Spring has sprung! While you are thinking about getting out of your home and enjoying the beautiful weather, cockroaches are waking from their winter hibernation thinking about how to get inside your home. Although cockroaches are a common sight in Texas, they’re not welcome guests in your home. These pesky insects are notorious for carrying diseases such as salmonella, gastroenteritis, and staphylococcus, and can also trigger allergic reactions in sensitive individuals.

Signs of a Cockroach Infestation

The two most common types of roaches you may see in our area are German and Oriental cockroaches. Finding one of these cockroaches in your home may be difficult, they are excellent at avoiding detection but may leave clues to their presence around your home. Here are a few tell-tale signs you may have roaches:

Foul Odor: Cockroaches emit a musty, oily odor. If you have a large infestation you may begin to be able to smell them in your home.
Droppings: Roach droppings are small and look like black pepper or coffee grounds. Finding droppings is a sure sign cockroaches are around.
Shed skins: As cockroaches grow, they regularly shed or molt their skins. You may find these casts around areas where cockroaches like to hide.
Smear Marks: If you are finding unusual dark streaks around your home, it may be a sign you have cockroaches.
Chewed items: A cockroach may get into your pantry and chew through your food boxes to get to the contents but they are not picky and will eat almost anything you have in your home.

Preventing Cockroaches in Your Home

Keeping any pests, but especially cockroaches, out of your home should be a top priority for any homeowner. By following these few simple steps you will make your home less attractive to these intruders.

Seal entry points: Cockroaches, like many pests, can squeeze into your home through small cracks or holes in the exterior of a home. Regularly check for entry points along the outside of your house.
Keep a clean kitchen: Kitchens are a magnet to a wide variety of pests due to the availability of food. Make sure to clean up any crumbs around your kitchen, including under large appliances and store or dispose of unused food properly.
Remove Clutter: Cockroaches do not like open spaces, instead they will choose to hide in cluttered areas to avoid being seen. Clutter often also provides a food source for these unwanted guests. Spring is the perfect time to organize and remove clutter from your home!
Check for leaking pipes: Leaking pipes or faucets will not only damage your home but could also be attracting cockroaches. They will seek out dark, damp areas to build their nests. Make sure to dry out any damp areas and fix leaking pipes or faucets.

Getting Rid of Cockroaches for Good

Cockroaches can bring a variety of diseases into your home, damage your belongings, cause allergic reactions in some individuals, and are extremely difficult to eliminate on your own. They are excellent at hiding and adapting to almost any situation so getting rid of roaches is best left to the professionals! An experienced exterminator will have the skills and knowledge to effectively eliminate roaches from your home and prevent them from returning. At D’s Pest Control, we offer reliable and affordable cockroach extermination services. If you suspect there are cockroaches in your home, contact us for a free quote today!