Did you know that cockroaches can survive up to a week without their heads? This is a wild fact that shows just how hardy these pests can be, and it might be part of why they have a reputation of being able to survive a nearly inhabitable world if the planet was ever destroyed.

Cockroach

While cockroaches aren’t actually indestructible, they are dangerous, sturdy, and difficult pests in Hudson Valley and the surrounding areas. Cockroaches are known to spread up to 35 different diseases and cause allergic reactions and asthma attacks. Plus, they are resistant to many pesticides making them harder than your average insect to eliminate.

To protect your home and family from these disease-ridden pests, it’s important to know how to identify cockroaches and what to do if you encounter an infestation.

First of all, while there are 4,500 or so cockroaches around the world, there are three species that commonly invade area properties. These species are the American cockroach, the German cockroach, and the Oriental cockroach.

The American cockroach is the largest of the three and a reddish-brown color while the German cockroach is the most prevalent and is a smaller and light brown color with two black stripes behind their heads. The Oriental cockroach is a jet black color and looks somewhat like a beetle.

Why Cockroaches Are So Difficult To Prevent And Remove

Cockroaches can be one of the most difficult pests to prevent because they can get inside in a variety of ways. They are adept at slipping through small cracks and holes in the walls and foundation of your home, and they can also be brought in on cardboard boxes and secondhand items. Plus, some species can even come inside through drain pipes.

While preventing cockroaches is difficult, it’s even harder to remove them once they are there. As mentioned earlier, cockroaches are rather resistant and hard to kill with pesticides, and they can also survive on small crumbs of food. They are great at hiding in many dark, damp places making it hard to locate them all.

Why DIY Steps Don’t Work

While you might be tempted to try to remove cockroaches on your own, it’s not advisable to do so. The main reason why you shouldn’t try DIY cockroach control is that there is some risk involved. Because of their resistance to insecticides, many chemicals you might buy are potentially dangerous, and this is especially the case if people have underlying conditions or are quite young or old.

On top of the risks involved, most do-it-yourself methods just don’t work. You might think you’ll save money taking on the infestation yourself, but the costs add up as you have to buy more and more products to try and remove the entire infestation. At the end of the day, you’ll likely have wasted your time and money and still have cockroaches.

Professional Services Protect Your Home

Instead of dealing with cockroaches on your own with little success, let the experts at Pestmaster® Services provide effective and safe cockroach prevention and control. Our residential pest control programs include ongoing cockroach prevention methods to stop them from ever entering your home, and we can also get rid of any current infestations.

We have over 40+ years of experience handling these harmful pests, and we even offer free quotes. Give us a call today or reach out online to get started.