No one likes cockroaches. No one. Cockroaches are insects of the order Blattodea, which also includes termites. Kind of weird huh. There are about 30 cockroach species out of 4,600 are associated with human habitats and roughly five species are known as pests. Cockroaches have been around for a long time and the old saying is true, they'll be here long after we are gone. They are amazing survivalists: they can live almost a month without food and two weeks without water!

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Here in New Mexico, cockroaches are everywhere. In some parts of town, they are more prolific than others but where there are people, there are roaches. Usually I see the American, but there are also the Brown Banded roach, Oriental roach and the worst of the bunch is the German cockroach. 

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The American cockroach, is one of the largest cockroaches found in houses. They are not native to North America but were most likely introduced from trade ships coming to the Americas a long time ago. Typically, a female will lay anywhere from 40-200 eggs every 4-5 months, depending on what the weather is doing. That's a lot of offspring. Depending on what part of the country you are from, sometimes an American cockroach is also called a Palmetto bug. You say tomato, I say tomato.... 

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What do cockroaches eat? Just about anything. They can eat the glue in cardboard boxes, human hair, fingernails, all sort of food, good and decaying as well as feces. They can crawl through sewer pipes and spread all sorts of disease wherever they walk. And they can swim through the P-trap in your sink! All roaches love a warm, wet environment. That's why the main areas you typically find them is in kitchens, behind refrigerators, dishwashers and under sinks. Plenty of food and water for them.

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Though they are disgusting and crawl though dirty environments, they are also incredibly clean, especially their antennae. They constantly clean them and are known as groomers. I know it doesn't help the situation but they are still clean.

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The other cockroach that I consistently run across is the German cockroach. They can be everywhere but I typically find them in apartment situations. Because of the close quarters - remember, where there are people, there are roaches - and usually the sharing of sewer, water and electrical lines, roaches can move from one apartment to another. Remember how many eggs an American cockroach can lay and how often? Well a German can lay the same amount only they can do it every 30 days! German cockroaches can get out of control in a hurry.

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If you see a cockroach, a pest professional needs to be called because these insects can bring all sorts of diseases into our lives. Remember a lot of them can travel through the sewer lines. Then they can make it into our cupboards or pantries and shed their skin into our food, thereby contaminating it. Their shed skin and waste (poop) are allergens that can cause allergic reactions, the worst being asthma.

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So, all this being said, cockroaches need to be dealt with so if you see one, there's a good chance there will be more. Call me and I'd be happy to talk with you about how I deal with cockroaches in your home.

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And this is the only good cockroach you should see!

 

 

 

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