Is It Dangerous To Leave A Cockroach Infestation Untreated In Chicago

Is It Dangerous To Leave A Cockroach Infestation Untreated In Chicago

Living in one of the largest cities in the United States has its advantages. You can walk to famous shopping locations, enjoy unique foods, attend a classical concert, or spend a day admiring classic Chicago architecture. While there are many benefits to living in the Windy City, we have to tolerate some drawbacks like traffic congestion, noise pollution, the ever-present wind, and the frigid winter air.

Pests are an inevitable part of the Chicago experience, but that does not mean we want them in our house. However, because our homes are often jam packed together or we live in crowded, high-rise apartments, it seems that pests in our homes are a part of living in Chicagoland. The good news is that you do not need to resign yourself to the notion that you have to live with cockroaches and other pests.

Aerex Pest Control is a Chicago pest control company that has removed pests from homes since 1948. We take pride in the fact that we are a Chicago-based, family-owned, and operated company staffed by technicians certified by the Illinois Department of Public Health.

We help our community win the war against pests through education; the following article will answer questions to help you enjoy a cockroach-free home.

Clear Signs Of A Cockroach Infestation In Your Home

German, American, and oriental cockroaches are the types of cockroaches infesting Chicago homes. Of the three species, German cockroaches are the most common.

You can identify a German cockroach by its 1/2 to 5/8-inch tan body with two dark, parallel stripes starting at the head and running down the back.

The American cockroach is the biggest of the house-infesting cockroaches in Chicago homes and grows to a length of 2 1/8 inches, is reddish-brown, and has a figure-eight pattern on its head.

You will find oriental cockroaches, also called "water bugs," in damp areas of the home. Their black, shiny one-inch bodies differentiate them from the German and American species.

Although each of these cockroaches in Chicago has distinguishing characteristics, they leave the same indications of their presence:

Droppings: All living creatures produce waste, and cockroaches are no exception. Oriental and American cockroaches create a cylindrical waste product roughly the size of a grain of rice or about one inch in length. Because German cockroaches are smaller, their output resembles coffee grounds or pepper flakes. Look for droppings along baseboards, behind appliances, and inside cabinets and drawers.
Ootheca: This fancy word describes purse-like capsules that hold cockroach eggs. Using secretions from its mouth, the female cockroach glues these pill-like structures containing many eggs to surfaces in the house. German cockroach tan capsules contain about 40 eggs and are stuck behind cabinets, near appliance motors, and inside wall voids. American cockroaches lay their brown ootheca in humid areas of the house (i.e., the crawlspace, bathrooms, or attic), and each capsule contains about 16 eggs. Oriental cockroaches produce a dark brown or reddish ootheca containing 16 eggs; they deposit the capsules underneath sinks, washing machines, refrigerators, and wherever high moisture may be present. All cockroach females lay several oothecae throughout their lifetimes.
Exoskeletons: Cockroaches are insects, and a characteristic of bugs in that class of anthropods is the skeleton on the outside of the body. For an insect to grow, it must shed (or molt) its old external structure leaving behind a shell of its body. Cockroaches endure several growth phases (or instars) during which they shed their exoskeleton. Investigate cabinets, drawers, appliance bases, and underneath furniture for discarded skins, which are other evidence of an infestation.
Smell: Because cockroaches forage in sewers, storm drains, garbage, and compost piles, we assume they stink. While that may be the case, the odor they create is from a pheromone in the droppings. This chemical seduces female cockroaches to mate with the males and also alerts cockroaches of the presence of food in the area. When there is a large community of cockroaches in a home, one can detect a musty odor from the pheromones.

When you witness these signs of cockroach infestation in your Chicago home, you need Aerex Pest Control to come to your rescue to keep your family safe.

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Why It's Dangerous To Have Roaches In Your Home

When a character in the movies walks in the drainage tunnels that run under the streets of a city like Chicago, you always see the cockroaches scurrying away as her torch or flashlight illuminates the area.

Cockroaches enjoy finding food in sewage, rotting garbage, and animal feces, and as a result, the spines on their legs attract bacteria, viruses, and parasitic worms lying on the surface.

As they travel through Chicago homes, the disease-causing organisms on their cockroach legs fall off and contaminate surfaces.

According to some reports, cockroaches spread up to 33 kinds of bacteria, several parasitic worms, molds, and funguses. Pathogens spread by cockroaches cause salmonellosis, E. coli infections, typhoid fever, cholera, gastroenteritis, dysentery, listeriosis, and giardia. Infections by these organisms produce fever, nausea, headaches, severe diarrhea, muscle aches, and other flu-like symptoms.

Another way cockroaches spread pathogens is through defecation. One may not notice that he is consuming pepper-like flakes from a German cockroach that has invaded a cereal box or a container of stored food.

Cockroaches contaminate products through saliva. Cockroaches have mandibles that tear food into small pieces, and their maxillae function as teeth that grind up food. Once the food enters the stomach, another organ with multiple teeth continues to dissolve the food. Because of these various chewing organs, cockroaches can tear through paper bags, paper wrappers, plastic bags, and plastic wrappers; they can even chew through plastic food storage containers. Their saliva contaminates the stored food as they grind through these products.

Another reason cockroaches are dangerous in your Chicago home comes from the protein in their skin and droppings. Many suffer from a runny nose, red, irritated eyes, coughing, itching, sneezing, and other allergic reactions from cockroach proteins in the house. The National Pest Management Association estimates that 63% of homes contain cockroach allergens, and in urban areas like Chicago, that percentage goes up to 98%. In addition to triggering allergic reactions, the proteins spark asthma attacks causing shortness of breath, a tight chest, wheezing, and other asthmatic conditions.

Our community does not needlessly live in fear of infections or asthmatic attacks from cockroach infestations; Aerex Pest Control provides cockroach pest control in Chicago.

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Five Tips To Keep Cockroaches Away From Your Home

Once cockroaches enter your Chicago house, you will need cockroach control near you from Aerex Pest Control. Once our technicians eradicate the cockroaches, you will want to ensure they do not return by implementing these tips:

Seal openings into the house: Cockroaches enter Chicago homes searching for food, water, and shelter through cracks in the foundation, crevices under the roofline, and gaps between incoming pipes, wires, and siding. Inside the house, seal gaps around electrical sockets, switch plates, and walls. For small openings, use a silicone-based caulk; for entry points too large to cover with caulk, use sheet metal, mortar, steel wool, or spackle if inside.
Ventilate the house: Cockroaches prefer areas with high moisture and humidity. Discourage them from creating nests in the home by maintaining a dry environment in the crawlspace, attic, basement, and bathrooms using a dehumidifier or adding cross ventilation with additional vents.
Remove debris from the yard: Cockroaches hide under logs, rocks, wood piles, leaf piles, and anywhere moisture is present. Clear items that capture water or trap water. Elevate firewood and remove it 20 feet from the house to deter other pests.
Keep all trash containers closed: Store compost in a sealed container to help eliminate an attractant to your property. Also, remove pet feces, rotten fruit, and outdoor pet food bowls.
Screen the vent and door openings: Repair or replace the broken window and door screens; install wire mesh screens over the attic, crawl space, and chimney openings.

These tips will stop cockroaches from entering your Chicago home and discourage them from remaining on your property due to a lack of food, water, and shelter.

The Best Way To Completely Get Rid Of Roaches In Your Home

When cockroaches enter a house, they begin to reproduce quickly. For example, within one year after a few German cockroaches invade your Chicago house, you can have as many as 10,000 cockroaches living in your walls, crawlspace, and attic! Do-it-yourself products are not only unsafe in some cases; they cannot stop a massive infestation of cockroaches.

Aerex Pest Control is your professional cockroach remedy. When our technicians inspect your location, they investigate the inside and outside of the structure, locating possible entry points, attractions, and cockroach hot spots. Our bonded service technicians will develop a detailed custom treatment plan focusing on the specific cockroach species invading your Chicago house. Upon your approval, our pest control service technician will treat your home using safe and effective products to eliminate the living cockroaches and the egg capsules of future generations. They will also establish a protective barrier around the house to deter a future infestation. Contact us today to learn more and get a free quote.

Contact Us Today Call us today at (847) 255-8888 or contact us online for immediate pest control services.

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