All About German Cockroaches

Worried about German cockroaches? Among all the insect pests, German Cockroaches are perhaps the very best at survival.  In order to prevent and control them, you need some knowledge on your side, and a dedicated control method that requires frequent attention.  As a start, it’s wise to learn all about German cockroaches and what they need in order to survive in your home or business.

Why German Cockroaches Don’t Die Young

1. Eggs are carried by the female until the day before they hatch allowing the mother to protect them.
2. Egg capsules (called Ootheca) contain 30-48 eggs.
3. Cockroaches can eat practically anything including each other.
4. They hide in cracks and crevices usually coming out at night when the threats posed by predators is diminished.
5. Infant roaches don’t usually come out of their hiding places but instead feed on the feces of adult roaches.  GROSS!  And you thought your diet was bad.

What Is Their Weakness?

All life depends on food, water and warmth. The Achilles heel of German Cockroaches is a lack of water.  Without water in good supply they begin dying quite quickly.  An example illustrates this point:  A home we inspected was vacant with the water cut off and the German Cockroaches still didn’t seem to want to go away.  We discovered that the windows had slight condensation forming due to the cold weather outside, so we had the heater turned off and within only a few days the roaches were dead.

All About German Cockroaches – Control Tips

Most people are looking for a magic bug spray that will kill all roaches. While some roach killers really are better than others, insecticides alone don’t provide the fastest relief. For the fastest roach elimination within a home, first stress the roach colony.

Start by caulking cracks and crevices everywhere (especially in the kitchen and bathrooms). Caulking eliminates roach hideouts.

Next, clamp down on the roach food supply. This means deep cleaning to eliminate grease and crumbs. Don’t forget the sides and under range ovens, cabinets, trash cans, floors, counters and inside drawers. This step might not be a lot of fun, but cleaning can make eliminating roaches much faster.

Now, go through your home with a vacuum and crevice tool and suck up every single roach you can find.  German Cockroaches don’t all come out at once, so make several passes through your home to suck them up as they venture out. This step might take an hour or so but can eliminate half or more of the population without even using any pesticides. When you are done vacuuming, don’t forget to empty the vacuum outside where the roaches won’t get back indoors.

These steps to eliminate hiding places, clamp down on the food supply and physically remove roaches will stress surviving roaches. A stressed roach is not a healthy roach, and these steps can cause sickness and cannibalism within the remaining roaches as they compete for survival.

With roaches stressed and struggling for survival we have now arrived at the most effective moment to apply roach killing products.

Where To Apply Roach Killer

The rate of success in any roach treatment is based upon careful completion of the steps above to stress the roach poplulation, carefully locating roach hiding places and applying the correct insecticides. Favorite hiding places for roaches include:

1. Under kitchen and bathroom sinks
2. Under and inside kitchen cabinets
3. In cabinet and door hinges
4. Inside electric outlets and light switches (don’t spray liquids in here)
5. Inside electrical devices including coffee pots, microwaves, bread machines, ovens, and around refrigerator compressors.  (don’t spray liquids in here either)

For safety, carefully read all the fine print on any insecticide labels before using them inside your home.  Lastly don’t expect German Cockroaches to go away overnight. These guys are survivors and they are extremely resourceful. If you want help we offer a no-pressure Roach Inspection with one of our experienced roach clean-out technicians.  During this inspection, you’ll have the opportunity to ask questions and learn all about German cockroaches, and how they can be treated efficiently and successfully.

Schedule a Roach Inspection

Protect your home and family from roaches. Contact us here or call 541-636-0146 to get your roach problem resolved now…

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I called several places and Bug Zapper Pest Control was the only one who returned my call in a reasonable amount of time (i.e., same day). He came over to walk through our house and give us an estimate. He was fantastic with our son and dog, and was thorough with his explanation about the products he uses and his methods.  — Katrina – Roseburg, OR