Roaches
The German and American cockroaches are common in east Tennessee. German roaches are the most prolific and can often produce three or four new generations each year. They are pale to dark brown and may be up to 5/8 inch long. They become adults in as little as 36 days. Roaches can spread germs and make allergies worse.
Often referred to as “water bugs” or “palmetto bugs,” American roaches are reddish-brown and can be about two inches long. Roaches will eat nearly anything, but are attracted to moist human and pet food, sweet foods, and decaying starches (such as book bindings and wallpaper adhesive). They will congregate in dark, moist areas such as basements or garages and may also invade drains, bathtubs, and sewers.
Although these roaches are found in homes, they are much more common in larger commercial buildings such as restaurants, bakeries, grocery stores, food processing plants and hospitals where they can access food-storage and food-preparation areas, basements, and steam tunnels.
Oriental Cockroach
Occasionally you’ll see an Oriental cockroach in our area, but mostly they will be seen in the outer rural areas and closer to the mountainous areas such as the Great Smoky Mountains. They are very large (up to 1 inch long) and very dark, almost black. Sometimes they are called “water bugs” because they come out of drains.
They travel through sewer pipes, yet thrive on temperatures from 68 to 84 degrees. They can enter your home through drains. Cool basements and crawl spaces are great spots for these critters to live. Grocery stores, fruit markets, large planted atriums at malls are typical places where you would find this roaches.
They are slow crawlers, but are active fliers. Keeping things clean, is one of the secrets to holding this roach at bay. Frequently mowing the yard and keeping the weeds cut back will help with the oriental roach. If you have fruit trees, be sure to pick up the fallen fruit off the ground. When you remove the fruit, there is less food for the roaches to eat.
If the activity of roaches increase in your home or office, please contact Russell’s Pest Control. With your help in keeping food products and pet food in containers and our knowledge of how to properly treat for roaches with the top-of-the-line products that Russell’s uses, roaches can be controlled and even eliminated.
