Did you know that in some cultures cockroaches are considered a delicacy? They, of course, cook the roaches to remove any bacteria, pathogens, and parasites they might be carrying. If they didn’t, people would run the risk of getting very sick. Keeping this in mind, eating a cockroach isn’t the only way one of these pests can make you sick. If these dirty insects are crawling around inside your Omaha home, your health could be at risk. To help you avoid the threats roaches pose in our area, here are some ways to get and keep these invaders out of your living areas.
What Roaches Live In Omaha
Many species of cockroaches live across America. Here in Omaha, only one is known for causing trouble in and around homes. It is called the Oriental cockroach. To help you better understand this pest, here are a few things you should know.
- Oriental cockroaches are also called water bugs. This is because they love living in moist environments such as sewers, drains, basements, crawlspaces, kitchens, and laundry rooms.
- Oriental cockroaches live on a diet of starchy human scraps, decaying plant matter, and animal parts. One thing these pests are especially good at is consuming and breaking down organisms other creatures will not, organisms such as trash, fecal matter, and other dirty materials.
- Oriental cockroaches live for about 180 days. Females lay roughly eight egg casings with 16 eggs per case. That’s around 128 baby roaches in just under a half year.
How Roaches Get Into Homes
Roaches get inside in many of the same ways other pests do, through gaps, cracks, and other entry points found in the exterior of a home. One unique way these pests can find their way indoors is through utility piping and drains. It is not uncommon for roaches to use sewer systems between homes to travel from house to house.
Some Strategies To Prevent Roaches
There are two things that decern if a home will have trouble with cockroaches; how accessible it is, and how attractive it is. To make your home less attractive and accessible to these pests, here are a few prevention tips to try.
- Keep your home clean. This involves cleaning beneath large kitchen appliances, under furniture, wiping down surfaces, vacuuming, reducing clutter, and deep cleaning hard-to-reach areas at least once a week.
- Seal entry points in your home’s exterior. Do this by filling in gaps and cracks using a caulking gun, repairing damaged weatherstripping and window/door screens, and installing door sweeps under doors leading out of your home.
- Limit their access to food and water. To do this, we recommend investing in air-tight plastic or glass containers for leftover foods, cleaning out your pet’s food and water bowls before going to bed at night, fixing leaks around your home, using a dehumidifier indoors, and eliminating sources of water build up in and around your home.
The Only Way To Eliminate Cockroaches
Preventing and eliminating cockroaches are two completely different tasks. Prevention requires constant effort but can be done using DIY strategies. Eliminating these pests on the other hand is much more difficult and requires the use of industrial-grade treatments to be done right. The only people who have access to these products and know how to use them properly are licensed professionals. If your Omaha home is in need of quality cockroach control, look no further than Beeline Pest Control.
Call us today to find out why our team is your best option for pest control and schedule an appointment for your Omaha home and property.