Few pests send shivers down the spine than cockroaches. It is embarrassing when guests see these filthy, winged insects scurrying away when you turn on the lights. Cockroaches in the house make for restless sleep and loss of peace of mind.
The good news is that you don't have to live with cockroaches in your home. The Long Island pest control team at Parkway Pest Services will eliminate the cockroaches in your home and give you peace of mind.
Types Of Cockroaches That Commonly Invade Long Island Homes
There are about 4,500 species of cockroaches worldwide; the following types of cockroaches are common on Long Island:
- American cockroach (Periplaneta americana): Although these cockroaches prefer to live outdoors, they come into homes when the temperature gets cold. American cockroaches prefer warm, dark, and moist environments provided by drains found in bathrooms and basements. Also, homes are attractive for these cockroaches when searching for food.
- German cockroaches (Blattella germanica): The German cockroach is the most common type of cockroach in homes. These cockroaches need to be near food and moisture sources like bathrooms, living rooms, bedrooms, and dens. Like the American cockroach, they prefer warmer areas — specifically, where the temperature is between 70℉ and 80℉.
- Brown-banded cockroaches (Supella longipalpa): Different from American and German cockroaches because they prefer dry areas and temperatures higher than 80℉, these pests are behind picture frames, in bathrooms, closets, kitchen cabinets, electrical outlets, and refrigerator motors.
Although the oriental and brown cockroaches are common in the United States, they are uncommon in the Long Island area.
Why Cockroaches In Your Home Is A Major Health Risk
We recoil at the thought of cockroaches in our Long Island homes because they are carriers of disease. These filthy creatures pick up viruses, bacteria, and parasitic worms on the spines of their cockroach legs and body as they crawl over sewage and rotting matter. Cockroaches have known to be spreaders of the following:
- E. coli
- Salmonella
- Hepatitis
- Norovirus
- Parasitic worms
When they get into a home, the disease-causing organisms fall off their bodies and onto counter-top surfaces as they move from water source locations to the kitchen and pantry. They not only contaminate surfaces as they shed viruses, bacteria, and parasitic worms, but they also pollute the surfaces with their urine, saliva, and fecal droppings. The defecation from cockroaches can cause allergic reactions in children and trigger asthma attacks.
Why DIY Cockroach Control Is A Waste Of Time And Money
There are plenty of websites with DIY prevention control methods promising you homemade solutions to get rid of cockroaches, but these will ultimately fail for the following reasons:
- Cockroaches are experts at hiding. Various types of cockroaches hide in different locations. For example, the nests and eggs of the brown-banded cockroach will not be in the same spots as a German cockroach. Cockroach identification is necessary because if you don't know the type of species in your home, you will be treating the wrong areas.
- Cockroaches reproduce at a high rate. A female German cockroach can produce thousands of cockroaches in its lifetime. You may manage to find and eliminate a couple of nests, but if you don't destroy all the nests, the cockroaches will quickly repopulate in your home.
Call The Pros At The First Sign Of Roaches In Your Home
The best way to stop an invasion of cockroaches is to contact the team at Parkway Pest Services if you find a cockroach in your house. Our team of trained professionals will get rid of cockroaches by treating your property with environmentally safe and effective remedies. Reach out to us, and we will work with you to solve your cockroach problem.