Cockroaches are one of the worst and most unsettling pests you can encounter around your home, but despite being known for their unsanitary nature, you might not know just how dangerous cockroaches actually are. Cockroaches in Streator are more than just a nuisance pest as they pose many health risks to humans and pets they come into indirect contact with.
To protect yourself and your family from the risks roaches pose, it’s important to know how to identify one of the most common home-invading cockroach species in the area, the American cockroach.
What Are American Cockroaches?
The American cockroach is the largest home-invading cockroach in Streator as they can get up to three inches long. They are reddish-brown with a greasy sheen, and they have long, oval-shaped bodies and large wings that lie flat on their backs.
Despite its name, the American cockroach isn’t actually from anywhere in the Americas. Instead, it’s native to Africa but was brought to the United States and can now be found all across the country.
Why American Cockroaches Are Considered Dangerous
While not all pests in Streator are dangerous, the American cockroach definitely is. This is for a number of reasons, but primarily because these pests often hang out in areas filled with germs such as sewage and garbage, and they then pick up these pathogens on their bodies and legs and bring them into your home.
The American cockroach is able to spread a variety of different illnesses to humans including salmonella, E. coli, and gastroenteritis. In some cases, these diseases can be severe or even fatal.
While the risk of disease is the main concern with an infestation, cockroaches are also able to cause allergic reactions and asthma attacks, and, even if they don’t always spread sickness, any food they touch will need to be thrown out to be safe.
Seven Of The Best American Cockroach Prevention Steps
In general, the best way to prevent American cockroaches and most other cockroach species is to remove or reduce the factors that attract them to your home. Keep in mind that cockroaches seek humid environments near food sources, so they often live in kitchens and bathrooms.
In order to deter cockroaches from your home, you should follow these seven tips:
Keep kitchen areas clean by wiping up spills, doing dishes, and sweeping and mopping.
To reduce humidity in the home, fix any leaky pipes and faucets.
If your house is regularly damp and humid, consider using dehumidifiers.
Look for any holes or cracks around the walls and foundation and seal these up using caulk.
Fix holes and tears in screens in both doors and windows.
Cockroaches are also attracted to trash so keep all of your garbage cans covered with lids.
Store any pet food inside and in airtight containers.
Why DIY Cockroach Removal Is A Bad Idea
You might assume you can get rid of a cockroach infestation on your own and that doing so will save time and money, but this is almost never the case. Cockroaches are a sturdy pest that is difficult to completely eliminate, and many insecticides are potentially dangerous for homeowners to use themselves.
Instead of dealing with the problem on your own and possibly putting your health at risk, let the experts at Quik-Kill Pest Eliminators get rid of American cockroach infestations safely and effectively. Our residential pest control services will remove every single cockroach and also prevent further infestations. Find out more, or book your inspection, by giving us a call today.