Cockroach Control and Extermination

Cockroach control is challenging due to the roaches' resilient nature. Cockroaches can survive, and thrive, just about anywhere.

Croach® is especially skilled in the identification, management, and elimination of cockroaches. We thoroughly inspect all areas of your home, discuss our findings, and customize an action plan to eradicate the current pest population and prevent future infestations.

Cockroach Control Services Near You

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Do I Have a Cockroach Problem?

Cockroach Control - Portland, OR - Croach Pest Control

Roaches are one of the oldest pests around, predating even humans. There are more than 4,000 species, but the German cockroach is the most prevalent in households.

If you see even a single cockroach in your home, you very likely have a roach problem.

They are social insects. German cockroaches, specifically, leave a fecal trail, the odor of which attracts others to their hiding places and food sources. Though they can survive in freezing temperatures they prefer the warmth of the indoors.

Here’s what to look for:

  1. Fecal Droppings. Check behind your large appliances, sinks, and any place food is stored. Depending on the type of cockroach, the feces you find may resemble tiny specks of pepper, brown stains, coffee grounds, or oval pellets.
  2. Egg Casings. When the eggs hatch, a brown, oblong casing or ootheca (egg case) is left behind. A German cockroach egg casing can contain up to 50 eggs. Look for casings behind furniture, inside cracks, or in any out of sight, protected area.
  3. Odor. Smelling something musty and oily? Roaches produce a distinct lingering odor. Just one German cockroach can produce this smell on its own. If the scent is noticeable, you have a cockroach infestation.
  4. Dead Cockroaches. Look for dead roaches under your sinks, in cabinets, or under your stove or refrigerator.
  5. Cockroach Sightings in the Daytime. Roaches are nocturnal and avoid light. However, overcrowding or competition for food leads to cockroach activity during the day; a sure sign they have a stronghold in your home.

Why Are Roaches in My Home?

If you have roaches, it does not mean your home is unclean or untidy. But, consider the following sources as invitations to cockroaches to create a habitat.

  • Food and Water. Accessibility to human food, pet food, cardboard food containers, unsealed food packaging, leaky faucets, and even pet water dishes attract cockroaches.
  • Garbage. Trash cans, recycling bins, and the garbage disposal in your sink.
  • Neighbors. If you share a wall or other connecting structure (such as in an apartment, condo, or townhome), you may also share any roach troubles your neighbor has.
  • Clutter. Cockroaches love paper and cardboard in dishevelment. Unattended storage of newspapers, boxes, or books are great places to take up residency and avoid being seen by you.

Roaches also enjoy eating the glue in book bindings, on the back of stamps, or on wallpaper.

Related Article: How are Roaches Getting in my House?

The Dangers of Cockroaches as Roommates

Cockroaches will eat almost anything that contains nutrients. Roach infestations damage furniture, wallpaper, clothing, cardboard, books, and anything made with natural materials.

But the biggest danger of a cockroach invasion is to your health.

  1. Allergies. Skin rashes, sneezing, watery eyes, nasal congestion, ear infection, sinus infection, and wheezing are some of the allergic reactions associated with cockroach infestations. Studies show that up to 50% of people are allergic to the protein in roach saliva, cast skins, and droppings. You probably won’t know you have an allergy until it’s too late.
  2. Asthma. If someone in your home has asthma, an infestation can cause flare-ups and severe complications if left untreated. The Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America warns of allergic reactions and the dangers of cockroach exposure to those with asthma.
  3. Salmonella. Carried by cockroaches, this can cause Typhoid fever, gastroenteritis, and dysentery.
  4. Polio. Cockroaches carry the bacteria Poliomyelitis.
  5. E. Coli. Roaches can pass along a nasty strain of Escherichia coli bacteria.
  6. Enterococcus. Cockroach-contaminated objects can cause Meningitis and urinary tract infection.
  7. Parasitic Worms and Pathogens.

Free Pest Inspection

Croach® Cockroach Control Services

Your Croach® licensed technician finds cockroaches at their source and eliminates the infestation with multiple treatments.

Our plans typically include baiting as well as crack and crevice applications.

Initial Inspection:

Our licensed pest control technician will conduct a top-to-bottom inspection of your home. We'll find all the places cockroaches are hiding and breeding. We'll also locate places where they may be coming in from outdoors, such as foundation cracks or improper weather sealing.

We'll then present a customized pest control plan for your approval. Once you approve the plan, we'll give you your initial treatment. We'll spray inside and out.

You may see a little extra pest activity immediately after your initial treatment. This is a good sign. It means they're moving out—permanently! After a few days, you should stop seeing cockroaches altogether.

First Regular Service:

We'll come back one month after your initial inspection to create a protective barrier around your home and to apply exclusion methods so cockroaches can't find their way back inside. 

This visit is crucial because it helps us target reproductive cycles. We'll be killing eggs as they form, ensuring they never hatch. This visit also eliminates any especially hearty stragglers who might have decided to stick around.

Regular 60-Day Service Visitsservices:

Our pest control treatments are some of the most eco-friendly treatments on the market, but they break down after about 60 to 70 days.

Since cockroaches are ubiquitous, they're going to keep trying to come inside your home. Follow-up visits ensure that cockroaches can't come back.

Retreatments:

Some pests are especially tough. While it doesn't happen often, some of our clients see bugs in between our regularly scheduled services.

We take responsibility every time this happens. Just give us a call, and we'll return to retreat the affected areas, free of charge. If we still can't solve the problem after two retreats, we'll refund your last full payment, guaranteed.


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