Cockroaches and humans have been enemies for as long as we can remember. Part of that is because roaches have been around so long. They’re one of the oldest insects in the world, with fossil remains of one of the creatures having been discovered preserved; from 200 million years ago. Their survival skills are often joked about, but to make it that long is truly an impressive feat. They’ve made it this far because of their incredible adaptability. They can eat nearly anything, survive days without food or water, and their hard shells and flexible bodies make them tough to spot and kill.

Six cockroaches are considered pests in California: the German, American, oriental, brown-banded, smoky brown, and Turkestan. The first four are likely the ones the average person is most familiar with. The German is the most common of the bunch; it’s light brown, a little over half an inch long, and lives in any building it sees fit, though it prefers kitchens and bathrooms for the food and moisture.

American and Oriental are both larger, with the former getting up to 2 inches and the latter maxing out at about 1.25 inches. Those varieties go toward damper areas, so they’re often spotted around pipes and sewers. Brown-banded cockroaches are about a half-inch long with small wings and live anywhere and everywhere in a building.

Cockroaches can eat nearly anything humans can, though they prefer starchy or sugary materials for quick energy. However, they can also survive on things humans cannot, like book bindings and shoe soles; they’ll also eat dead insects they happen across and each other. Food is one of their biggest attractors, drawing them into your home or business. And as they crawl across the floors, pantry, dishes, tables, and countertops in search of food, they trek dirt and bacteria, contaminating anything they touch. They also leave a foul odor that may tip property owners off that roaches have been exploring the area at night.

The odor and bacteria aren’t just gross; they can spread illness and diseases like Staph infections, Strep, hepatitis, typhoid, and dysentery. Their feces, saliva, shed skin, and other body portions that may break off can agitate allergies and asthma. Children tend to be more susceptible to those allergens.

Although sealing up food tight helps to dissuade cockroaches from entering the area, having them on your property is not necessarily a sign of a dirty home. Places with moisture can bring them in, such as a dripping pipe or moist outdoor space.

At Alpha Charlie Exterminators, we know how big of an issue a cockroach infestation can be. The mere thought that one may be forming is enough to keep a home or business owner up at night. That’s why it’s so crucial for pest control professionals to work fast and be thorough. At our local and veteran-owned company, we don’t just get rid of the problem, we find what’s attracting the bugs and how they’re getting into the building, and we work to make fixes and renovations to ensure the problem doesn’t return. Contact us today for an estimate.