What Are Roaches? What You Need to Know

What are roaches, and what are they going to do to my house? That’s likely the question on your mind if cockroaches have called dibs on your personal space. After all, you can't fight an enemy you don't know. This guide to cockroaches will help you create a plan for evicting these unwanted pests.

What Do Cockroaches Look Like?

If you have an intruder with a reddish-brown body, there's a good chance you're entertaining a roach. Next, look for six long, thorny legs. Looking familiar so far? A cockroach also has long antennae, an oval-shaped body, and wings. You likely won’t see a cockroach fly, only a few species can, but they are fast, moving 50 body lengths in one second.

While cockroaches typically max out in size at 1½ inches, you might see some that are as large as 2 inches skittering around your home. Be sure to distinguish a cockroach from a bed bug by its larger size and affinity for hiding in dark, damp spaces.

Where Do Cockroaches Live in My Home?

Roaches will make themselves at home in any cracks or crevices in your living space. As foragers, they’re attracted to your home’s food sources, so they love to hang out near refrigerators, pantries, kitchen cabinets, dark drawers, and sink undercarriages. 

A cockroach will take a dark, damp basement over almost any environment. They also like any room with piping or drains because they can use these systems to travel throughout a home undetected.

Signs of a Cockroach Infestation

The not-so-pretty truth about roach infestations is that visible droppings are often the first telltale signs that you have visitors. When cockroaches infest a place, they defecate as they move through it. 

Of course, spotting a cockroach scurrying through your home is the surest sign that roaches have moved in! Assume that a colony is present, even if you only spot a singular roach who got caught in the daylight. In addition to feces, you may notice the following signs of roaches:

• Oval-shaped egg cases

• Oily, musty smell in your home

• Dead cockroaches

• Dark streaks or smear marks

• Molted skin

• Chew marks on food packages

• Chew marks in random objects around the house

How Can a Cockroach Infestation Affect My Home?

The reality of living with a cockroach infestation is not pretty. When left unchecked, roaches can take over to the point where urine and feces destroy your floor, furniture, clothing, and more. Cockroaches also expose your household to allergens, typhoid, E. coli, salmonella, urinary tract infections (UTIs), sepsis, and a variety of other health risks.

As omnivores, cockroaches will eat anything they can get their spiny arms around. While they will eat plant matter, their weaknesses are starchy, sweet, and greasy foods. They also love meat. So, if you have a major roach infestation, you can expect them to devour all food sources and invade your food prep space and kitchen cabinets.

How Do Cockroaches Get Inside Homes?

Crumbs, spills, pet food, kitchen trash, and food debris attract cockroaches to homes. Most cockroaches simply enter homes opportunistically by crawling through small holes and cracks. You can even accidentally bring a cockroach into your home by carrying it in a backpack, picnic basket, laundry basket, or suitcase.

How to Get Rid of Cockroaches

Learn how to get rid of roaches on your own or with the help of a pest control professional.

Professional Extermination

The best way to get rid of roaches is to hire a professional exterminator near you to properly identify and remove your infestation. A trained exterminator can tailor your pest treatment based on the size and nature of your infestation. Oriental cockroaches, American cockroaches, brown-banded cockroaches, German cockroaches, and smoky brown cockroaches are the most common cockroach types behind infestations in homes, and a pest control professional will know how to treat them all.

The average cost to exterminate cockroaches is between $100 and $600, depending on the size, severity, and location of your infestation. While professional extermination costs more upfront, you'll save time and headache by skipping the trial-and-error approach of DIY roach control. A pro can also identify entry points in your home to help you enjoy long-term pest control.

DIY Removal 

While it's hard to reverse an infestation without a serious intervention, some natural roach repellent tips include keeping a clean house, keeping faucets dry, spreading diatomaceous earth (DE) around your home, using citrus and bay leaves, leaving out baking soda for roaches to eat, and spraying roaches with soapy water.

Other removal options include:

• Gel bait traps

• Glue traps

• Boric acid

• Cockroach sprays

• Bait traps

How to Prevent Cockroaches From Entering Your Home

Ward off a future roach infestation by following these best practices.

• Remove food sources: Make your home inhospitable to roaches by sealing food in airtight containers, closing pet food, and closing trash cans with sealed lids.

• Remove water access: Roaches thrive in damp environments, so eliminate any leaks or standing water in sinks, faucets, and outdoor areas.

• Avoid clutter: Keep your home tidy and clutter-free to reduce the number of hiding spots for roaches.

• Keep your home clean: Habitual cleaning like wiping crumbs off kitchen counters, not leaving dirty dishes in the sink, and wiping oven tops will help avoid roach infestations.