How to Keep Your Jacksonville Home Cockroach-Free: Expert Advice

Why do reporters say "According to the experts" as a preface to information in their report? They use the statement because it gives credibility to the report. What is an expert? We think of experts as people who have studied a topic to the point where they have an informed opinion. We turn to the experts when we don't have the answers for insight, views, and guidance on a subject matter of which we are ignorant.

No one knows everything, and we all need the help of experts on many topics. One topic which most people do not have significant knowledge about is cockroaches. While we innately know cockroaches are harmful, most don't understand how they are destructive. Even fewer can identify the cockroach species infesting their Jacksonville home. To get control of a cockroach infestation, you need the help of experts from Wildlife and Pest Control Experts.

Wildlife and Pest Control Experts is a local Jacksonville pest control company passionate about helping families and businesses end their infestation problems. Born out of years of pest control experience, we are here to help you keep cockroaches out of your Jacksonville home. 

We know you found this article looking for expert advice from a company with real-world experience eradicating cockroaches. So, in this article, we give you the tools you need to identify cockroach species that invade Jacksonville homes and provide prevention tips to keep them away.

How To Identify Common Types Of Cockroaches

Before we get into the specifics, let's start with basic cockroach features. Cockroaches are insects with six jointed legs, a three-part body (head, thorax, and abdomen), and two long, thin antennae. All cockroaches have wing pads or wings, but not all fly. Cockroaches reproduce by laying eggs and progress through growth stages by shedding their external skeleton (exoskeleton). 

Cockroaches in Jacksonville are omnivores that eat rotting organic plant and animal matter. Most species prefer to live in cracks, behind cabinets, and underneath furniture in warm, humid areas above 70?. Cockroaches forage throughout the house and yard at night using their antennae and leg spines as sensors. 

Now that we know the general characteristics of cockroaches, the following are the types of cockroaches that infest many houses:

• American cockroaches
• German cockroaches
• Oriental cockroaches
• Brown-banded cockroaches

Keep reading to learn how to differentiate between the various cockroach species.

American cockroaches are the giants among cockroaches in our country. These 1 1/4 to 2 1/8-inch reddish-brown cockroaches have a figure-eight pattern on the back of their head. American cockroaches prefer to live outside in sewers and drains. When they migrate into houses to escape hot weather or a food shortage, they live in warm, damp areas of the home where temperatures stay between 70? and 80?.

American cockroaches are content to live outside, but German cockroaches are not as hardy. These light brown to tan 1/2 to 5/8-inch insects have two darker stripes running parallel down their backs. Like the American cockroaches, they live in warm, humid places with 70? to 80? temperatures: however, German cockroaches do not invade homes from the yard but travel from house to house by hitchhiking in furniture, bags, and clothing. If you see cockroaches in your house, they are likely of the German variety since they are the most prolific on our list. 

Oriental cockroaches stand apart from the German and American cockroaches because of their one-inch shiny, jet-black bodies and propensity to live in crawl spaces, basements, underneath porches, and other colder, damp locations. Also known as water bugs or black beetles, oriental cockroaches live primarily outside under leaves, firewood, and stones but migrate into houses due to significant weather changes. 

American, German, and oriental cockroaches live around the ground level or under the house, but brown-banded cockroaches enjoy living on cabinet tops or near the ceiling. So-called because of the pronounced banding across their brown wings, these 1/2-inch-long cockroaches prefer temperatures above 80?.

When you search for a professional cockroach remedy, look no further than Wildlife and Pest Control Experts. Our techs know the signs of a cockroach infestation and can determine which species is in your Jacksonville home.

Cockroaches In The Home Is A Major Health Hazard

All insects contaminate items when they crawl on them, so why are cockroaches worse than other insects? Cockroaches have horizontal spines that jut out from their legs. As they forage in sewers, drains, trash bins, compost piles, animal feces, and other disgusting areas, the spines on their legs pick up bacteria, viruses, and parasitic worms lying on the surface. When they move through the house, those disease-causing pathogens transfer from the spines onto countertops, food packages, exposed foods, towels, utensils, etc.

In addition to the pathogenic-attracting spines, cockroaches ingest infectious organisms when they eat plant and animal matter in unsanitary areas. Later, they spread the disease-causing pathogens when they defecate and chew on items. Salmonellosis, typhoid fever, cholera, dysentery, listeriosis, and E.coli infections are some bacterial diseases cockroaches carry. A cockroach infestation can cause the spread of gastroenteritis, a viral infection, and giardia, a disease caused by a parasitic germ.

Disease-causing organisms not only move to humans from items tainted by cockroach saliva, feces, and pathogens transferring from their leg spines, but they also disseminate these organisms through the air. After depositing feces, the waste begins to dry and flake. When fecal particles become airborne, they circulate through the home, where occupants inhale them. The inhalation of cockroach fecal matter often triggers a runny nose, coughing, itchy eyes, and other allergic reactions, especially in the elderly and young children. 

The protein in cockroach skin is another trigger for allergic reactions. A rash develops in some people when a cockroach crawls over exposed body parts. Furthermore, cockroaches grow by shedding (i.e., molting) their external shell, the exoskeleton. When flakes from the dried, discarded skin circulate, they too can cause allergic reactions and asthma attacks. 

The professional cockroach remedy from Wildlife and Pest Control Experts is the best way to protect your family. We thoroughly investigate your home to determine cockroach hot spots and develop a strategic plan to remove them quickly so you can rest easy in your home.

Practical Cockroach Prevention Tips For Your Home

You probably found this article because you want to know how to prevent cockroaches in Jacksonville. How do you keep these insidious pests from invading your house and endangering your family's health? We don't want you to live with cockroaches, so here are some practical tips to deter cockroaches from living on your property and inside your home:

• Remove debris and junk from the yard
• Pick up animal feces around the property
• Close exterior and interior garbage containers
• Provide proper drainage to ditches, gutters, and low-lying areas
• Prune tree branches and shrubs away from the structure
• Dehumidify the crawl space, basement, and attic 
• Seal cracks in the foundation and roofline
• Close gaps between incoming pipes and wires
• Fix holes in window and door screens
• Cover the crawl space and attic vents
• Install door sweeps
• Repair leaking fixtures inside the house
• Vacuum the house regularly
• Suction out corners and cracks

Shelter attracts cockroaches to locations, so by removing excess stones, timbers, leaf piles, and overgrown vegetation, you eliminate hiding spots. If you burn firewood, elevate it off the ground to prevent moisture buildup and sheltering possibilities, and relocate it 20 feet away from the house.  

Moisture attracts cockroaches, so keeping the property dry and repairing fixtures in the house will discourage them from entering the area or your home. Dehumidifying the home may require the installation of dehumidifiers, but ensuring vents are open and allowing air crossflow may be enough to reduce humidity. 

Food is an attractant for cockroaches. Food on the property from uncovered trash bins and compost piles allure cockroaches to the area. If they enter the house and find food available due to unswept floors, open garbage cans, unwashed plates, and exposed dog food, they create pheromone trails to alert other cockroaches of their find, and soon an infestation begins.

Wildlife and Pest Control Experts is the best cockroach control company in Jacksonville. When a highly-trained technician inspects your home, we will identify attractants and entry points. We will provide additional exclusion and prevention ideas based on your location and situation.

Call The Experts For Total Cockroach Control For Your Home

The best way to get rid of cockroaches in Jacksonville is to partner with Wildlife and Pest Control Experts. We will listen to your concerns and description of your experiences and dispatch a qualified tech to your location. We will conduct a thorough inspection to determine the cockroach species, access points, attractants, and hot spots. 

Using our experience and knowledge, we will create a strategic plan that targets the existing population and the future generation to prevent them from hatching. We will create a barrier around the house to deter cockroaches from entering the property. We apply our products carefully to achieve maximum results with minimal use of the materials. 

Contact us today to learn about our customizable home pest control programs and service warranties and to set up a free inspection.