Depending on the species of cockroach, an adult can measure as small as 1cm and as large as 5cm. Cockroaches range in colour from black to reddish-brown. Most specifies of cockroaches have wings, but do not fly. On occasion, some species will use their wings to glide for short distances, however cannot take flight. All species of cockroach have a pair of long antennae and six spiny legs. A cockroaches body is flat and oval-shaped, making them perfect for hiding in small spaces. Younger cockroaches, known as nymphs, look like smaller wingless versions of a fully grown adult.
There are thousands of cockroach species worldwide, but about 1% of them are considered pests that would invade your home, business or property. The most common cockroach species to invest your home in Southern Ontario include the German cockroach, American cockroach, oriental cockroach, brown-banded cockroach and wood cockroach. Cockroaches generally enter your home for shelter against cold weather.
Cockroaches are not caused by unhygienic or unsanitary conditions alone, even the most spotless home can become the perfect home for a cockroach. Many factories, department stores, hotels and restaurants deal with cockroach infestations, making it easy for them to hitch a ride home with you on your purchased products or on your clothing. German and brown-banded cockroaches are known to travel in our grocery bags, cardboard boxes, luggage, lunch boxes, backpacks, on our clothing and in our furniture.
Cockroaches are nocturnal and prefer to live in the dark, undisturbed places. If a cockroach is seen in your home, there is a high possibility that you may have a major infestation. These bugs like to hide in various places around your home during the day to remain undisturbed and unseen. This makes confirming your infestation difficult.
The first step to identifying whether or not your cockroach is a stowaway from a night out or a full infestation is finding signs in your home. Cockroach feces will be all over your home in the case of a full infestation. This feces is generally seen as a tiny smear on the wall and baseboards. In addition to helping a cockroach removal specialist in locating the nesting site, cockroach feces poses health threats to humans. Cockroach infested homes are at risk of fecal matter excreted by the pest compromising the air quality as it becomes air-borne. Cockroach feces has a particularly harsh effect on individuals with asthma. Research as indicated that healthy children exposed to cockroach feces at a young age may actually begin to develop chronic respiratory diseases. Roaches may transfer disease-causing germs by crawling over food preparation areas and may also cause homeowners to develop allergies that may lead to asthma.
Cockroaches will feed on anything that it deems nutritional. This includes plants, meat and non-living objects such as cardboard. In extreme infestations, when other food sources become depleted, cockroaches will bite people to eat food particles stuck to human skin. Individuals bitten by cockroaches often attribute the bite to another insect such as a bed bug. Bites may go unnoticed altogether or may produce redness and swelling around the bite. Like most insects, cockroach bites are always at risk of infection.