Four Signs Of A Cockroach Problem In Your Home

Posted on: 5 August 2018

Cockroaches are unfortunately one of the most common insects that can take up residence in your home. They are particularly hard to kill, reproduce rapidly, and can carry diseases, making them one of the nastiest pests that you may have to deal with. Knowing how to identify some of the warning signs associated with a population of cockroaches in your home can help you determine when you should get in touch with a pest control specialist to treat your home and restore its pest-free status.

Strong Smell

One of the earliest and easiest to spot signs of a cockroach problem in your home is a powerful and pungent smell that will permeate a large area of your home. This smell is given off by cockroaches that are mating, and will gradually grow stronger depending on the size of the population in your home. The strength of the smell will also allow you to determine the location of the problem in your home, which can help pest control professionals target their treatments to be more effective against your infestation.

Droppings

Another common sign of cockroaches in your home are collections of droppings throughout your home, but particularly around areas where there is ample food. Cockroach droppings will take the form of small black cylinders, and are usually in groups of several individual droppings. Avoid touching them directly, due to their unsanitary nature, and instead sweep them up using gloves or even a vacuum cleaner to avoid contact with your skin or body.

Dead Bugs

You should also keep an eye out for dead cockroaches around your home. While this may seem like a fairly obvious indication that your home has a cockroach problem, dead bugs around your doors and windows likely mean that a cockroach instead got stuck inside and died after being unable to find food or water. You should only be concerned if you begin to notice multiple dead bugs throughout your home, especially if you find that multiple bugs are dead around insect traps or poison that you've left out (either for cockroaches or for other insects like ants). Larger amounts and consistent cockroach corpses means that you're likely dealing with a hidden infestation problem.

Egg Casings

For particularly large cockroach problems in your home, you may be able to spot empty egg cases. These will rarely be left out in the open, but will instead be most commonly found in dark and damp areas, like under the sink, in your basement or crawlspace, or similar locations. Egg casings will be about a half inch long, though the exact size will depend on the species of cockroach, and will range in color from white to a reddish brown hue.

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