How To Get Rid Of Roaches On Your Elk Grove Property

Maybe you're headed to the kitchen for a midnight snack or just trying to use the bathroom when you flick on the lights and spot – what's that? A cockroach scurrying away! There's nothing more unsettling about finding a roach infestation in your home for any homeowner. In Elk Grove, there are a couple of different species you're likely to encounter:

• American cockroaches: The American roach is the largest cockroach species, growing three inches in length. They're also called water bugs and palmetto bugs.
• German cockroaches: Not only do they reproduce more quickly than other roach species, but German cockroaches are the most common house-infesting roach in the area.
• Brown-banded cockroaches: With brown bands running across their body, brown-banded cockroaches may prefer to stay outside but will wander inside occasionally.
• Oriental cockroaches: Usually having dark brown or black coloring, Oriental cockroaches are almost as large as American roaches.
• Turkestan cockroaches: With rusty red coloring, Turkestan cockroaches are another species that prefer the outdoors but may wander inside if their populations grow too large.

Unfortunately, cockroaches are designed to thrive in almost any environment regardless of which species you're dealing with. Their bodies adapted to digest foods and items that other critters wouldn't even touch, so it's virtually impossible to starve them out of your home. They're also capable of holding their breath for up to forty minutes, so you can't drown them either.

As resilient as cockroaches are, there are ways to get rid of them. Here's what Elk Grove residents should know about how hazardous roaches are, why they're so hard to get rid of, and what you can do to prevent them in the future.

How Unsanitary Are Cockroaches?

Any pest is unsanitary, but cockroaches are one of the worst. Before they crawl into your home, cockroaches tend to spend their time in unsanitary places, like sewers and drains, where they eat decaying material. Certain cockroaches, like German roaches, actually prefer to reproduce and breed in sewers if possible.

Hanging out in unsanitary places often means that cockroaches pick up dangerous bacteria and pathogens, which they can then bring into your home. Whether it’s by crawling across kitchen surfaces to look for food and water or accidentally scratching you with one of their spiny legs, it doesn’t take much for roaches to spread these pathogens to you and your family.

Cockroaches are linked to the spread of salmonellosis, staphylococcus, and streptococcus, but they can also worsen allergies and asthma. An enzyme found in a roach’s saliva, discarded skin, and even their droppings can trigger asthmatic symptoms or cause an allergic reaction in many people – especially younger children.