Why Roaches In Raleigh, NC Homes Are So Hard To Get Out

If you've been trying to get rid of roaches in your home and you're at the end of your rope, you're not the first Raleigh resident to do this. Cockroaches are unusually formidable pests to get out of a home. Today, we're going to discuss a few of the most important reasons why. Here's what you need to know.

Cockroaches Are Robust Insects

The first thing you should know about cockroaches is that they aren't easy insects to kill.

• You're going to have a hard time starving a roach. A cockroach can go without food for more than a month.
• Good luck drowning a roach. A cockroach can hold its breath for about 40 minutes.
• A cockroach can survive a week without its head!

Cockroaches Are Adaptable

When a cockroach nymph is exposed to a chemical agent, it can shed its skin and create a new skin that is more tolerant to that chemical. This happens at a genetic level. That means it can be given to offspring. Some cockroaches are born with a natural resistance to widely used cockroach control agents.

Another way cockroaches in Raleigh have been found to be adaptable is that they can become bait averse. If cockroaches realize a food source is killing them, they'll stop eating it. This can be a genetic alteration. The taste receptors of the insects can be altered. It has recently been found that some populations of German cockroaches are born with bait aversion. They are no longer attracted to the sweet taste of cockroach baits. Instead, they find it bitter and avoid it.

Cockroaches Are Plentiful

When you kill some roaches in your home, it is likely that you're only getting rid of a small fraction of the population. Cockroaches can reproduce quickly. As you're attempting to exterminate them, they will be replacing their population and learning how to avoid your treatments.

Cockroaches Are Mobile

It is difficult to keep cockroaches out of a home. A cockroach can scale a wall or run across a ceiling at full speed. When a cockroach gets to a small gap that is ⅓ its height, it can compress its body and easily get through. If you try to get rid of the cockroaches in your home and don't make an effort to reduce the cockroaches around the outside of your home, you're fighting a losing battle.

Cockroaches Hide From Sight

It is difficult for Raleigh residents to evaluate the success of cockroach treatments because cockroaches have traits that cause them to stay hidden.

• They're drawn to tight spaces.
• They're mostly nocturnal.
• They prefer undisturbed areas of a home.
• They hide in wall, ceiling, and floor voids.

A licensed pest professional uses field-tested strategies to evaluate cockroach control.

Some Of The Control Methods Used Just Don't Work

There are many things Raleigh residents use to get rid of cockroaches. We can't possibly get into all of them but here are a few examples of cockroach control methods that fall short.

• Cockroaches will avoid powder if there is too much of it. This is because cockroaches grip tiny imperfections as they walk. They even do this on floors. You might not know this but cockroaches are top heavy. When they die, they roll over onto their backs because of this. Powders are rarely effective against cockroaches, except as a barrier.
• Cockroach sprays are topical. When you spray an area to get rid of cockroaches, that spray isn't going to get into the cracks, crevices, and voids where cockroaches are hiding. And, if you're hoping cockroaches will willingly expose themselves to surfaces that will make them sick and die, you might want to rethink that.
• Foggers don't do what you might think they do. When you buy a fogger, you might think of it as a gas that will get into every nook, cranny, and hiding place in your home. It doesn't. Foggers release a chemical into the air and it lands on surfaces. It won't get underneath objects or get inside cabinets and drawers where cockroaches are likely to be hiding.

What Works To Get Rid Of Cockroaches?

When a pest professional performs targeted cockroach control in Raleigh, the technician will use a multi-pronged treatment process. This is a combination of control products, sanitation, exclusion, and more. If this isn't enough, it may be necessary to do a cockroach cleanout. This is an intensive treatment that uses a mixture of products to arrest all cockroach activity in a structure.

Do You Have A Roach Problem?

If you live in Raleigh and you're battling cockroaches, we can help. Our service team uses industry-leading methods and advanced cockroach control products to exterminate cockroaches and prevent future infestation. 

We would love the opportunity to discuss your options with you. Reach out to us today for immediate assistance.