Oriental Roaches and DIY Steps to Prevent an Infestation

Nobody likes a filthy home. And if you find roaches, then that is the absolute worst. One common bug that you can find dwelling in the warm and empty crawl spaces in your kitchen or under your porch, in boxes and other nasty places that you would dare not look, are the oriental cockroaches. These nasty buggers just love the water. Hence, they are aptly called water bugs, too. Here is how you know that it is a water bug and not some other common roach.

What To Look For?

• They have a greasy sheen on their backs
• Mostly dwell outdoors but will come indoors through pipes and plumbing in the warm summers
• Males have longer wings than females, but neither can fly.
• They have a strong and unpleasant ?roachy? smell that
• They are one of the larger roaches and grow to about an inch in length
• And of course, they love water

They are major household pests commonly found in parts of Northwestern, Midwestern and Southern United States. They prefer damp and dark locations, are shiny black to dark reddish-brown in color, and cannot survive in tropical climates. They are scavengers who prefer decaying organic matter and starchy foods, while their water requirements are met by the surroundings (water lovers) and their food. The average lifespan of one is anywhere from 1-1.5 years. They can easily crawl up from sewer pipes into bathrooms, sink drains into crevices in the floors and walls. They like to hide in crawl spaces, basements, flood drains, landscape mulches, under leaves, in garbage dumps and spaces between soil and building foundation. 68 to 84 degrees Fahrenheit is the ideal temperature for them.

The females lay the eggs in batches of eight capsules called Oothecae, which are black in color and have 16 eggs each, from spring to mid-summer. Unlike other roaches, oriental roaches produce only one generation per year, in winters when temperatures are cooler. They take about 6-12 months to fully mature from young ones, called nymphs, into adults. The nymphs stay active from March through summer, molting several times in the process, appearing reddish-brown to black during this time. It is difficult to tell oriental and American roach nymphs apart when they are closer to maturity, so be careful. Most adult oriental roaches will be found in early spring and by late spring there will be many nymphs as adult numbers drop. By August, mostly new adults remain.

If these nasty buggers invade your house, there are a few things you can do.

Diy Roach Control Measures

• Remove rotting leaves from window wells.
• Allow ventilation of moist areas
• Move your garbage cans out of moist places where these roaches hang out
• Make all walls and doors watertight and waterproof. Caulk them
• Stop water leaks. Keep drain taps full or capped.
• Take overflow water away from your house or building.
• Do not let drains over flow.

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