Of course, everyone knows you don’t want cockroaches in your Livermore, CA home or business. However, when it comes to cockroaches you really, really don’t want, German cockroaches take the cake. Not only are these roaches just as tough to kill as any other cockroach species, but they mature at warp speed and breed exponentially. This makes them able to fill your house in a matter of months, leaving you with a huge infestation that’s just about impossible to eradicate. Let’s talk about how to spot a German cockroach and what to do if you have an infestation.
German Cockroach Description
German cockroaches are smaller than other common pest roaches in the United States (like the American cockroach or the Oriental cockroach). German cockroaches are less than an inch long, tan to light brown, and have two long dark stripes just behind their heads. German cockroaches are the most common cockroach around the world and can infest anywhere, but they’re particularly fond of institutions that deal with a large amount of food, so if you own a restaurant, bakery, grocery store, or food processing facility, you need to be especially vigilant.
German roaches are far from just creepy – they’re downright dangerous. They spend their days and nights hanging out in the dirtiest possible places. Anywhere there’s garbage, sewage, or decay is a place for roaches. That means they can bring dozens of different diseases into your home or business, including:
- Campylobacteriosis
- Cholera
- Dysentery
- Gastroenteritis
- Leprosy
- Plague
- Salmonella
- Typhoid Fever
German cockroaches in particular aren’t just gross – they’re just shy of impossible to eradicate. Just like all roaches, their legendary toughness makes them all but immune to many common household sprays and poisons. However, even if you do manage to find a chemical that can kill individual roaches, it may not make much of a dent in their population.
German cockroaches breed at an extraordinary rate. Under optimal conditions, hatchlings can mature from nymphs to breeding adults in as little as 36 days. Adult females can live over six months and breed continually throughout that time, laying up to 400 eggs. This is why a German cockroach infestation can balloon from a few breeding adults to hundreds and even thousands of individuals in the span of a few months. The old adage “if you see one roach, there are fifty you don’t see” is especially true with German roaches, and it’s one of the reasons why it’s so tough to eradicate them. Every adult you kill has probably already replaced itself ten times over.
What To Do About German Cockroaches
If you haven’t yet gotten a cockroach infestation, there are some things you can do to stave one-off:
- Eliminate Food Attractants: Keep all indoor and outdoor garbage tightly covered, store all pantry foods in airtight containers, and clean up after meals right away.
- Reduce Hiding Spots: Declutter frequently and don’t leave things that could provide shelter to roaches lying around outside or on the floor.
- Plug Up Entry Points: Inspect your home and seal up anything that could provide roaches access to your home, including holes and cracks in the exterior and rips in door and window screens.
If you already have an infestation, trying to get rid of it yourself is unlikely to do you much good. As we’ve seen above, German cockroaches are an especially resilient pest, so it’s best to let the pros handle them. Here at Pro Active Pest Control, we offer tons of solutions for safe, effective, and eco-friendly cockroach elimination. So give us a call at (888) 335-4008 or visit our contact page to schedule your inspection today.