Signs You May Be Dealing With A Roach Infestation In Kittitas County

If you have cockroaches, you'll see them, right? Isn't that the only sign you need? We hope you don't wait to see cockroaches in your Kittitas County home. If you do, you'll allow roaches to make everyone in your homesick and damage your property long before you begin to take measures to get rid of them. Cockroaches prefer to hide in tight spaces and are typically nocturnal. If you want to catch them early and protect your health and property, you need to look for the warning signs of a cockroach infestation.

Droppings

Cockroach droppings are dirty and a source of disease-causing pathogens, but they're also a helpful warning sign. If you find tiny black or brown specks or black or brown fecal spotting on fabrics, you could have a cockroach infestation. These droppings will resemble coffee grounds, and you're likely to find them in dark humid spaces. Here are a few places to look:

• The cabinets under your kitchen and bathroom sinks.
• Behind or underneath appliances.
• On baseboards and attached to wall or ceiling surfaces.
• In the backs of shelves or drawers, particularly in your kitchen or pantry.
• Undeath stored items, such as cardboard boxes, or the cushions on a stored couch.
• On insulation in your attic spaces.

Shed Skins

Cockroaches shed their skins several times as they develop. Each time they shed their skins they provide a warning sign for you to find. These skins can be found out in the open and in areas where roach droppings are found. They may also be found in tight spaces such as in the seams of upholstered furniture, mattresses, and box springs.

Ootheca

This is a fancy name for the egg case of a cockroach. Inside the ootheca are many eggs. If you find oothecae before the eggs inside them hatch, they will look like tiny, dark-colored pouches. The largest cockroach species in Kittitas County is the American cockroach. It has an ootheca that is around 8 mm in length. All other species will have oothecae that are smaller than this. These cases are a dark brown coloration. German cockroaches have an orangish ootheca, but the females of this species carry the ootheca with them. You're only going to find broken casings if this is the species inside your home, you won't find any intact cases.

Damage

Cockroaches feed on paper and cardboard. If you notice an area of wallpaper that is deteriorating, roaches could be to blame. If you find cardboard or paper food packages that have tiny holes in them, that might be evidence that cockroaches are getting into your food. Roaches can damage clothing in a similar way carpet beetles, silverfish, and clothing moths do. While finding holes won't prove you have a cockroach infestation, they can alert you to a pest problem that is damaging your clothing items. 

A Bad Smell

One of the ways cockroaches communicate with each other is by excreting chemical pheromones. If you do an inspection of your home, this odor might be the only warning sign you're given. It is hard to describe what cockroach pheromones smell like and they vary slightly depending on the species. If you smell something that you might describe as dirty and oily, you're probably smelling roaches. If you have dead roaches in your home, this pheromone smell may also be mixed with the smell of decomposition which will make it even more unpleasant.

Do You Have A Roach Infestation?

If so, it is important to take steps to protect yourself. We recommend doing a deep clean. This will remove food options. While you can't starve cockroaches out of your home, limiting food options can deter population growth. A high level of sanitation will also prevent the cockroaches in your home from picking up harmful microorganisms and transporting them to sensitive areas, such as stored foods, dishes cabinets, and silverware drawers.

Cockroach Control In Kittitas County

If cockroaches have gotten into your home, and you live in Kittitas County, let the licensed pest professionals here at Prosite address the problem. Cockroaches can be incredibly difficult to control. They can be born with tolerances to chemical control agents or have a natural aversion to cockroach baits. Our team uses pest control industry feedback, field-tested methods, and a process of inspection and evaluation to get the best results, every time. We'll guide you toward an effective solution to your cockroach problem. In light of the many ways roaches can make you sick and damage your property, you shouldn't settle for anything but the most effective cockroach control. Reach out to us today and tell us a little bit about your roach problem. We look forward to helping you deal with your roach problem expeditiously.