Dealing With Cockroaches

Mississauga Pest Control Cockroach Extermination Services & General Information

Many people find cockroaches a source of embarrassment although they are capable of living in even the cleanest of kitchens. Cockroaches are a common structural pest in restaurants, apartments, condominiums and homes throughout Ontario.They are often spread when infested furniture and appliances are moved into a new residence. In apartments, town houses and condominiums cockroaches will travel from unit to unit through walls following wiring and plumbing. In the summer cockroaches will even sometimes travel outside from house to house if the distance between the houses is minimal.There are four cockroach species commonly found in Ontario: German, Brown Banded, Oriental and American.

How does Mississauga Pest Control Services control cockroaches?

All four species are controlled in the same method using a combination treatment of baiting and spraying. The main advantages of using bait are that it provides more effective control and far less pesticide isused. The cockroaches are drawn to the bait which has a very small amount of pesticides in it. Some preparation, such as cleaning the stove, the fridge, the walls and floors around them, is recommended to ensure a quick extermination.A clean kitchen will reduce competition from other food sources like crumbs beside a stove or grease that may have accumulated in a fume hood. Cockroaches with fewer food sources will focus more on the bait as a food source and they will be exterminated much more quickly.

German cockroach

Adults are 13 – 16mm(½ - 5/8 inches)in length, tan in colour with two darker brown parallel stripes behind the head.The German cockroach is the most common indoor cockroachpest species especially in high rise apartment buildings. They are found most often in kitchens and bathrooms where humidity is high and food and water are close by. German roaches breed more quickly than other species and left unchecked, with an ample food supply, a single fertilized female can turn into tens of thousandsof cockroaches in less than a year. Roaches generally breed more quickly during summer months. Females carry their eggs on their bodies until a few days before they hatch which gives them a high survival rate. Each egg case contains about 30 young. German cockroaches live only in close proximity to humans and are unable to survive without human activity.

Brown Banded cockroaches

Brown banded cockroaches are similar in size and shape to German cockroaches but are darker in colour and usually have a dark stripe running horizontally across their body. Brown Banded roaches do not have the same need for high humidity that German roaches have and so they may be found further from kitchens and bathrooms behind picture frames underneath tables or on the ceiling. They do not carry the egg casing but cement it into cracks in furniture or other crevices. Their egg case contains 15 to 20 young which take approximately 160 days to develop.

Oriental Cockroach

Oriental roaches are about 25mm (1 inch) long, shiny and dark brown to black in colour. They are much larger than both German and brown banded cockroaches and take much longer to develop.Their complete life cycle is often more than 2 years. Eggs develop in about 2 months; nymphs grow for anywhere from 6 to 20 months and finally the adult may live another 12 to 15 months. They generally live in dark damp basement areas around drains and may be found living together in large numbers.

American Cockroach

The American cockroach is the least common species in Ontario. It is also the largest at 38mm (1½ inches) in length.Their complete life cycle ranges from 2 – 4 years with the adult stage living about 14 months. In southern climates, American roaches are often found living outside in moist areas usually in decaying wood but in Ontario they are strictly a structural pest found in damp basementsusually high up on walls.

Ready to deal with your cockroach issue?

Let the experts at Mississauga Pest & Wildlife Control Services at 905-270-1916 or 1-888-390-PEST(7378), as one of our trained, experienced professionals will be able to determine how we can help with your cockroach issue.

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