Oriental Cockroaches:
These are an outdoor cockroach in that they do not infest human homes. They live outside but are often found inside a home or business when proper exclusion measures are not taken to keep them out.
These cockroaches live outside in mulches, lawns, cracks in the soil or pavement or anywhere that is dark and relatively moist. At night they come out in search of food and often track around houses in the process. They live off of plant matter, other insects, etc and do not need humans to live. They are a larger cockroach and usually dark brown to black in color.
Steps to keep these from entering your home or business include maintaining in good condition door sweeps including those found on sliding doors, garage doors and your normal swinging door. A general rule of thumb is if you can see light from the inside around the door, they can squeeze in! A spray program will ensure that if they do come inside, they will crawl through the spray and die.
The German Cockroach:
These cockroaches are found throughout the world in association with humans. They are unable to survive in locations away from humans or human activity. Most often they are found in kitchens or bathrooms, where food and/or water is available. The availability of water, food, and harborage also determine if German cockroaches are able to establish and grow. Unsanitary conditions tend to provide good living conditions for cockroaches. These roaches are generally smaller than 5/8 of an inch long, light brown in color with two black bands on the back of the protonum, or the shield that covers the upper portion of their body.
Habitat:
They prefer to hide in warm, elevated areas near the ceiling, behind wall decorations and loose wallpaper, in closets, beneath or inside upholstered furniture, and in electrical appliances. The most common appliances they are found in are refrigerator motor compartments, kitchen stoves, and in/around hot water heaters. They also commonly infest toasters and coffee makers. They develop and live throughout the building, harboring in wall, ceiling and floor voids, making control difficult. No room or furniture is immune to infestations, and one may find tiny, dark droppings and cast skins on cabinets and shelves. The roaches are commonly transported in furniture, luggage, and other items in houses and soon develop into annoying infestations under warm, humid conditions.
Without a professional pest control operator’s help, roaches are nearly impossible to control for the average home, apartment or business once infested.
American Cockroaches:
This species is commonly found outdoors in landscaping, in sewers or storm drains and in buildings where moisture may be greater. These cockroaches may inhabit storm drains in huge numbers, emerging though man-hole covers at night to invade buildings. They will feed on most almost anything, including human hair or finger and toenails, so don’t think they have nothing to eat! They can come up through drain covers in floors and sinks.
Professional treatment will help ensure that these roaches die.