The worst way to find out that you have a cockroach infestation is to actually see a cockroach. Why? Because seeing a cockroach is an indication that your home is heavily infested. Hopefully, you’ll see signs long before you see any cockroaches crawling around. Hopefully, this guide will help. Here are a few ways you can tell that you have a cockroach problem—without seeing a cockroach.
Droppings
Cockroaches leave their black droppings in many places. If you know what these droppings look like, and where cockroaches are likely to leave them, you can find out if your Raleigh home has an infestation.
What do cockroach droppings look like?
Roaches have black, sticky excrement. This waste can be found on floors or stuck to walls. One dropping is only a mere 4mm long. If all roaches left was one dropping, you’d have a hard time finding their excrement. Fortunately, and very very unfortunately, they leave a lot of excrement lying around for you to find.
Where do cockroaches leave droppings?
Cockroaches hang out in dark, moist areas in your home. These are good places to look for their excrement. We recommend checking the following locations:
- In the cabinet under your kitchen sink. This is an easy spot to check first.
- Behind objects that are sitting on the floor in your pantry.
- In the backs of your kitchen drawers.
- In the backs of or on the corners of shelves.
- On top of cabinets.
- In your attic.
- In your boiler room.
- In your basement.
- In the voids above drop-down ceilings.
- Underneath or on the sides of appliances, such as your oven, fridge, washer, or dryer.
- Behind objects in your closets, and along the wall of your closets.
Oothecae
This is a fancy name for cockroach egg sacs. Cockroach species that leave these pouches lying around can provide you with a helpful warning sign. Keep in mind that not all cockroaches do this. Some will carry the ootheca with them, like female German cockroaches.
What does an ootheca look like?
Oothecae vary in coloration. Some are brownish-red. Some are tannish-orange. The oothecae you’re likely to find lying around in your home will be brownish-red. These are from American cockroaches, Oriental cockroaches, or brown banded cockroaches. These pouches look a little bit like a tiny little coin purse. But there are no coins inside that purse, only little roaches waiting to be born.
Where can you find oothecae?
You can find these in the same locations you find cockroach droppings. German cockroaches are the obvious exception, since they carry theirs with them.
Dead Cockroaches
If a cockroach dies, and it has not been consumed by other roaches in your home, it can be a warning sign for you to find. You’ll find these roaches on their backs because they are top heavy. When they are no longer gripping the ground, they just roll over.
Smell
Cockroaches have a musky, oily scent. The more cockroaches you have, the stronger this odor will be. Check still, dark, and moist areas for this pungent odor.
Looking For Cockroaches
Okay. Now that we’ve looked at several ways you can find evidence of cockroaches inside your home, without seeing cockroaches, let’s talk about how you might be able to see them. Do an inspection of your home with a flashlight at night. Cockroaches are nocturnal by nature and are much more likely to be caught skittering around out in the open at night. But keep in mind that cockroaches are strongly attracted to tight spaces, and most won’t show themselves, even at night.
When you find cockroaches, what do you do?
If you have found evidence of cockroach activity in your Raleigh home, we would strongly recommend having a licensed pest management professional deal with the problem. Cockroaches can make you very sick if you fail to get rid of them. Reach out to Innovative Pest Solutions for leading pest control service in the Raleigh area. Our pest professionals are highly trained and fully certified to handle all your pest control needs, including the control and exclusion of cockroaches. Don’t let these insects continue to make you ill Contact us today for immediate assistance.
