Cockroaches
Cockroaches are primarily outdoor insects. They thrive in warm, relatively dry climates and don’t typically live in houses. Most of the time, they’ll stay outside, building colonies in sheltered areas in and around your yard.
Cockroaches are difficult to control as they are resilient pests. Cockroaches are scavengers and will feed on almost any food and non-food item we provide. They are prolific breeders, and their presence can quickly take over any home or business.
Some of the most common species of cockroaches include the following:
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German Cockroaches
The German cockroach is the most common cockroach species found all over the world. While German cockroach infestations occur in various human-occupied spaces, they are most often associated with institutional facilities such as restaurants, food processing facilities, hotels, nursing homes, etc. You can find more information via the link for German cockroaches.
Characteristics
Size: ½”-5/8” long
Color: Light brown to tan, with two dark, almost parallel stripes located on their backs, just behind their heads
Habits: German cockroaches show a preference for warm and humid spaces. They are usually found in residential and commercial kitchens and bathrooms. However, a German cockroach infestation can occur anywhere people eat and drink. In homes, this includes kitchens, dining rooms, living rooms, and bedrooms. Any crack or crevice located near a source of food and water can harbor cockroaches. German cockroaches can fit through an opening as small as 3/8 inches wide.
German cockroaches are hitchhikers and find their way into structures, hitching a ride in grocery bags, cardboard boxes, and appliances like refrigerators, televisions, microwaves, etc. They move from building to building during warm evenings.
German cockroaches have a broad palate. They will feed on anything with nutritional value, including all kinds of food, as well as soap, glue, and toothpaste.
Oriental Cockroach
The oriental cockroach, despite its name, is believed to be of African origin and is a larger species. These cockroaches are sometimes referred to as "waterbugs" because they hang out in damp areas, also referred to as the "black beetle cockroach" because of their smooth, dark bodies. Oriental cockroaches gain access into households by going under doors and through gaps beneath siding and following along pipes, sewers, and drains into a structure. You can find more information via the link for oriental cockroaches.
Characteristics
Size: 1” long
Color: Shiny black
Habits: The oriental cockroach feeds on all types of food, especially decaying matter, starchy foods, and garbage. Though these cockroaches survive for up to a month without food, they cannot live without water for more than two weeks. Heavily dependent on water, they gather in large numbers near water sources.
Turkestan Cockroach
Compared to the more familiar German, American and oriental cockroaches, the Turkestan roach is relatively a newcomer to the scene, arriving in the United States in the 1970s and 1980s from somewhere in central Asia. These cockroaches were first seen near military facilities and likely hitched rides on equipment and troops returning from these areas. You can find more information via the link for Turkestan roaches.
Characteristics
Size: 1“ long
Color: Rusty red (females), muted orange, almost tan (males)
Behavior:
Turkestan's are particularly notorious for infesting the voids in outdoor electrical boxes and water meter boxes and burrowing into the cracks and crevices of concrete and brick. You might also discover them living in your garden, darting across your compost pile, or hiding in the potted plants atop your deck.