West Chester is home to several cockroach species. The five that we see most often are German, American, brown-banded, Oriental, and wood cockroaches. Of these five, only wood cockroaches are considered to be harmless. They don't prefer to be inside and they are not known to contaminate food. The other four, on the other hand, are far from harmless. Here are some of the ways cockroaches can be a danger.
Cockroaches Can Make You Sick
Pest roaches feed on some fairly unsavory things. They'll climb into a kitchen drain and feed on rotting organic matter stuck to the sides of your pipes. They'll get into your trash receptacles and feed on garbage that has been sitting for days. They'll feed on dog dropping or wildlife excrement in your yard. We could go on, but you get the point. These insects are the sanitation engineers of the animal kingdom. They help to break down decomposing animals, vegetation, and detritus. So it isn't surprising that they are implicated in the spread of more than 33 kinds of bacteria, 6 parasitic worms, and at least 7 human pathogens. If these insects get into your home, they are likely to make you sick when they:
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Get into your stored-food products.
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Crawl on your dishes and silverware.
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Crawl on your kitchen surfaces and cutting board.
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Perch on your toothbrush bristles.
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Climb on you while you sleep.
Cockroaches Can Aggravate Asthma Symptoms
When cockroaches grow, they shed old skins and develop new skins. They'll do this as many as thirteen times. Each time they shed skins, they create a waste product that can aggravate allergies. Studies have concluded that the presence of cockroaches inside urban homes increased hospitalization for asthma-related symptoms. The rate of hospitalizations for children with athsmatic symptoms was found to be 3.4 times higher for children with high levels of cockroach allergens in their bedrooms.
Cockroaches Can Cause Rashes
When cockroaches crawl across the skin, they can leave a rash in their wake.
Cockroaches Can Bite You
You can have thousands of cockroaches in your home and not get a single bite. But it is important to understand that cockroaches can and do bite. Cockroaches eat dead skin. While they won't generally bite, they can accidentally bite as they try to feed on dead skin in your eyebrows, eyelashes, or around your mouth while you're sleeping. These bites turn into red welts because they are immediately introduced to bacteria from the roach that does the biting. If you wake up with a swollen eye or lip, a cockroach may be to blame.
Cockroaches Can Damage Your Belongings
When cockroaches explore your home, they'll be drawn to items you've worn because they feed on dead skin. They're also attracted to the scent of human body oils. This can cause your shirts, nylons, and other garments to be damaged.
Cockroaches can eat cellulose and may take to eating some of the things silverfish and carpet beetles eat. This can lead to damaged documents, photos, draperies, booking bindings, furniture, and more.
Cockroaches Can Damage Your Home
In certain circumstances, cockroaches can take to eating wallpaper. They're drawn to the paste adhesive and the cellulose of which the paper is composed. If you have a large population of roaches in your home, they can do an alarming amount of damage.
What You Can Do About Cockroaches
Considering the threat these insects present to your health and property, the best course of action is to have a licensed pest control provider inspect your home, evaluate your cockroach infestation, and apply treatments to correct the infestation.
Attempting to control cockroaches on your own can expose you to more danger. Roaches have the ability to develop a resistance to chemicals. If you use synthetic insecticides to eliminate them, they could start bringing those products into your food-storage areas and dish cabinets.
Professionals use a multi-pronged approach that leverages natural, targeted methods like baiting and exclusions to limit the need for insecticides. When insecticides are selected, they are EPA approved, least toxic products which are administered according to all safety regulations, and field-tested methods developed by industry experts are used to prevent cross contamination.
Cockroach Control In West Chester, PA
If you have a cockroach infestation in your West Chester home, or you want to prevent one, contact Masters Touch Pest Solutions. We can guide you in selecting the right treatment options to correct your cockroach problem. Reach out to us today with any questions or to schedule a service visit. We're standing by to assist you.
