Cooling temperatures can bring cockroaches into your home. Like other pests, cockroaches will not move along when the temperatures start to cool off. They only live for six months to about a year and a half so moving to a new location isn’t very important to them. These pests have been around for some 300 million years, making a cold snap very unlikely to put them on the endangered species list. If cockroaches are living outside your home, the cooler weather may just send them inside. A-Tex Pest Management offers some insight into cockroaches and how to keep them out of your residence.
Common Cockroach Species
The American Cockroach can tolerate cold temperatures and can even live in below-freezing temperatures for short periods of times. That being said, they can take over your warm home when temps cool off rather than be outside. Most homes are warmed to around 70 degrees thorough the winter which is the most comfortable temperature for cockroaches. German cockroaches like temperatures around 90 degrees. Your home will most likely not be that warm even on the coldest of days, but that will not keep them away. They would much rather be inside than out regardless of the temperature. Cockroaches can spend the whole winter in your home, reproducing and developing and both are prolific breeders making an infestation get out of hand quickly.
Can You Get Sick from Roaches in Your House?
Cockroaches are known to carry and spread a range of diseases like salmonella, staphylococcus and streptococcus. They can also spread E.coli that can cause asthma symptoms. This happens through contamination and they will come into contact with anything and everything. They search for food anywhere the can. This can be sewers, where they will pick up bacteria on their feet and then track it into your home in their continued search for food. Cockroaches will eat anything. Your turkey sandwich to their own feces. You can only image all the disgusting bacteria they will track all over the place!
What Keeps Cockroaches Away?
The best way to prevent cockroaches is to make your home less appealing to them. Keep things clean by sweeping or wiping spills and put leftovers away. Hand washing will help eliminate germs and bacteria you might pick up. Vacuum bags may have eggs sacs so always discard them away from your home and keep sources of water to a minimum. Any cracks they are using to gain entry need to be sealed and make sure to eliminate possible outdoor habitats especially as fall and winter approach. Insecticides are used to interfere with the nervous system of the cockroach by overstimulating and preventing the muscles from relaxing. German cockroaches are more resistant to insecticides than their American counterpart.
Cockroach Pest Inspections, Treatment, Control, Removal & More in Austin, Round Rock, Leander, Pflugerville & Cedar Park Texas
Your home provides all cockroaches need for the winter. Ideal temperatures, food and water. Both of these cockroaches require different methods to eliminate them. It’s very important to contact professionals to determine which ones you’re dealing with so the proper techniques will be used to ensure complete elimination. If you start seeing more cockroaches in your home, call A-Tex Pest Management to come up with a plan to send them running.