A cockroach infestation is a health hazard due to the sheer number of bacteria and contaminants they carry with them everywhere. Fortunately, they leave evident traces of their presence, making it easy to spot an infestation and call cockroach pest control immediately to get rid of them. Even though they’re nocturnal and they tend to scurry away from plain view, it’s relatively easy to draw them out.

It is crucial to contact a roach exterminator as soon as you spot a cockroach in your home, as allowing them to spread and multiply will vastly increase the health risks they carry. Here’s what you need to know about cockroach infestations:

Signs You Have a Cockroach Infestation

Cockroach Droppings

Cockroaches tend to leave black droppings that often look like ground coffee. They’re typically less than 1mm wide and have different lengths.

Egg Capsules

Also known as ootheca, cockroaches lay their eggs in a capsule. The ootheca looks different for each cockroach species. Most cockroach species release the ootheca right away, but the German cockroach carries it until right before it’s time to hatch, releasing 30 nymphs.

Smear Marks

If there is a lot of water in a particular area, cockroaches will create brown and irregular-shaped marks as they crawl or rest. Look for marks on horizontal surfaces and at wall-floor junctions to check for signs of cockroach activity.

Shed Skin

Cockroaches shed their skin five to eight times as they get older, moving through the different stages while getting bigger and longer. Check for skins of various sizes in the places you suspect them to be.

Damage

Cockroaches tend to attack just about anything, even organic goods like leather and paper, so be sure to look for strange signs of damage.

Strange Odour

Cockroaches are some of the most unhygienic creatures because they defecate where they live and sleep. They also release a pheromone that draws other cockroaches to gather there. The pheromone smells musty and unpleasant, tainting the surfaces and items they touch and growing stronger as the infestation continues.

Where Cockroaches Like to Hide

Bathrooms

Cockroaches are often found at the back of bathroom cabinets, especially if they’re full of toiletry products and soaps that have been there for a while. They also like to frequent medicine cabinets. Be sure to inspect your plumbing behind sinks, toilets, baths, and other dark spaces with access to water, even when it’s condensation. They are known to crawl through the drainage system and plug holes in sinks and baths, blocking the paths. They will also eat toilet paper, tissues, soap residue, and even shed skin cells and hair.

Kitchens

Your kitchen is another favourite hiding place for cockroaches, where they love to hide in hidden or undisturbed areas, like cupboards, cabinets, and even food packaging. Sometimes cockroaches burrow themselves in the upper inside corner of cupboards, hanging upside down.

You’ll also want to check around pipework like under sinks and around dishwashers, which may provide moisture and shelter to cockroaches. Hidden spaces in appliances with motors, which offer warmth, are also places you’ll want to check. Even smaller appliances like microwaves and coffee makers attract cockroaches due to the many food particles and residues they can consume for their survival.

Basements

Your basement is a dark, likely moist place, so you may find a cockroach infestation here. Be sure to inspect the base and corner joints of walls to identify any gaps that cockroaches could have squeezed themselves in for shelter. Cracks on your floor are also opportunities for them to hide.

Conclusion 

It is essential to clear your home of cockroaches, which is why the moment you see one or two, you should reach out to a roach exterminator. By familiarizing yourself with infestation signs and where they like to hide, you’ll have a higher chance of protecting your home from these unclean creatures.

At Roach Busters, we can help to get rid of your roach infestation for good. Call us today for more information about our pest solutions and cockroach elimination services.