It can be unnerving if you are not used to driving in downtown Omaha. Have you had the experience of turning onto a one-way street only to realize you are going the wrong way? When you see cars coming at you, panic sets in as you frantically look for a side street or parking lot to pull into before a head-on collision happens. Traveling north on a road where all the cars are traveling south is a recipe for disaster, so you always want to ensure you are driving in the right direction.
Like many things in life, there is a right and a wrong way to remove and get rid of cockroaches from your home. You will waste time, energy, and money if you attempt to stop an infestation without professional help. Avoid frustration and waste by securing the best pest control in Omaha from Quality Pest Control. Our locally owned and family-operated company has protected families for almost thirty years. Because we strive to serve our community the right way, it is no accident that thousands of homeowners and businesses entrust us with their pest control needs. We wrote this article to help you know the best ways to remove cockroaches from your Omaha home.
According to fossil records, cockroaches have been crawling over this planet for 330 million years, and even the giant meteor that allegedly eliminated the dinosaurs did not kill the cockroaches. Thousands of cockroach species exist worldwide, and about 55 are in the United States. Fortunately, all 55 species do not plague homeowners in Omaha, but these four species are problematic:
- German cockroaches
- American cockroaches
- Brown-banded cockroaches
- Oriental cockroaches
German cockroaches do not enter homes from the outdoors, but gain access to the house by hitchhiking rides in bags, cardboard boxes, used furniture, and appliances. Unlike the other cockroaches on our list, German cockroaches depend upon humans for survival; they are not rugged outdoorsmen like the others. German cockroaches are tan to light brown insects with a 1/2 to 5/8 inch oval-shaped body. You will notice two parallel lines behind their head on the helmet-like pronotum if you can get close enough to one before it scurries under the refrigerator. German cockroaches are ground-level cockroaches that prefer moist, humid environments in kitchen cabinets, bathroom drains, garbage disposals, and around water heaters.
Moving from the ground to the ceiling, you will find brown-banded cockroaches. These disgusting insects prefer drier areas with temperatures of about 80?, and the top of kitchen cabinets or near the ceiling is the perfect solution. Brown-banded cockroaches are about the size of a small German cockroach (1/2 inch) and have a brown body accented by two lighter bands.
American cockroaches are 1 1/4 to 2 1/8 inches long and have a reddish-brown oval-shaped body and a yellowish figure-eight pattern on their heads. They share the same desire for dark, warm, humid locations between 70? and 80? with German cockroaches.
Although this cockroach probably came from Africa, the oriental cockroach differs from the others. Oriental cockroaches are slightly larger than the German and brown-banded species yet smaller than the American ones. When a cockroach scurries by, you won't have time to measure its size and may not notice whether it has a pattern on its pronotum, but you can identify it if it is jet black. Unlike the brownish American, German, or brown-banded cockroaches, oriental cockroaches have a shiny black one-inch body. Although they prefer damp areas like the German and American insects, they enjoy crawl spaces and other cooler locations, especially in the summer.
Whatever cockroach species invade your Omaha home, Quality Pest Control is your answer to get rid of cockroaches. Our decades of experience combined with cutting-edge technology enables us to target-treat the cockroach species infesting your house.
Why It Is Considered Dangerous To Have Roaches In Your House
These creatures have a reputation for a reason: they enjoy eating organic material in sewers, garbage disposals, shower drains, garbage cans, animal feces, and other unsanitary locations. Other than the idea of them traveling around in these locations, the problem is that they have vertical spines jutting out from their legs which attract disease-causing organisms that thrive in these areas. The other issue is that they eat the organic material in these polluted areas, which means they ingest pathogens into their system.
When the bugs move through an Omaha house, they spread bacteria that cause salmonellosis, typhoid fever, cholera, listeriosis, and E. coli infection. They may also distribute the virus that causes gastroenteritis, or giardia and dysentery from parasitic worms. Researchers report 33 bacteria, seven human pathogens, and seven parasitic worms spread by cockroaches as they defecate or shed the disease-causing organism from the spines on their legs.
While diseases are associated with cockroaches, many people do not realize that a cockroach infestation can create breathing difficulties and allergic reactions. Cockroach droppings and the protein they produce cause allergic and asthmatic reactions in many people — especially young children and the elderly.
German and brown-banded cockroaches leave droppings resembling coffee grounds, while the oriental and American cockroaches produce rod-shaped ridged droppings. The droppings consist of the remains of rotted, sometimes disease-ridden food and a protein that creates a reaction in many people. When the fecal matter dries, the particles may become airborne and circulate through the house. According to the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America, up to 98% of urban homes have cockroaches, and upwards of 60% of those in urban houses are sensitive to cockroach allergens. Furthermore, some people develop a skin rash when cockroaches crawl over their bodies.
Roach pest control from Quality Pest Control will protect your family from diseases and breathing difficulties triggered by cockroaches.
Why It Is So Hard To Get Rid Of Roaches On Your Own
There are many cockroach control options on the market, and it is tempting to go to the store, purchase a bottle of do-it-yourself cockroach killer and start spraying. Perhaps you have tried that approach, but you are now reading this article because the cockroaches kept returning no matter how hard you tried.
Why is roach control so difficult? One reason it is a fight to remove cockroaches is that they quickly reproduce. Of the four species in Omaha homes, German cockroaches are the masters of reproduction. In the case of American, oriental, or brown-banded cockroaches, when a female lays an egg capsule, known as an ootheca, there are about 18 eggs in the protective purse-like shell. However, a German cockroach ootheca has upwards of 40 eggs. When the eggs hatch, nymphs emerge and can start reproducing within two months. What began as a few German cockroaches can end with up to six generations, numbering in the thousands in a year. Although the other cockroach species do not produce as many eggs, nor do their nymph reach the ability to reproduce as fast, they will still multiply into hundreds within a year inside a home.
Another problem with cockroach killer home remedies is that they can be dangerous to pets and children if not applied properly. Assuming the store-bought product can destroy the eggs, if you cannot identify the cockroach species and do not have experience eliminating them, you will not know where to spray to eradicate their eggs. Although a store-bought remedy may appear to be a quick solution, it will not produce the results you desire.
Quality Pest Control has experienced, trained service specialists who provide successful cockroach pest control in Omaha. Using our knowledge and experience, we know where to find the egg location so that we can destroy the current and future cockroaches infesting your house.
The Safe And Effective Way To Get Rid Of A Cockroach Infestation
Fortunately, the following are steps you can take if you have a cockroach infestation to slow reproduction and minimize attractions to your house:
- Seal cracks in the foundation and around incoming pipes and wires
- Vacuum the house regularly
- Suction out cracks and corners
- Wipe down eating and cooking surfaces after each meal
- Keep outdoor and indoor garbage containers closed
- Clean the dishes at night
- Store food in air-tight glass or thick plastic containers
- Repair leaking pipes
In the area around your Omaha home, remove animal feces, leaf piles, yard debris, and sources of standing water. Maintaining a clean, dry location will deter cockroaches from entering and help reduce the current population, but they will not be enough to eliminate them.
Use Quality Pest Control for your professional cockroach remedy. When a service specialist arrives at your Omaha home, he will inspect it for cockroach signs, entry points, attractants, and hot spots. We will create a plan targeting the problematic species using cutting-edge environmentally-safe treatments. Our multifaceted approach includes baits, traps, and treatments. Drawing from our experience and knowledge, we will remove roaches, nymphs, and their egg capsules from your home. Contact us today to schedule a consultation and get all your questions answered by our friendly, knowledgeable staff.