Roaches
Roaches are a common and persistent problem in Charleston and coastal South Carolina. They are repulsive to look at. They are messy. And they produce disgusting odors. Roaches can also introduce and spread harmful bacteria, such as Salmonella, and they can be a major source of allergies and asthma.
Roaches have a broad, flattened body shape, six legs, and relatively long antennae. American and German cockroaches are the best-known breeds found in South Carolina. Their normal behavior in and around homes is to hide in cracks, crevices, or other protected areas that are suitably warm and moist during the daytime hours. After dark, roaches come out of hiding to mate and forage for food and water. To effectively control roaches, knowledge of their hiding and harboring behavior is very important.
Roaches spend 75 percent to 80 percent of their time resting in cracks and crevices, but when they are active they spend most of their time searching for or eating food.
Roaches feed on anything organic. With a nearby food and water source, they survive for long periods of time without ever leaving a particular area. Small roaches (nymphs) often eat each other's droppings. Adult roaches eat fragments of egg cases and body parts—and their young as they hatch. They readily find adequate food in the "fallout" of crumbs, spills, and poorly contained food or beverage items people have in their homes. Foods that have high levels of sugar, starch, or grease seem to be preferred, but roaches feed on nearly anything that can be chewed.
Roaches forage when they are deprived of food. Therefore, sanitation is very important in any roach-control program—especially in a baiting program. It is important to remember that roaches do not detect food from great distances. Studies of their foraging patterns indicate they just eventually run into food or bait. This is why bait placement near roach habitats is so important. This also proves the need for multiple bait stations.
Roaches may carry numerous disease-causing bacteria and other organisms. As roaches crawl and defecate on food, dishes, and utensils, these items can become contaminated with pathogens and tainted with the roach's excrement and saliva. The most commonly carried bacterium is Salmonella, which can cause food poisoning, diarrhea, and other gastro-intestinal disorders.
Roaches are a main source of allergies and allergic asthma in children. Allergic reactions to roaches can include skin irritation, watery eyes, sneezing, and asthma. Death, a very rare occurrence, is due to acute, severe asthma attacks brought on by sudden exposure, of severely allergic individuals, to substantial doses of allergens. Roach allergens can be contacted while doing house cleaning in areas where roach skins and excrement are abundant.
What can you do to exterminate roaches? Carolina Exterminating will devise a plan to assist you in roach extermination along with helpful tips.
Article courtesy of Greensmiths
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