Why Cockroaches Are So Dangerous To Have In Your Bay Area Home

It may come as no shock to you that cockroaches are very dirty insects. They crawl around in dumpsters, trash cans, sewers, dump piles, compost heaps, and a long list of other dirty places. Cockroaches are also inclined to feed on feces, rotting animals, and rotting food. This behavior exposes cockroaches to organisms that are harmful to us. If you're seeing cockroaches inside your home, you should know that they are more than just gross houseguests. Those roaches can make you sick. Here's how it works.

Baby Cockroaches

When a cockroach hatches, it is a nymph. Unlike many other insects, cockroaches don't start life as wiggly maggots; they come out looking like tiny adults. These tiny adult-looking cockroaches can run as fast as an adult, and they run straight to anything that is rotting. This might be organic sludge in the bottom of a kitchen trash bin. It might be decaying goo in a sink drain. It might be grease and rotten juices on the side of an oven. The worst case scenario is that these fast-moving nymphs will get into a cat litter box or find rodent feces inside wall voids. This means, long before a cockroach becomes an adult, it can be a disease threat inside your home.

Cockroach Development

As cockroaches grow, they pass through four nymphal stages, each time shedding their old skins for new skins. This can have an impact on your health in two important ways.

The shed skins of cockroaches can be an allergen. Studies have shown that hospitalizations for asthma-related symptoms are higher in homes with cockroach infestations.

The new skins created by a cockroach will have a natural resistance to chemicals found in the environment. If you attempt to control cockroaches with pesticides, those roaches could start to spread those chemicals around your home.

Adults

When cockroaches mature, they start to mate. This can turn a few cockroaches into hundreds, or even thousands. The more cockroaches you have in your home, the more health issues you're going to have. Cockroaches spread harmful bacteria from dirty places too sensitive items, such as dishes, silverware, cutting boards, and stored food items. Adults are equipped with mouthparts that can chew through paper, cardboard, and plastic; don't expect these materials to keep roaches out of your food.

Protect Your Health

There have been extensive studies on the ability of cockroaches to spread diseases. At the time of this writing, cockroaches are known to spread more than 33 disease-causing bacteria, at least seven pathogens that impact human health, and six parasitic worms. 

Cockroach Prevention

There are several steps you can take to protect yourself and reduce cockroach activity inside your home.

• Good sanitation is vital. The cleaner your home is the better off you'll be. Keep in mind that this includes deep cleaning. Cockroaches love to get into tight spaces. If you work hard to maintain a clean environment, it will be much more difficult for cockroaches to pick up harmful organisms.
• Put dirty dishes in a sink full of soapy water when you're done eating, and never leave dirty dishes sitting out overnight.
• Consider storing your foods in sealed containers. If you do this, it will protect your food from contamination and remove these items as a food source for developing cockroaches.
• Consider eating food only in your kitchen and dining room. This will reduce food sources in other areas that are more difficult to clean.
• Put pet food down only during meal times.
• Seal cracks around pipes. Cockroaches are drawn to pipes because of condensation and they will use pipes as a superhighway to get into your home and into your kitchen.

Cockroach Control

The only way to get control of cockroaches is to apply cockroach control products. This should be done by a licensed professional. If you need assistance with extermination or proactive cockroach control in the Bay area, contact Bay Pest. Our team of highly trained pest professionals use the most advanced products and methods to arrest infestations and address pest pressures. Don't take any chances with cockroach-related illness. Make sure cockroaches are completely eliminated the first time. Reach out to us today for service.