cockroach

Four Seasons Pest Control provides a thorough defense against cockroaches. Found in Danville, VA, Moneta, VA, and Reidsville, NC, they are the bane of both commercial spaces, especially restaurant and home kitchens. Their droppings can spread disease and they attack all types of stored food. They are unsightly and creepy. Most are extremely fast and resilient to common over the counter traps and poisons. Cockroach infestations usually require a trained technician to eliminate.

The following are common cockroach species found in the Four Seasons Pest Control service area:

American Cockroach

Appearance: Up to 2" long; largest of the house-infesting cockroaches. Reddish brown, with a yellowish figure-8 pattern on the back of the head.

Habitat
American cockroaches are commonly found in food preparation areas and warm, damp places such as sewers and basements, particularly around pipes and drains. They are very aggressive, making roach control difficult, and are more likely to be seen in daytime and outdoors than other species. They are most active when the temperature is 70 degrees or higher, although they can survive lower temperatures.

Diet
Omnivorous; American cockroaches are scavengers and eat almost anything. Attraction to alcoholic beverages, especially beer.

Control
Cockroaches pose serious health risks to your family or business. Cockroaches have been reported to spread at least 33 kinds of bacteria, six kinds of parasitic worms, and at least seven other kinds of human pathogens. Good sanitation and habitat reduction is the key to effective roach control. Also important are vacuuming and surveillance, a professional baiting program, and careful sealing of cracks to help reduce or eliminate a cockroach population. Because cockroaches are nocturnal and experts at hiding, successful roach control requires special equipment, materials and expertise.

German Cockroach

Appearance: Brown; about 1/2-inch in length, with two dark, longitudinal stripes on the "shield" at the front of its body.

Habitat
German cockroaches are found throughout structures but prefer warm and humid places. Roach control should focus on bathrooms and the kitchen, two places frequented by this pest. It spends about 80% of its time resting in cracks and voids near a source of food and/or water. These cockroaches most commonly enter buildings via paper products or packaging such as grocery bags, cardboard boxes and drink cartons.

Diet
German cockroaches are scavengers and eat almost anything, including such things as soap, glue and toothpaste.

Control
Cockroaches pose serious health risks to your family or business. Controlling German cockroaches takes expertise and persistence due to their rapid reproductive rate. At least 95% of the populations must be eliminated during initial treatment or they will return. Baits are a particularly effective form of roach control for this species, but correct placement in cracks and crevices near harborages is critical. Because cockroaches are nocturnal and experts at hiding, successful roach control requires special equipment, materials and expertise.

Oriental Cockroach

Appearance: Shiny black to dark reddish brown; about 1 inch. Females have no wings, only two small wing pads.

Habitat
The Oriental cockroach commonly inhabits sewers and storm culverts and will enter buildings through floor drains. It survives quite well outdoors in firewood, leaf litter, sheds, doghouses and similar locations. During the colder months, oriental cockroaches reinvade homes, establishing themselves in basements, cellars and crawl spaces.

Diet
Oriental cockroaches are scavengers and eat almost anything. These cockroaches are a particular focus of roach control because of their strong "roachy" odor and because they feed on filth.

Control
Cockroaches pose serious health risks to your family or business. In addition to standard roach control treatments such as baits to kill an existing population, Oriental roach control requires particular attention to damp crawl spaces, basement and floor drains. Sealing cracks in your home's exterior and installing screens in all vents helps prevent these pests from returning.