Identifying and Getting Rid of Roaches in North Carolina

Seeing a cockroach crawl across the floor is enough to send anyone on top of the countertop. These common insects are not only a pest, but can attract other critters into your home. You will commonly find them where there is moisture or a food source, meaning the bathroom, kitchen, or other living areas. Before you decide to burn your house down to the ground, there are simple steps you can take to remove and prevent further infestations. In this blog, we will discuss everything you need to know about identifying and getting rid of roaches in North Carolina.

Most Common Roaches in North Carolina

American Cockroach

American cockroaches are the largest species in the United States, and unfortunately one of the most common species of roaches in North Carolina. They are typically a reddish brown with a pattern resembling the number eight on the back of their head. These bugs have six legs and are typically between 1 ¼” to 2 ⅛” long.

German Cockroach

German cockroaches are actually the most common species found in the world. They are often associated with mass food production like restaurants, manufacturing facilities, hotels, and nursing homes. These nasty insects are normally light brown to tan with two parallel stripes on their back. The German cockroach is smaller than the American cockroach, hovering between ½” to ⅝” long.

Brown-Banded Cockroach

Brown-banded cockroaches, similar to the German cockroach, are relatively small. They measure around ½” in length and can be identified by the two light brown bands across their dark brown body. These cockroaches actually originated from Cuba, only entering the United States through Florida in 1903. Brown-banded cockroaches live for about 206 days and reproduce at a frightening rate.

Brown-Hooded Cockroach

Unlike the other cockroaches in this blog, the Brown-hooded Cockroach prefers to be outside in wooded areas vs. your home. Their size ranges from ⅘” to 1 ¼” in length and they have a dark brown to black color. These cockroaches do not have wings and will normally be found towards the western side of North Carolina near the Appalachian Mountains.

Oriental Cockroach

The Oriental Cockroach actually originates from Africa and are commonly referred to as “waterbugs.” They will normally access your home through gaps in house siding and underneath doors. Sometimes they also will follow pipes and sewers, entering through drains. The Oriental Cockroach can be identified by their shiny black color and smooth body. They will only grow to 1” long and are commonly found further north.+

What Attracts Roaches in North Carolina?

What attracts a cockroach really depends on which species it is, but they (like all pests) are searching for food and water. This is not the case with every cockroach, but most are attracted to warm, dark, moist spots in your home. You will normally find them scamper across the floor when you switch on the lights. Most roaches in North Carolina are attracted to:

• Dirty dishes
• Standing water
• Crumbs of food
• Garbage
• Basement moisture
• Pet food

How to Get Rid of Roaches in North Carolina?

Remove Entry Ways to Your Home

The first step in the removal process is identifying where the cockroaches have entered in the first place. Wiping out the entire population is just a temporary fix as cockroaches in North Carolina are persistent and will come back. You should mainly search with a flashlight behind the fridge, under the sink, crevices in cabinets, and closet door corners. You can even use glue strips to determine where the main population can be found. Then fill gaps and entry points between walls, tile, and small crevices. Lastly, ensure that all doors and windows are properly sealed.

Utilize Gel Bait Stations

Once you’ve identified where the roaches are, you can use gel bait that normally comes in tubes to drastically reduce the infestation. You will want to apply the gel under baseboards and in the crevices that you identified. You can also purchase roach-killing poison from the store. They will head back to the population and die, where more roaches will feed on them and succumb to the poison.

Boric Acid Powder

Boric acid is commonly found in detergents and toothpastes, but when used improperly can harm pets and children. Air currents can blow the powder into the air and be dangerous for the family. Bugg Busters recommends using boric acid powder in tandem with other methods as it will not be strong enough to be effective by itself.

After utilizing the above methods or wanting to get it done quickly and efficiently, you can hire a Bugg Busters specialist to treat the cockroach infestation. We are based near Charlotte, North Carolina and are well versed in exterminating roaches in the state. We’ll remove the population from your home and prevent future infestations.