How to Identify California Cockroaches

LEARN HOW TO IDENTIFY COCKROACHES IN YOUR CALIFORNIA HOME

There are many pests we don’t particularly care for, but few are as hated as cockroaches. There are about 4,000 species of cockroaches around the world and over 60 percent of homes contain roaches and roach droppings. Cockroaches are highly resilient pests that can live and reproduce without you even being aware of their existence in your home and while roaches typically invade your space to look for warmth, water and food – they can survive for up to three months in a home without any sustenance. These pesky pests live and breed and hide in dark, damp areas throughout your home including kitchens, bathrooms, cabinets, pipes, appliances and closets.

In terms of Southern California Cockroaches, there are three types we see in Los Angeles County, the American Roach, the Oriental Roach and the German Cockroach. By far, the American and German cockroaches are the most common roaches we see in homes, and they are the focus of today’s blog post.

AMERICAN COCKROACHES (SEWER ROACHES)

American Roaches, also known as Sewer Roaches and Water Bugs are larger and are typically about two inches long and are a reddish-brown solid color.

American Roaches like to live in dark, damp warmer areas like sewers, drainpipes, and other utility areas. They are commonly seen inside homes once or twice per year as they make their way in using garage areas, doors and windows, structure gaps and drains. American roaches fly and are attracted to lights, so they are often seen outside in the summertime on patios, walkway and yard areas. Naturally, American roaches live in thick brush areas and ground cover such as mulch. Planter areas, Ivy areas, and others like them are good areas for American Roaches to live.

The California American (‘sewer’) Roach usually lives outdoors but will retreat into your home or business to escape hot summer temperatures. They can get in through the plumbing or any small crack or opening. Once established inside, they breed rapidly.

Roach Control Service for American Roaches in a combination of exclusion and chemical treatments. Treatments are less invasive and may require moderate preparation and areas need to be vacated for about half a day for interior treatments. Some variables include crawl spaces, plumbing gaps, floor drains and storage areas.

Service costs start at $185 for exterior. Quarterly Regular Service is recommended for long term control and management depending on exterior variables.

GERMAN COCKROACHES

California German Roaches are more of an ‘interior roach’ and enter an area by being transferred by a person to person or an item. German Roaches are smaller, under an inch, and are light brown with a black stripe down the middle. Under the right conditions, German Roaches will also travel from one area to the next via wall gaps, cracks or utility lines and areas. Appliances are a quite common hiding and harboring place for German Roaches. German Roaches are commonly seen and start in kitchen and bathroom areas and are the focal point of service. German Roaches are seen in darker areas of cabinets, behind or within items, under items, on the counter, or in the open when the lights come on. German Roaches breed the fastest and can quickly reach higher activity levels and become an issue if not addressed properly.

For this reason, we recommend a Roach Clean Out Service be performed as soon as German Roaches are confirmed.