You could poll homeowners in Portsmouth, and most of them would have at least one common dreaded nightmare – a cockroach infestation. According to professional pest managers in Portsmouth city, the number of calls regarding houses with roaches has increased drastically over the years.
Cockroaches are nasty little creatures that commonly invade homes in search of food, water, and shelter. These unwanted guests have developed a unique ability to squeeze through even the tiniest of gaps and cracks when invading homes. Yet, cockroaches are extremely good at hiding, making it hard for homeowners to eliminate them.
But the worst news is that cockroaches are prolific breeders. They will spread quickly in your home, and if not controlled fast and effectively, the pests will wreak havoc on your property and spread severe diseases such as cholera and dysentery to your loved ones. Hence, you’re advised to contact a professional pest control company as soon as you see or suspect a cockroach infestation.
Cockroach Species That Commonly Invade Portsmouth Homes
Unbeknown to many homeowners, there are over 4000 cockroach species in the world. However, only 30 of these species are considered pests, 4 of which have managed to make a real nuisance of themselves in Portsmouth homes.
Knowing the specific type of cockroach infesting your home will help you eliminate the pests effectively and keep them away for good. That’s because each cockroach species is unique, requiring specific control methods for highly effective results.
The most common cockroach species that infest homes in Portsmouth area include:
- American cockroach
- German cockroach
- Oriental cockroach
- Brown-banded cockroach
3 Signs That You Might Have Roaches in Your Portsmouth Home
Cockroaches are nocturnal pests. This means that these pesky creatures prefer to go about their business at night and stay hidden during the day. Roaches leave their dark and warm hiding spots at night to look for food and mating partners and retreat back into the hiding spots during the day.
In fact, this is the main reason a cockroach infestation is notoriously hard to spot or suspect. Luckily, however, cockroaches leave behind undeniable telltale signs of their presence. Here are the 3 unmistakable signs that you might have roaches in your Portsmouth home.
- Cockroach Feces
A cockroach menu includes everything from plants, sweets, greasy foods, meats, garbage, and even dead skin cells. Because of their huge appetite, these disgusting pests leave behind a considerable amount of feces around your home. Luckily, cockroach droppings are pretty easy to identify. They resemble black pepper or ground coffee with blunt ends and ridges on the sides.
You’ll commonly find cockroach feces in places where roaches love to hide. These include the corners of your rooms, along baseboards, on top of cabinets, and inside drawers/closets.
It’s important to note that roaches spread diseases through feces, droppings, and saliva. Hence, the sooner you contact a pest controller, the faster you protect your home and the well-being of your loved ones.
- Cockroach Egg Cases
Unfortunately, cockroaches breed continually and will soon colonize your home. These aggressive breeders do not lay singular eggs. Instead, they lay many eggs at once inside a casing known as an ootheca. A cockroach egg case, aka the ootheca, is usually produced by a female cockroach to protect her eggs until they hatch. When baby roaches hatch, they leave behind the ootheca, a very obvious sign of a growing infestation. It’s also not uncommon to find an ootheca with unhatched eggs still inside.
Cockroach ootheca varies in appearance depending on the cockroach species invading. For instance, oriental cockroaches produce dark-red or reddish-brown egg cases measuring 8-10mm in length. Some cockroaches may create a light-colored, crescent-shaped ootheca 12-15 mm long.
Most cockroach species attach their ootheca to undisturbed places where homeowners and DIY pesticides can barely reach, for instance, behind furniture, in books, and between cracks and crevices. Protective species such as German cockroaches carry the ootheca around until the eggs are ready to hatch, making it particularly hard for homeowners to eliminate the pests.
- Cockroach Smell
Cockroaches have an unmistakable smell. They produce a signature odor that has been described as musty, oily, and oddly sweet in some cases. This odor is known as pheromones, and roaches use it to communicate with each other when finding food, safe shelter, and breeding mates.
Unless you have leaks or mildew in your home, the unexplained mildew odor is a good sign of a cockroach infestation. Sadly, this smell often comes from a large number of roaches. So if you’re already noticing the odor, the odds are that the infestation is severe, and you might want to call a pest control expert immediately.
Professional Cockroach Control Services in Portsmouth
Cockroaches have a terrible reputation for being frustratingly difficult to control using DIY methods. But don’t sweat it! Adibug Pest Control professionals have successfully controlled cockroach infestations in Portsmouth homes for many years.
Our experts are highly trained and equipped with the latest technology to monitor your home and get rid of pests for good. You can rest assured that we will customize a cockroach control solution that meets your specific needs. We utilize highly effective green products to exterminate cockroaches and protect your home from future infestations.
