps and cracks under your doors, tears in window screens, or other tiny crevices.
