Many homes and even business owners have to deal with severe cockroach infestations in Australia. Cockroaches are attracted to warmth, excessive moisture and the smell of food. If your home or business has these elements you may attract these annoying critters.
But some people don’t realise they have a cockroach infestation until there are too many of them. If you have a suspicion that you have a cockroach infestation, phone pest control Shepparton residents use to eliminate them quickly.
Take a look at the below article to help you identify some of the common signs of a roach infestation..
Types of Cockroaches Found in Australian Homes
There are about 450 species of cockroaches in Australia. However, there are only three of them that are commonly found roaming around houses and office blocks. These three types of roaches are:
- American cockroach: These cockroaches are shiny and red in colour. They can also fly and they have wings that are longer than their bodies.
- German cockroach: These roaches are easy to identify and are found in many countries around the world. There are two dark longitude lines on their pronotum.
- Australian cockroach: Females drop at least 24 eggs a day. After hatching these cockroaches take between 6 to 12 months to fully develop.
If you’re able to identify the species of cockroach you have you can deal with the infestation more effectively.
7 Signs of a Roach Infestation
1. Identifying Roach Droppings
The most common sign of a cockroach infestation is droppings. Cockroach feces look similar to pepper or coffee grounds and measure less than 1mm, so they’re quite difficult to spot. You’ll typically see droppings around baseboards or in the corners of a room. So inspect these areas regularly.
2. Can You See Smear Marks?
Cockroaches will often leave smear marks where they are most active. You can find these dark marks on walls, behind picture frames and under furniture. Cockroaches love to hide in dark corners and behind objects. Move furniture, pictures and other objects to see if you can see dark smear marks.
3. What is That Smell?
Another sure sign that you have a cockroach infestation is the unpleasant odor they leave behind. Roaches leave behind pheromones in the droppings. It’s a musty damp smell that attracts other cockroaches. However, you may only be able to smell this odor if you have a severe infestation.
If you do smell a musty scent that you’re battling to find the source of, it may be time for you to call in pest control. A professional pest controller will evaluate your home to see where the smell is coming from and where the roaches may be hiding.
4. Identifying Cockroach Eggs
Cockroach eggs are easy to spot and if you find a few of them around your house this should be cause for alarm. A roach egg can be between 8mm and 15mm in size so you can spot them easily. Some cockroach species can lay up to 24 eggs a day. If you see a cockroach egg, pick it up with a piece of toilet paper and flush it down the toilet.
5. Do Roaches Shed?
Cockroaches can shed between five and eight times before they become fully grown. If you find empty cockroach shells around your home, then you may be dealing with an infestation.
6. Damage to Your Property
Serious cockroach infestations can cause structural damage due to the volume of them living in walls, under floors and in your roof. They don’t eat the wooden structures of your house but they do eat adhesives. The traffic from a large number of roaches can cause wear.
7. Seeing One Means There’s Probably More
Cockroaches breed rapidly so if you see a live one roaming around your home, chances are there are more. You can use store-bought bug spray to kill ones that you see around your home. But you’ll need the help of pest control services to kill all the cockroaches hiding in areas you can’t get to.
Final Thoughts
There are ways that you can prevent a cockroach infestation such as keeping your kitchen clean, washing your dishes regularly and taking out the trash often. Another way to keep cockroaches away is to eliminate water spots around the house. If you have leaky basins or toilets, make sure you get them repaired so you don’t attract other types of property damaging pests namely ants.
It will be difficult to try and get rid of the cockroaches yourself and bug sprays will only kill a few at a time. Fortunately, there are businesses that provide pest control Shepparton locals trust. So if you have a severe cockroach infestation, call the professionals to come and eradicate them quickly before they breed more.
Have you had a cockroach infestation before? What did you do to get rid of them? Let us know how you handle pests in the home by leaving a comment below.
Article Submitted By Community Writer
