Cockroaches don’t like to be seen, but they do leave a lot of indications that they’ve been in your home. To prevent a roach infestation, you need to be wary of some signs that they have taken up residence. Below, we’ve listed four roach infestation signs that you should know to prevent your home from being overrun.
Pepper-Like Droppings and Eggs
Cockroaches love bathrooms but are not very particular about where they relieve themselves. If you are worried about roach infestations, you may start to see droppings that resemble pepper or coffee grounds near their areas of high activity. Another visible sign you will start to see is egg casings. These look a lot like medicine capsules that have had the insides removed. Unfortunately, each egg casing could have been the home for up to 30 larvae.
Smear Marks
Again, cockroaches are terrible at cleaning up after themselves. As fairly messy creatures, they tend to leave evidence of their travels whether they walk through their own waste or not. These smear marks look much like the markings left if you had swatted a fly and not wiped up afterward. They are generally dark and may be reflective depending on the angle of the light.
Smell
While many of these signs of cockroaches are visible, you may be able to detect signs of a roach infestation even if they have not begun to come out into spaces like your kitchen and bathroom. Roaches have a distinct, dank smell that gets worse the bigger the infestation is and the longer it goes on.
Molting and Dead Roaches
A roach will molt or shed its exoskeleton six times throughout its life. Since the exoskeleton is rigid, a new roomier model is necessary as the insect grows. Unfortunately, once you get to the stage where you have moltings (which look like smaller shells) or roaches themselves, you have a significant problem on your hands. After all, the average cockroach lifespan is at least six and up to more than 15 months, so they have been in your house for some time.
Dealing With Your Roach Infestation
If you have noticed any of these signs in your home, there is a good chance you are dealing with some degree of a roach infestation. It is essential to take steps to prevent them from returning, even if you haven’t had the chance to figure out exactly where they have set up shop. This can include:
- Cleaning up food preparation areas in the kitchen.
- Fixing any plumbing fixtures that have been dripping water.
- Remove objects they can use for a temporary home, like cardboard, paper, and toilet paper tubes.
- Do not panic, call a professional.
Tacking a roach issue without the help of professionals can be frustrating for a couple of reasons. The first is that, counterintuitively, using roach sprays you can find at a supermarket or home improvement store can make your problem worse. Cockroaches will simply avoid the area, and you will only eliminate the issues that you can see.
The other is that cockroaches are stranger than fiction, relentless, and very hard to get rid of completely. After placing your own baits, it can take months before the population has been controlled. If the whole colony is not taken out, they are likely to return, along with your frustrations.
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Have You Noticed These 4 Roach Infestation Signs? Get Help From Nozzle Nolen
If you’re not sure that you have identified these roach infestation signs or don’t want to crawl on your hands and knees with a flashlight looking for skittering cockroaches, consider working with professionals at Nozzle Nolen. We have 70 years of knowledge and experience dealing with these disgusting pests and will work with you to ensure they do not make their way back into your home using our integrated pest management techniques.
Cockroach Prevention With 365 Complete
Keep cockroaches from being a problem in the first place. Our 365-Complete Home Protection plan offers you peace of mind with quarterly treatments that include expert identification of roach infestation signs and preventative treatments.
Nozzle Nolen has served South Florida communities for seven decades, if you have noticed roach infestation signs in your South Florida home, Contact us today to schedule your free evaluation or call 800-226-6536. We look forward to serving you.
