How Do Cockroaches Get Into Hartford Homes?

When cockroaches start showing up inside your home, it can be unsettling—for good reason. Cockroaches are dirty insects that feed on decaying organic matter and feces. This exposes them to harmful organisms that they can spread around your home. But keeping cockroaches out of your Hartford home can be difficult. This is what we're going to look at today.

Two Ways Cockroaches Get Into Homes

There are only two ways any pest will get into a home; they will enter on their own or they will be carried in.

Invaders — Most pests fall into the first category. Some examples of pests that invade your home from the outside are centipedes, millipedes, silverfish, and spiders. In this group of home-invading pests, there are some that chew their way inside, such as carpenter ants, termites, powderpost beetles, carpenter bees, mice, rats, and more. Fortunately, cockroaches don't do this. But they will take advantage of an entry point created by other pests.

Hitchhikers — Some pests are carried into your home. Bed bugs are an example of a pest that only comes into your home by this method. They never come in from your yard because they don't live outside. Pantry pests are an example of a pest that can be carried into your home, but may also come in from the outside. Cockroaches do the same. It is important to understand this if you want to keep them out.

How Cockroaches Invade

Cockroaches are drawn to tight spaces. They'll squeeze under objects in your yard and squeeze into cracks in your exterior. They're attracted to them because they are thigmotactic. They desire to be in contact with solid structures on all sides. A cockroach is never happier than when it is squished into a hard, tight space, such as a crack in your foundation wall. So, it shouldn't be surprising when you find cockroaches in your home. Those roaches are just doing what comes naturally.

How Cockroaches Hitchhike

There are two ways a cockroach might hitchhike into your home. If you step on a female cockroach that has eggs on its body, or an egg sac (called an ootheca) left by a cockroach on the ground, the eggs can get lodged into the tread of your footwear and be deposited inside your home. These eggs don't need the mother roach in order to hatch.

The more common way cockroaches hitchhike into homes is by hitching a ride in a bag of groceries, or a piece of furniture. Cockroaches hide in the tight spaces of moveable objects. Did you purchase a used furniture item recently? This could be why you have cockroaches in your home.

Why Is It So Hard To Keep Cockroaches Out?

There are a few reasons why cockroaches are so difficult to exclude. We've mentioned one; cockroaches are getting in because they are drawn to tight spaces. They're only doing what comes naturally. Another reason they get in is connected to their physical characteristics.

• Cockroaches can scale walls and run across ceilings.
• Some species of cockroach can fly.
• Cockroaches can hold their breath underwater for as long as forty minutes.
• Cockroaches can compact their bodies to squeeze through spaces that would seem impossible.
• Baby cockroaches are much smaller than adult cockroaches. The immature nymphs of the German cockroach species are small enough to pass through the tiny holes of an electrical outlet. Good luck keeping those roaches out of your home.

Cockroach Prevention Made Simple

Now that you know how cockroaches get in, you'll want to know how to keep them out. You can probably guess at some of the tips we'll give because they are related to the ways these insects get into homes.

• Do a detailed inspection of your exterior and seal every crack and gap.
• Inspect grocery bags before bringing them into your home.
• Be careful where you step when you go into a structure that has a cockroach infestation, and check your shoes before going back into your home.
• Inspect furniture items for the presence of cockroaches or the black feces they leave. If an item is infested, you may also smell the roaches. They give off a musky scent.

Remember that American Pest Solutions is available to assist you with cockroach extermination and cockroach exclusion in Hartford. Reach out to us for immediate assistance.