What's The Best Way To Get Rid Of Cockroaches In My Kittitas County Home?

One of the realities of life is we accumulate things over the years. Many of those items were useful when purchased, or they were one of the "must have" accessories of the era, but those days have passed, and now they take up space. We usually ignore them if they are not in our way, but sometimes, we get into a cleaning mode and throw them away.

Clearing junk is relatively easy, but removing pests inside your home can be another story. Some creatures are more difficult to remove than others, and cockroaches are one of the most troublesome pests to chase out of your house. A large-scale infestation can occur quickly after a few of these six-legged insects enter your Kittitas County house.

If you suspect cockroaches are inside your house, you need cockroach control in Kittitas County from Prosite. We are a science-driven, service-obsessed company serving the Central Washington area. We have earned the QualityPro certification from the Foundation for Professional Pest Management, an independent organization endorsed by the National Pest Management Association (NPMA). To obtain this certification, a pest control company must meet 16 standards that exceed local, state, and federal regulatory requirements. Our employees are background-checked, certified, and drug-free. When you partner with us, you are getting one of only a small percentage of pest control companies in the United States with this high level of certification.

You probably found this article because you suspect cockroaches are in your home. We will answer common questions and give you tips about what to do to eradicate these nasty pests.

How Can I Be Sure It's Roaches In My Home?

Cockroaches are active at night while most sleep, so we don't always know if they are inside the house. However, that does not mean they don't leave indications of their presence or activities. These are signs of a cockroach infestation:

• Cockroaches
• Droppings
• Exoskeletons
• Capsules
• Odor

Continue reading as we explain each of these items.

Worldwide, there are about 4,000 cockroach species, but only four are problematic in Kittitas County. The most common cockroach to invade homes is the German cockroach. These insects have a 1/2 to 5/8-inch light brown to tan, oval-shaped body with two dark stripes on their backs. When they enter a home, they gravitate to warm, humid environments in the kitchen and bathrooms.

Another cockroach species we find in Kittitas County homes is the American cockroach. These pests have a 1 1/4 to 2 1/8-inch reddish brown body with a figure-eight pattern on the back of the head. They also have long antennae, which they use for navigation and sensing food. They gravitate to kitchens, bathrooms, and laundry rooms inside homes.

Although German and American cockroaches tend to live in the same areas of a home, oriental and brown-banded cockroaches prefer different nesting locations. Oriental cockroaches, also known as "water bugs" or "black beetle cockroaches," are about 1 inch long and have shiny dark reddish-brown or black bodies. These pests thrive in crawl spaces and other colder, damp areas inside a home.

Brown-banded cockroaches are the opposite of all the cockroaches mentioned because they enjoy living in dry, hot areas on top of cabinets and near the ceiling. These cockroaches have a 1/2-inch brown body with two lighter brown bands on their wings.

Now that we know the types of cockroaches in Kittitas County, we will continue to explore the signs of a cockroach infestation.

Like all living creatures, cockroaches produce waste; the size of the fecal matter depends on the cockroach's dimensions. Oriental and American cockroaches deposit pellet-shaped droppings the size of a grain of rice, but the smaller German and brown-banded cockroaches create pepper-like flakes with jagged edges. Look for oriental cockroach droppings in the basement or crawl space, German and American feces in kitchen cabinets, cupboards, and around appliances, and brown-banded cockroach droppings along the top of cabinets and doors.

All insects have their skeleton on the outside of the body. This exterior shell, known as an exoskeleton, provides protection. Although the exoskeleton has joints and hinges that allow the insect to move, it prevents them from progressing through growth stages (instars). Thus, for a cockroach to grow, it must shed its exoskeleton at each growth stage. Look for these discarded tan-colored shells in cabinets, drawers, appliance bases, and underneath furniture.

Insects lay eggs, and cockroaches are no exception; however, they lay their eggs in purse-like structures known as ootheca. These tan, brown, or black capsules have ridges along the edge and are often "glued" to surfaces from mouth secretions from the cockroaches. German and American cockroaches deposit their ootheca behind cabinets, inside walls, and near appliance motors; brown-banded cockroach lay their capsules in dark corners on cabinet tops, and oriental cockroaches place their pill-like structures in amongst clutter in the crawl space or basement.

Cockroaches use pheromones to communicate food locations and to indicate their desire to mate. When many cockroaches are present, a musty odor develops from the chemicals they deposit on surfaces.

Prosite provides pest control for cockroaches for residents of Kittitas County. Our trained and certified technicians know the signs of an infestation and will develop a strategy to remove the bugs from your house.

Can Roaches In My House Really Make Me Sick?

Yes, cockroaches can make you sick. Cockroaches are different than other insects because they have horizontal spines on their legs. Cockroaches are notorious for foraging in sewers, drains, trash, compost piles, and on animal feces for decaying plant and animal matter. While these areas provide food for these insects, they are Petri dishes for bacteria, viruses, and parasitic worms. As the bugs move through these areas, these disease-causing organisms stick to their leg spines and bodies. When cockroaches invade a house, high concentrations of these pathogens transfer to surfaces throughout the home.

As previously mentioned, cockroaches defecate as they move through a house, depositing disease-ridden feces on surfaces. Occupants may unwittingly consume droppings on foodstuffs and utensils. Another way pathogens spread occurs when the fecal matter dries. When the feces dry, the particles break off, become airborne, and circulate through the house. Inhalation of floating fecal matter is another way diseases spread throughout a home.

Cockroaches also transfer pathogens to surfaces through saliva when they chew on paper and plastic containers when attempting to gain access to food materials. Salmonellosis, typhoid fever, cholera, gastroenteritis, dysentery, listeriosis, giardia, and E. coli infections are some of the 33 bacterial diseases cockroaches spread to occupants when they infest a home.

In the 1940s, researchers discovered a cockroach protein that causes rashes and triggers allergic reactions and asthma attacks. These proteins transfer through direct contact and the air when particles from discarded exoskeletons flake away and become airborne.

Prosite protects your family from diseases cockroaches spread and respiratory issues by providing cockroach pest control in Kittitas County.