Are These German Cockroaches

​Help! Are These German Cockroaches?
 
Your home is something you are proud of. You enjoy inviting friends and family over for backyard barbeques, holiday parties and other gatherings. How embarrassing would it be to have uninvited guests, such as German cockroaches, scuttle across the counter while you are serving delicious plates of meats and cheese? As a business owner, the appearance of these creepy crawlies in your store can be even more unwelcome as they are sure to scare away customers. Depending on how many pests you see, turning to a pest control professional may be your only course of action.
 
There are plenty of pests that can make their way into your home or commercial space. If you notice a bug and its friends in your home or business, you may want to identify what you are dealing with, figure out how it got in, determine if it is an infestation, understand why you do not want it in your space and get it off your property.

German Cockroach

​Identifying the Bug
 
How can you figure out exactly what you are dealing with? German cockroaches have a few important identifying features:
 

• Light brown or tan coloring
• Two black horizontal stripes behind the head
• 0.5-inch-long body
• Wings

 
While you may notice wings on the pests, you do not have to see them fly to know what you are dealing with. In fact, most of these critters prefer to scuttle around on warm, humid surfaces in your home or business, such as floors and counters. You may never see them fly, and that is OK. Now that you know they do not usually use their wings, you may be able to sleep better at night.
 
German cockroaches are actually one of the smaller species of cockroaches, but that does not make them any friendlier. If you are still not sure what sort of critter you have in your house, you can turn to a pest expert.
 
Figuring out How It Got In
 
The first question you may ask yourself after spotting a cockroach is, how did it get inside? Unfortunately, pests can get into your home through a variety of ways. German cockroaches in particular can ride in with your groceries or hide in the folds of a cardboard box. Some people may even have eggs on their clothing or shoes without realizing it, which means your guests and customers could be introducing the bugs to your space.
 
Cockroaches can also find their own way into your building. They do not need a big gap to make it into your place. The bugs can squeeze under doors or in the gaps around pipes. As you search your home for the bug's entry point, you may come to realize how vulnerable your building is to pest infestation. There are likely hundreds of ways the insect could have gotten in.
 
Determining If It Is an Infestation
 
Is seeing one bug a problem? It definitely is not pleasant, but typically it takes little effort to get rid of a single cockroach. So how can you tell if you have a real problem with German cockroaches?
 

• You find dead roaches or shed skins. Usually if you see one of these signs, it means there are more living bugs nearby.
• You spot ground-pepper or coffee-grounds-like droppings on countertops or in drawers. You may also notice strange stains in the corners of your house or business.
• You see the typically nocturnal bug during the day. Because these pests usually sleep during the day, it can be a major warning sign to see one out with the sun.
• You consistently find them in your bathroom or kitchen. These areas are where the insects can normally find food.
• You smell a musty, oily odor. The chemicals secreted by the roaches tend to give off this unpleasant aroma.

 
Figuring out if you are dealing with a single bug or an infestation can take time. You can either wait until you start spotting more roaches around your space, or you can call in a professional team to have them inspect your home for further signs of infestation.
 
Understanding the Consequences
 
You have German cockroaches in your home. Sure, they are not pleasant to look at, but is it really a big deal to share space with these bugs? The short answer is yes.
 
While you may only notice one or two right now, these pests can multiply quickly. A female roach that has mated once can produce 40 eggs four to six times. Because of this fast reproduction rate, the bugs can go from not a problem to an infestation surprisingly quickly. The more there are, the more challenging it is to get them completely out of your home.
 
These cockroaches are bad for your home and business because they can ruin your possessions. Not only do they love almost any type of food, they will also eat glue. This means the little bugs can start to eat away book bindings, soap bars and many other household items.
 
If you still need more proof that German cockroaches are bad news, consider the health effects they can have on you and anyone else who spends a lot of time in your home or business:
 

• The feces and saliva can trigger asthma attacks.
• Cockroaches can expose people to 33 kinds of bacteria because they transport microbes on their body.
• People can be allergic to their chemical secretions, which can be left on food, toothbrushes and surfaces even if the bug is not seen.
• The bugs can act as a transport vehicle for parasitic worms.

 
German cockroaches not only have a major ick factor, but they can cause some serious health problems for anyone who spends too much time sharing a space with them.
 
Getting Them Out
 
Once German cockroaches are in your home or business, it can be hard to get them out. Remember how quickly they reproduce? If you do not act fast, you may end up dealing with these pests and their offspring indefinitely.
 
There is no upside to having these bugs in your place. You need to turn to a Baton Rouge pest control company well-versed in getting rid of these creepy crawlies. With their assistance with a regimented treatment, barrier exclusions and vigorous cleaning, you can rid your home of the unsanitary, unsightly roaches.