German roaches are one of the most dreadful pests a family can have on so many levels.
We have all heard horror stories of restaurants being shut down by the city because they are infested with German cockroaches. The last thing you want for your home is to find a German roach in your kitchen. The US Census Bureau reported a staggering statistic. About 14 million housing units have seen roaches in their homes.
Why Are German Roaches The Worst Cockroach You Can Find In Your Home?
The challenge with these roaches is that they have a high reproductive potential and can go from one to thousands of individuals very quickly. The developmental time from egg to adult is 100 days, but under ideal conditions, it can be as little as two months. This means that in a year, there could be 3-4 generations of German roaches.
Once the females reach adulthood, they are ready to start mating and producing eggs. Adults live 100-200 days, and during this time, a single female can produce 200 eggs. It is estimated that a German roach couple, male and female, can potentially produce one million offspring in the span of a year.
Most people cannot identify German cockroaches, so initially, they may ignore the presence of this bug. During the first two to three months, the infestation is barely noticeable. However, once the nymphs reach adulthood and are ready to mate, the population explodes. In a full-blown German roach infestation, 70% of the population are nymphs.
How To Identify German Roaches?
German roaches are much smaller than other household-infesting cockroaches. Adults are light brown and 1/2 to 5/8 inch long. Besides being smaller, they also have two dark stripes on the thorax. Both sexes have wings, but they never fly. The nymphs are similar in appearance to the adults, but they are smaller, wingless, and darker. Also, a cream-colored stripe runs along the middle of the back.
Another aspect that differentiates these roaches from other household-infesting species is that the females carry the egg case right until the eggs are ready to hatch. When a German cockroach is carrying an egg case, it is known as a gravid female.
German roaches can be mistaken for Asian cockroaches, as they are both practically indistinguishable. However, Asian roaches live outdoors, and they are strong fliers. They often fly indoors when the windows and doors are open. This introduced species is distributed throughout Florida and other southern states.
What Are The Signs Of A German Cockroach Infestation?
German roaches are nocturnal insects, so they like to forage for food at night. One key sign of their presence is when you turn on the kitchen lights at night. If you find small roaches running on the counters or cabinets, you have a German cockroach infestation. When the population is large, they start competing for harborage space and for food. If you see them foraging during the daytime, the population is under stress, and at this point you have a moderate to heavy infestation.
German roaches defecate all the time. If you find small dark droppings (pepper-like) and fecal stains along the edges of cabinets, in drawers, and appliances, it is another sign. Adult females carry the egg cases protruding from the abdomen until the nymphs are ready to hatch. If you find gravid females, it is another sign of German roaches.
Where Do German Roaches Live?
German roaches have evolved to live among humans. Without us, they will cease to exist. These roaches cannot survive outdoors and are often seen in homes, grocery stores, restaurants, warehouses, hotels, schools, and transportation vehicles.
German roaches like to hide in places that are warm (ideally 80F) and close to food and water. Usually, this is the kitchen and bathrooms. In the kitchen, the refrigerator motor and the circuit boards of electric appliances provide shelter and the warmth they require: ovens, microwaves, coffee makers, blenders, and dishwashers. In moderate to heavy infestations, you may see them walking inside the clock of the oven.
How To Inspect For German Roaches?
German roaches prefer to hide in protected crevices that provide warmth and are close to food and water. With the aid of a flashlight, stick your head under the sink and look around the edges where the sink mounts to the countertop. The roaches will be resting along the wood crevices.
Since they like warm areas, look under appliances such as microwaves, blenders, and especially coffee machines. They are also attracted to the heat produced by the refrigerator, so pull the fridge forward and inspect behind.
When they are overcrowded and under stress, they will look for other places for harborage, such as furniture, bedrooms, and other electronics that produce heat, such as TVs, cable boxes, and computers.
How Dangerous Are German Roaches?
German roaches are dangerous because they contaminate our food with fecal droppings, saliva, and other fluid secretions while they roam around. Being attracted to the garbage, drains, and other dirty places, they also contaminate food preparation surfaces with microbes they pick up from these unsanitary places.
In heavy infestations, a particular musky odor is easily detected from the various bodily secretions they produce. Cockroach feces, saliva, and body parts have certain proteins that can cause allergic reactions in some individuals. These allergens can be potentially dangerous to people that suffer from asthma attacks as they can trigger flare-ups. Living with German roaches is very distressing for anyone, but for people that are sensitive to their allergens, it can be torture.
Besides reducing the quality of life for thousands of families across the country, German roaches can also short-circuit appliances when they decide to nest in the electronic control boards.
Why Are German Cockroaches Hard To Kill?
Due to their high reproductive potential and acquired resistance to insecticides, German roaches are one of the most difficult pests to eliminate.
When some roaches are not killed by an insecticide treatment, the surviving population will pass on this resistance trait to subsequent generations. After many decades, German roaches have built up resistance to each successive class of insecticide. Products that once were useful against German roaches today are no longer effective.
Because this is one of the most challenging pests, many pest control companies fail to get rid of German roaches. Unlike our competitors, German roaches have no chance against GOTBUGSIKILL. Our team members are trained to follow a specific treatment protocol that includes the use of specialized equipment and products. After two services, every single cockroach will be eradicated from your home.
How Do I Prepare For A German Cockroach Treatment?
German cockroach jobs require at least two treatments to eradicate them for good. Most initial infestations are localized to the kitchen area, so we ask our customers to clear the cabinets. For a light infestation, only the bottom cabinets need to be emptied out. For a heavy infestation, all cabinets should be emptied out.
When the customer clears all the items inside the cabinets, we can access every square inch that roaches could be hiding. Because we are able to treat more surface areas, we are able to get the population under control quickly. The liquid sprays we use have strong aromas, so we ask customers to leave the house for about five hours, including the pets.
Two weeks after the initial treatment, we will return for a follow-up service. However, this time our team member will perform a crack and crevice treatment. During the follow-up service, it is not necessary to empty the cabinets or leave home.
German roach treatments can also be done without emptying the cabinets, but it may require additional visits to completely eradicate the insect. This route requires additional labor time, so it may be more costly.
How To Get Rid Of German Roaches?
The eradication of a German roach infestation is an intensive and time-consuming treatment. The key to eliminating German roaches is to treat as many areas as possible with non-repellent insecticides, dust baits, and gel baits. The use of insect growth regulators (IGRs) is key because they sterilize the female, so they stop having babies.
German roaches are known to hide cracks and crevices of cabinets, under sinks, behind switch plates, inside wall voids, in the refrigerator motor, and inside many appliances. Our technicians are equipped with the tools to apply the right products in these places. After a few days, the entire population is decimated.
With our treatment protocol, we can eliminate a low to mild German infestation in just two treatments.
Why Are German Cockroach Treatments So Expensive?
A residential home with a light to mild German roach infestation demands about 6-7 hours of technician time. This includes three trips: inspection, initial service, and follow-up service. In addition to that, you have to add all the drive time. On the other hand, most palmetto roach jobs can be done in one service and take no more than 2 hours.
We know that other pest control companies spend less time treating for German roaches. Be careful when choosing an exterminator, especially the very cheap ones. This insect requires a thorough and detailed treatment, so hire a company with excellent reviews. Pest control is a science.
How To Prevent German Roaches
Because German roaches cannot live outdoors, it is only by accident that they are physically introduced into our homes.
The best way to prevent these terrifying creatures is to understand how they find their way inside. If you follow these tips, you will likely never have to deal with German roaches:
Avoid bringing cardboard boxes into the house. These are their favorite transportation vehicle.
When using food delivery companies, inspect the wrapping.
Never pick up or buy used appliances.
Do not invite family members and friends if they have roaches.
When a pregnant female or a couple (male and female) is introduced, it is game over. You may not notice you have a problem for the first two to three months. But once the first generation reaches adulthood and starts mating and producing eggs, you will notice them daily.
Keeping a clean home will take away some of their food sources, but nothing will stop them once females start producing eggs.
How To Get Rid Of German Roaches On My Own?
Our advice is that you call a highly-rated pest control company near you to eliminate these cockroaches for good. Without the help of a trained professional, there is little a homeowner can do to stop them.
If you want to take on this task on your own, follow these steps to keep them at bay:
Cut off their food source by cleaning crumbs.
Wipe off countertops and remove grease deposits.
Do not leave dirty dishes overnight.
Use a vacuum to remove a congregation.
Go to a home improvement store and buy gel bait and glue boards.
Deploy the sticky traps everywhere.
Make pea-size gel bait placements every 6 to 12 inches.
Do not use any over-the-counter sprays or cockroach bombs. These products will only kill cockroaches that are out in the open. In fact, the repellency of pyrethroids will scatter away some roaches and infest other rooms in the home.
Do not spend money buying ultrasonic devices. The manufacturers of these products claim that the high-pitched frequency scares or kills cockroaches. Occasionally we find these devices when we are hired for a job, so we know for a fact they are useless.
Why Choose GOTBUGSIKILL To Eliminate German Roaches?
The moment you start noticing small roaches on the countertops or in the cabinets, it is a sign you have a German cockroach infestation.
Before the nymphs become adults and the females start producing eggs, call a local exterminator. You can find a highly-rated company by searching pest control near me on Google.
We are the best exterminator in South Florida! When you hire us, you can rest assured we will eliminate every single cockroach with just two services. And we will give you a 30-day guarantee, so you have a piece of mind.
