Mobile, Alabama residents see all sorts of insects year-round. Most of these insects are completely harmless, if not only annoying to deal with. However, if you live in Alabama during any month of the year, there’s one pest you could see at all times: the German cockroach. Most people know how gross cockroaches are – they look dirty, smell funky, and scuttle around the house at the worst times. However, cockroaches, especially German cockroaches, also pose serious threats to your health and wellbeing. Let’s go over how to identify and prevent these pests in your Mobile home.
Mobile, Alabama’s Cockroach Identification Guide
If you’ve never seen a German cockroach, count yourself lucky – these pests are quite disgusting to be around. The German cockroach has six spiny legs, body-length antennae, and a flat, oval-shaped body. They are the most common of any roach in the United States and cause countless infestations every year. German cockroaches only grow to ½ an inch, and they range from tan to brown in color. Finally, these roaches have two black stripes on their heads.
Although German cockroaches have wings, they rarely fly. These pests cannot remain airborne for long, and if they do fly, it will only be for a few seconds. You are more likely to see these nocturnal pests scuttling from place to place at night, especially around dusk or dawn. While other cockroaches exist in Alabama, German cockroaches should worry you the most. German cockroaches can wreak havoc on your health and psychological wellbeing, and they are notoriously hard to get rid of.
Problems Caused By German Cockroaches
German cockroaches are a vector of a variety of serious pathogens, mostly because these pests hang out in dirty places. Dumpsters, sewers, and alleyways are common homes for German cockroaches, and although these insects exist naturally in the wild, they congregate anywhere that they can consume organic matter, especially human waste.
As a result, these pests bring a serious threat of disease to your home. German cockroaches carry diseases like salmonella, cholera, dysentery, listeria, giardia, typhoid, and the plague. Additionally, German cockroaches can make your allergies worse and even give you asthma. Roaches release proteins that some people are sensitive to, especially people with breathing problems. Long term exposure to these proteins can result in respiratory illness, and these problems can persist long after the infestation is over. Prevention is the key! Call Havard Pest Control for professional help!
German Cockroach Prevention Tips
The best way to prevent German cockroaches is to reduce clutter, both indoors and outdoors. These pests can survive off of anything, rely on very little, and prefer to hide in cluttered, dark spaces, so homes with clutter will likely have a roach problem. On top of keeping a tidy house, consider the following as part of your cockroach prevention plan:
- Keep Trash Indoors: These pests often come into your home because there’s enough trash, compost, or food for them to feast on. Cockroaches then move inside when they find your property, so secure your trash, as well as your pantry.
- Check Bags And Packages: Some cockroaches hitchhike, meaning you can pick one up in your bag, or some stray roaches can scuttle around a package and get in your house surreptitiously.
- Reduce The Humidity: Cockroaches prefer warm, damp spaces that they can hide out in during the day. This includes crawl spaces, basements, bathrooms, and the kitchen. Check the humidity in these spaces, and respond accordingly.
- Seal The Cracks: Check your windows, door frames, and home exterior for any openings that need to be sealed.
Did German cockroaches get inside your Mobile, Alabama household? Don’t waste another second trying to get rid of them – contact Mobile’s expert pest professionals today at Havard Pest Control.