American Cockroach

The American Cockroach

American Cockroach. By American-cockroach.jpg: Gary Alpertderivative work: B kimmel (talk) – American-cockroach.jpg, CC BY 2.5, 

The American cockroach is one of the most common types of roaches found in homes. They are usually known as ship cockroach or Bombay canary.

HOW TO IDENTIFY AMERICAN COCKROACHES

Appearance

The average length of American cockroach is 1.6 inches whereas it is about 0.28 inch tall. They are reddish-brown in color and on their pronotum, they possess a yellow margin. There is no difference in the body of adults and immature American cockroaches, except that their immature roaches don’t possess wings.

Behavior

American cockroaches have the ability to swiftly move around and hide in small cracks and crevices whenever they perceive a threat. They are known to be one of the fastest insect species and can travel at the speed of 5.4km/h. if we compare this speed to human speed, then it’ll estimate around 330 km/h. American cockroaches are nocturnal insects and are active late at night. Their compound eyes help them provide the night-time vision.

These cockroaches prefer to live in hot and damp places and the ideal temperature for their survival is around 29°C and they cannot survive in cold weather conditions. They have the ability to survive in dry places and surroundings, only if they have access to water sources around.  They are usually found in basements, porches, corners of the houses, sewers and hide in small cracks and crevices there.

Signs

If you sense “musty” smell in the basements, kitchens or around cabinets, then this could be a sign of American cockroach infestation. They produce “aggregation pheromone” chemicals; therefore if there is a serious infestation, there will be a large amount of chemical and people can detect the smell.

If you spot droppings in your basements, kitchen, under appliances or other dark places (as American cockroach hides in dark places) then this clearly indicates towards the presence of American cockroaches. Look for their egg capsules, they are around 38mm long and can easily be seen. These blackish brown or reddish color cases visibly hints towards American cockroach infestation.

HOW DO YOU GET AMERICAN COCKROACHES

Like most pests, American cockroaches also invade houses in search of food and water. Broken window panes, damaged weather stripping, garages provide easy pathways to American cockroach to enter your house. Once they enter, they usually hide in bathrooms, basements, kitchens, laundry rooms or under heavy appliances because they need dark places to hide.

HOW TO GET RID OF AMERICAN COCKROACHES

How to get rid of american cockroaches

To get rid of cockroaches is a difficult task, and American cockroaches are no different. They are extremely resilient and home remedies aren’t too effective on them. The following measures will help you control and eradicate the presence of these pesky pests.

Sanitation:

Sanitation is the first step towards eliminating American cockroaches from your house. Mop your floor regularly, remove garbage and food crumbs from your kitchen, properly sanitize your kitchen and don’t leave anything around which serves as food source for these roaches, store food in air-tight containers and ventilate crawl spaces to avoid moisture buildup.

Sealing:

Seal all the possible entry points of roaches, fill the wall cracks and seal the openings with silicone-based caulk.

Pesticides:

Use of pesticides is essential to get rid of this species from your home. Baits containing hydramethylnon, fipronil or sulfluramid can be applied in their harbor spots and they will effectively control American cockroaches in your home.

Whereas chemical dust which is made of boric acid, diatomaceous earth, and silica aerogel should be spread on their harborage, they will help you in eliminating American cockroaches.

American Cockroach Facts

• American cockroaches can fly and swiftly move around to hide and avoid the threat.
• They inhabit warm places in houses and buildings like basements, kitchens, boiler rooms of restaurants, etc. Sometimes they also enter houses to avoid harsh cold weather outside.
• American cockroaches hate light.
• They are solitary cockroach species and prefer to live alone instead of making groups.
• They can spread up to 30 types of bacteria among humans by contaminating their food and surroundings.

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