Roaches over one inch in length are considered “large roaches” (American and Oriental cockroaches) while cockroaches smaller than ½ of an inch (German and Brown Banded cockroaches) are categorized as “small roaches.” Spotting small roaches in your home likely indicates an infestation.
Small Roaches vs Big Roaches
When fully grown, German roaches are definitely smaller than American roaches. They're about 3/4 of an inch compared to American or “tree” roaches which can be 1 to 1.5 inches although seem longer with antennae included – up to 3 inches then.
And if the roach is big—say, 1 1/2 inches or bigger—it could be an outdoor species that's less likely to thrive indoors.
After they hatch, baby American cockroaches are typically under 1/4 inches long—about the size of a grain of rice. They grow larger as they molt and progress through the instar stages, reaching around 2 inches in length as adults.
A: Supposed Myth: The bigger a roach, the worse it is. The Facts: Not even close. The size of a roach does not always make a difference in whether or not it is more dangerous or problematic. The smallest roach can carry disease just as frighteningly as a larger one.
If you suspect you have a problem with cockroaches, contact a professional pest control company who can help identify the type of roach you have, thoroughly inspect your home to identify points of entry or food sources, and help set you up with a comprehensive roach control treatment and prevention plan.
Hence, stepping on and crushing a cockroach using your foot is not a good idea, as it can cause its bacteria-carrying gut juices to splash around your floor. Aside from carrying bacteria and viruses, cockroaches also contain a protein that serves as an allergen for numerous people.
Signs of a cockroach infestation
If you see tiny cockroaches, then you may have an infestation. An infestation should be dealt with as soon as possible, because it will grow much more quickly than you would imagine due to how quickly cockroaches can reproduce and move through their life cycle to adulthood.
Finding baby roaches signals that, at the very least, there are a few adults nearby and they're ready to reproduce again. Once you find baby German cockroaches, it's time to act… fast. In about two months, those babies will be fully developed and ready to start having babies of their own.
Large cockroaches come inside looking for food, water, and shelter, especially during very cold or hot weather. Large roaches are especially attracted to foods with sugar, starch, or grease. However, they will eat almost anything, including pet food.
Roach Repellents
Peppermint oil, cedarwood oil, and cypress oil are essential oils that effectively keep cockroaches at bay. Additionally, these insects hate the smell of crushed bay leaves and steer clear of coffee grounds. If you want to try a natural way to kill them, combine powdered sugar and boric acid.
How Long Do Cockroaches Live? All cockroaches go through three stages of life: egg, nymph, and adult. While these insects usually live about 6 to 15 months, the cockroach lifespan varies based on species, moisture, and temperature in each of these phases.
There are many reasons to keep a pest-free home, especially when an infestation from these insectile instigators can lead to more and more pest problems over time. The German cockroach is considered to be the worst species of cockroach for many reasons.
German roaches are one of the most common household pests and also one of the most difficult to get rid of.
Home remedies like diatomaceous earth, baking soda, boric acid, citrus, essential oils, and borax can be effective ways to get rid of roaches. If you want to take a more aggressive approach to eliminate roaches, glue traps, bait stations, and liquid roach deterrent concentrates are all excellent options.
Unfortunately, cockroaches are not loners. If you see one, there are likely many more that you can't see.
Does that seem like something you want to ignore? But even if asthma isn't a concern, cockroaches have also been implicated in the passage of several different pathogens, diseases and bacteria. You don't want these critters around you.
Answer: While one cockroach doesn't make up an infestation - doing nothing or failing to see that one cockroach usually means an infestation is looming in the future unless Integrated Pest Management actions are taken and a thorough inspection conducted to make sure that one cockroach seen isn't one from a larger group ...
Boric acid can work too, the only downside is that sometimes roaches will go away as soon as they smell boric acid. You have to combine it with something. A lot of people choose to combine it with some raw egg yolk.
So what smell do roaches hate? Oregano, rosemary, mint, eucalyptus, lemongrass and catnip are great herby options. Citrus oils work brilliantly too.
Baited Traps
Another popular, and easy way to kill roaches overnight, is to use baited roach traps. These traps work by either trapping the roaches inside with glue or other substances or by providing them with poisoned food. When the cockroach ingests the poison, it then returns to its nest and dies.
First, you must clean up the area with antibacterial cleaner immediately so that you don't spread germs. Also, crushing deaths can draw cockroaches out of hiding, which could be good and bad for you. Just be ready to eliminate more!
Another mind-blowing fact about cockroaches is that they are thigmotropism. They like to be touched all over. This is the reason why they love tight spaces in your homes like crevices and fissures. They also love living in clutters because they love the sensation of being touched.
It's hard to pinpoint what exactly it is about cockroaches that bothers people so much, simply because there are so many answers. “They're erratic; it's like they're doing eight things at once; they look dirty; they move really fast; they seem to have no fear of people,” Stein rattles off.