This may be leaf litter, underneath loose bark on trees, inside rotting logs, or under branches or tree fronds. Wood roaches are not as light sensitive as other roaches. When you flick a light on at night, these roaches are less likely to flee for cover. Their ability to deal with light also allows them to infest light sockets. If you turn an outside light on, you shouldn't be surprised to see one of these roaches emerge when it gets too warm in that socket. While each individual cockroach of each species can have its own personality traits, and any of them can be skittish and stealthy, wood cockroaches are not going to stay in hiding.
They are more than happy to roam around in plain sight. Though not unique to wood cockroaches, this species prefers to be outside. They are only accidental home invaders. These roaches much prefer to be in your yard, hiding under organic debris, and in moist locations.
As their name suggests, they are prone to being in stacked wood. If you have firewood, you're more likely to have wood cockroaches. Be cautious when you bring firewood into your home. Be sure to burn your firewood quickly once you bring it in to make sure no wood cockroach eggs hatch inside your home.
A small mirror on a long handle can be useful in hard-to-see areas. Cockroaches thrive where food and water are available to them. Even tiny amounts of crumbs or liquids caught between cracks provide a food source. Important sanitation measures include the following:. Exclusion and Removal of Hiding Places. During the day, cockroaches hide around water heaters, in cupboard cracks, stoves, crawl spaces, outdoor vegetation, and many other dark locations.
They invade kitchens and other areas at night. Limiting hiding areas or avenues of access to living areas is an essential part of an effective management strategy. False-bottom cupboards, hollow walls, and similar areas are common cockroach refuges that should be properly sealed.
If it is not practical to remedy these problem areas, consider insecticides formulated for cockroach control Table 3 and Table 4. See the Chemical Control section for specific options.
Limit Access. Prevent access to the inside of buildings through cracks, conduits, under doors, or through other structural flaws. Take the following measures if observation or trapping shows cockroaches are migrating into a building from outdoors or other areas of the building:.
Pesticides alone will not solve a cockroach problem. If insecticides are used, they must always be used with extreme care. Indoor chemical control is warranted only if the cockroach population is established, not for an incidental intruder or two. Bait products are the primary pesticides used to treat cockroach infestations. They can be packaged as pastes, gels, and granules Table 3. Most insecticides used in baits are slow acting. Baits do not control all cockroaches equally.
For instance, brownbanded cockroaches are especially difficult to control using baits. Female cockroaches with egg cases do very little feeding and avoid open spaces, so they are less likely to be immediately affected by a bait.
An effective bait program does not give immediate results but instead may take 7 days or longer. Baits can be quite effective for long-term control of cockroaches. Removing other food sources will greatly enhance the effects of baits. As with sticky traps, insecticidal baits do not attract cockroaches over long distances, so place them near hiding spaces or where roaches are likely to encounter them while foraging.
Outdoors, place baits and bait stations around building perimeters in valve or water meter boxes, wood piles, and around planters. Indoors, place baits under appliances, along walls, and in cabinets. Baits can also be placed next to fecal specks and droppings of cockroaches. These deposits contain a natural attractant or aggregation pheromone. Look for these fecal specks and droppings under kitchen counters, behind kitchen drawers, and in the back of cabinets.
Bait Stations. The most popular bait application method for home use is within prefilled bait stations , small plastic units that contain an attractive food base along with an insecticide. Refillable bait stations are available in stores and can be refilled with bait granules or gel. The advantage of bait stations is that insecticides are confined to small areas within tamper-resistant containers rather than being dispersed widely, potentially reducing exposure to people and pets.
Baits in stations remain effective for many months. Gel Bait. For crack and crevice treatments, gel baits can be very effective. Apply gel using a bait gun or syringe in small dabs in cracks and crevices where cockroaches will find it. Gel baits are very effective when placed in or near locations where cockroaches harbor or forage. In some cases, gels may need to be reapplied since deposits harden over time. Gels are very effective when applied to manage German cockroaches and other species living inside structures.
Research suggests that gel baits, applied within bait stations and in-ground utility ports, can also be used to effectively manage outdoor cockroaches. Available commercial baits see Table 3 may contain abamectin, boric acid, fipronil, hydramethylnon, indoxacarb, clothianidin, or imidacloprid mixed with a food base. Some of these products are only available to licensed professionals. Dusts and powders. Insecticidal dusts Table 4 can be important parts of an IPM program when applied in enclosed, out-of-the-way locations where cockroaches may hide.
The most common active ingredient used against cockroaches is boric acid. Boric acid powder is a contact and oral insecticide and can be used preventively or when treating existing infestations. Boric acid is not repellent, and if it remains dry and undisturbed, it provides control for a very long time. Because it has a positive electrostatic charge, the dust clings to the body of a cockroach as it walks through a treated area, and the cockroach ingests small amounts when it grooms itself.
Boric acid powder has fairly slow activity, and it may be 7 days or more before it has a significant effect on a cockroach population. Boric acid is not recommended for outdoor use since it is toxic to plants. Blow dusts and powders into cracks and crevices or lightly spread it in areas where visible residues are not a problem and where people will not come into contact with it. Remove kick panels on refrigerators and stoves and apply a light film of dust throughout the entire void underneath these appliances.
Thin films of dust are more effective than thick layers, which may cake and clump together. Holes the size of the tip of a puff-type applicator can be drilled into the top of kick panels beneath cabinets, and dusts and powders may be applied through the holes to these areas as well as under the sink, in the void space between the sink and wall, and around utility pipe penetrations. Also treat along the back edges and in corners of shelves in cabinets, cupboards, pantries, and closets.
If a deposit gets wet and then dries and cakes, it loses its electrostatic charge and will not be picked up readily by cockroaches. If this occurs, clean up old deposits and reapply to these areas. Desiccant dusts such as diatomaceous earth and silica aerogel are repellent and effective when applied to voids and other out-of-the-way places. Silica aerogel readily absorbs waxes from the surface of insects, resulting in their desiccation dehydration and death.
Silica aerogels may be applied during construction or to prevent cockroaches from becoming established. Although sprays may provide a quick, temporary knockdown of cockroaches, they do not give long-term control. They may also repel and disperse cockroaches to other areas of the building from which they may return later. Cockroaches have also become resistant to many insecticides in common sprays and aerosols that formerly controlled them.
Sprays should not be necessary if an IPM program is followed that uses sanitation, exclusion, and appropriate baits and dusts. Insecticide treatment of harborage sites for oriental, Turkestan, and American cockroaches may be required when populations of these species are high and cockroaches are moving into buildings. After a cockroach IPM program has been started, evaluate the effectiveness of the methods that are being used with regular monitoring. Use traps or visual inspections to help determine if further treatment is necessary.
If populations persist, reevaluate the situation. Look for other sources of infestations, make sure that all possible entryways are blocked, be certain that food and water sources are eliminated as much as possible, and continue sealing and eliminating hiding places. It may be necessary to move bait stations to other locations, use more stations, apply more bait, or consider a different bait product.
When cockroach populations are under control, continue monitoring with traps on a regular basis to make sure re-infestation is not taking place. But if you spot an American or German cockroach, you may want to call a pest control company and request an inspection.
Match the pictures to the type of roach to determine the health risk to your family and what steps to take to get rid of them. The adults have wings but rarely fly. German cockroach nymphs look like adults but are darker, smaller, and have no wings. Where they hide: These cockroaches thrive in moist, warm areas in the kitchen or bathroom. They hide in cracks and crevices near cabinets, pantries and under stoves, refrigerators, and dishwashers.
Control tips: After dark, use a flashlight to find out where German cockroaches scatter and hide. Apply household insecticide sprays directly to the hiding place. The University of Illinois Extension and Outreach recommends baits, such as hydramethylnon Combat, Maxforce and setting traps. Adult American cockroaches have wings and will occasionally fly, however they prefer to scurry.
Where they hide: American cockroaches typically live outdoors, but they can move inside. These roaches prefer warm, moist, humid environments, but they can tolerate drier areas if they have access to water. They seek out areas where food is stored or prepared. These roaches are a nuisance and health concern in restaurants, grocery stores, and bakeries.
American cockroaches often infest kitchens, sewers, basements, or crawl spaces. Control tips: Caulk all cracks and crevices in your home. You may also want to install door sweeps to prevent these roaches from crawling under doorways. Outside, remove dead leaves and rake mulch away from your home. The Oriental cockroach is dark brown to black, and often has wings. It feeds on garbage and decaying material, and has a pungent odor. They thrive in sewer drains, crawl spaces, basements, and cellars.
They also set up camp near leaky pipes and faucets and under refrigerators and sinks. Control tips: Keep these water bugs from coming out of drains and remove their food supply.
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