If you’re thinking about some of the most repulsive insects that you’ll find around North Carolina, cockroaches have to be near the top along with bed bugs and ticks. But sometimes, something repulsive can be just a little bit…interesting. As it so happens, there are around a dozen types of cockroaches that you’ll find scuttling around North Carolina, with a handful of that dozen the type that you’ll actually find around your home. Let’s take a look at the types of cockroaches that plague North Carolina
NORTH CAROLINA COCKROACHES
German Cockroaches- The most common type of cockroach found in North Carolina, German cockroaches are smaller than the gnarly creatures that come to mind: they usually only measure around ½ of an inch long.
They also (thankfully) aren’t the type of cockroaches that can fly, and usually hitch a ride into your home via something you bring in, like groceries or boxes. But once they’re in, these roaches can spread and reproduce rapidly. Plus these small roaches will eat essentially any organic material they can get their hands on, so if you’re dealing with German roaches you can have a large infestation of ravenous creatures.
American Cockroaches- American cockroaches are closer to what you think of when you think of a standard cockroach. They can grow to be larger than 2 inches long (yikes!), and are scavengers just like German cockroaches.
They’re such shameless scavengers that they’ve been observed eating paper, boots, bread, fruit, book bindings, fish, peanuts, old rice, putrid sake, the soft part on the inside of animal hides, cloth dead insects, and even hair!
There a number of other cockroaches that are found frequently in North Carolina, including:
- Cuban Cockroaches
- Western Wood Cockroaches
- Brown-Headed Cockroaches
However, these cockroaches prefer the great outdoors to your home cabinets, and so in general are not considered a pest.
WHY COCKROACHES ARE A PROBLEM
Generally speaking, cockroaches don’t pose a huge threat, but they have been shown to trigger asthma and allergies, and may even encourage the development of asthma in preschool-aged children.
Cockroaches also may carry diseases that, according to the WHO, can cause:
- diarrhea
- dysentery
- cholera
- leprosy
- plague
- typhoid fever
- viral diseases such as poliomyelitis
Plus, cockroaches can ruin the foods in your cabinets and pantry and are just generally unpleasant to be around.
HOW TO PREVENT COCKROACHES
- Clean up- Try to clean up any crumbs on the floor or on countertops as quickly as possible and develop a good sweeping, vacuuming, and Swiffer-ing routine. The more quickly you take care of food residue, the better.
- Keep trash contained- Make sure both your outdoor and indoor trash cans are tightly secured to limit odors from wafting about and attracting cockroaches.Take indoor trash and recycling out regularly and put them in a secure outdoor trash bin.
- Plug leaks and mop up moisture- Bathrooms by nature tend to be wet spaces, so try to mop up any residual moisture from the sink and shower after use and if you have any leaky pipes, sinks, or refrigerators, get them fixed!
- Seal potential entry points- Another way to cut down on a cockroach presence is to seal up any holes or cracks that are around the home near windows and doors, in the foundation and attic, and even areas around utility pipes.
- Contact City Wide- Even the most thorough DIY cockroach prevention measures can miss something essential. At City Wide Exterminating, we offer an Everyday Home Plan that will help protect your home from cockroaches, along with 20+ other types of common household pest. If you’re already dealing with a cockroach problem, contact us for a free quote and we’ll get back to you ASAP!