Cockroaches In Birmingham: A Serious Concern For Homeowners

What Types Of Roaches Live In Birmingham?

Uncertainty causes concern. When you look at the darkening sky, there is uncertainty about the severity of the incoming weather, so you check your phone app to find answers regarding the threat and timing of the impending storm. Because information helps alleviate concern, the following list of the types of cockroaches in the Birmingham area and the subsequent explanation will help put your mind at ease. The main cockroach species that invade Birmingham homes are:

• American cockroaches
• German cockroaches
• Smoky brown cockroaches
• Oriental cockroaches

Let's briefly examine each species so we will know how to combat it.

American cockroaches have a massive 1 1/4 to 2 1/8-inch oval-shaped reddish-brown body. In addition to their size, the figure-eight pattern on the back of their head and the extra-long thin antennae help identify these nocturnal insects. When American cockroaches invade a house, they live in moist and warm areas of the home. 

Although all cockroach species have multiple eggs in their egg capsules (ootheca), none have more than the German cockroaches. The quick-breeding, prolific cockroaches are the number one invader in most Birmingham homes. These 1/2 to 5/8-inches light brown to tan oval-shaped bugs have two dark stripes running parallel on their backsides. German cockroaches enter houses not from the outside lawn (like the other cockroach species on our lists) but invade by hitchhiking on handbags and clothing. Once inside a home, they gravitate towards the kitchen and the bathroom. 

Smokybrown cockroaches are a close second behind the American cockroaches in body size. These creatures have a 1 1/4 to 1 1/2 inch dark brown to black body. Two distinguishing features are their long antennae and wings that extend past their body. While American cockroaches can fly short distances but prefer to run, and German cockroaches rarely fly, smokybrown cockroaches are strong fliers. Smokybrown cockroaches prefer high humidity in the attic or near fireplaces when infiltrating a house.

Oriental cockroaches are the outliers of the group due to their skinny black or dark reddish-brown bodies and their preference for slightly cooler areas (e.g., crawl spaces and basements). Also known as "water bugs, " these 1-inch insects cannot fly

Seeing any cockroach species in your house is cause for concern, but don't worry because Havard Pest Control is the best cockroach exterminator in Birmingham. We can eliminate all types of cockroach infestations from Birmingham area homes.

How Roaches Get Into Birmingham Homes And Problems They Cause

When cockroaches invade our homes, it is natural to want to know how it happened. How do you go from enjoying a life free from concern about cockroaches to having nearly traumatic late-night experiences where you turn on the light and see dozens of filthy creatures running across the floor? 

Of the four cockroaches on our list, three invade from the outside. American cockroaches live outside in sewers, drains, flowerbeds, or underneath mulch piles. Although they are content to live in moist, warm areas outside the house, they will enter homes when drastic weather changes cause a lack of food supply in the yard. American cockroaches enter homes by squeezing underneath exterior doors without door sweeps or gaps around basement windows. Once they enter a house, American cockroaches prefer warm, moist areas with temperatures between 70℉ and 80℉, usually in kitchens, bathrooms, basements, and laundry rooms.

Oriental cockroaches live outside underneath leaf piles, debris, stones, and firewood; however, when temperatures rise in the summer, they will attempt to enter homes. Oriental cockroaches scurry underneath exterior doors, invade by following utility pipes into the house, and penetrate homes through gaps around drains. Once inside a house, oriental cockroaches gravitate to crawl spaces, basements, and other colder locations. 

Smoky brown cockroaches live in leaf litter, around flowers, shrubs, and trees. Adverse weather conditions drive them into homes where they enter through foundation cracks and gaps between the siding and foundation. Of the four cockroach species on our list, smoky brown cockroaches are the only ones who fly (or at least fly long distances). Thus, they enter homes through open windows or holes in window and door screens.

The most prevalent cockroach in Birmingham homes, the German cockroach, does not enter from the outside. These insects hitchhike in cardboard boxes, grocery bags, second-hand appliances, etc. Once inside the house, they gravitate to the kitchen but will live anywhere there is a food or water source. Because of their diminutive size, German cockroaches need only a 3/8 inch gap to squeeze into a wall void to build their massive colonies.

When a Havard Pest Control technician inspects your Birmingham house for signs of a cockroach infestation, they will identify how the cockroaches enter your home. We will provide you with several tips to stop the bugs from entering your house in the future.