Cockroaches
Minneapolis, MN

You walk into your home after a late night at work. You flip on the light, and dozen creatures go skitter for the coaches’ underbellies and other hiding places.

It makes you sick. Where should you sit? Where should you put your brief case? There is no “clean” spot in your home until you get rid of them all.

They love your home because of the abundance of food you unwittingly provide for them. They eat book bindings, paper, wallpaper paste, and your left-over food crumbs.

And these well-fed pests only get worse—they reproduce like crazy. In only one egg, a German cockroach and produce 30 nymphs. These eggs are also pesticide-proof. So kill the adults and just wait for the next generation to pop up in your cupboards.

Cockroaches are not merely annoying, but potentially dangerous. They don’t bite like spiders or bedbugs, but they are detrimental to your health. They are only second to dust for causing asthma and allergies. Cockroach feces can contain allergens that become airborne; they mix with the dust and cause significant problems. Other than allergies, cockroaches carry significant diseases such as salmonella and E. colli. Nasty.

They prefer to stay in warm, moist areas of the house during the day. Your kitchen and bathroom are perfect environments for your roaches to tuck into. Because they prefer the dark, they only come out at night to forage for food. So it may be awhile before you realize that you have a pest problem. If an infestation is severe, you may be able to smell and even taste the cockroaches. They secrete an odorous substance that can alter the taste of your food.

Once you see a roach, there’s probably a good population residing in your home. Placing sticky mats around the home may give you an idea of how many you’re dealing with. Of course, they’re going to be difficult to get rid of. They’ve survived the last 320 million years without so much as a hic-up. They were laughing when the dinosaurs died, and they’re determined to survive long enough to see us get hit by a meteorite. Even Myth-busters admitted that it was possible that roaches could survive a nuclear attack. So why wouldn’t they survive your at-home efforts?

A professional is your best chance to rid your home of roaches. He will know where to find them and has the techniques and equipment to eradicate them.