Step By Step Cockroach Prevention Guide For Chicago Residents
There's nothing more unsettling than flipping on the kitchen or the bathroom light during the night and finding cockroaches in your home. Unfortunately, these critters are more common in Chicago than they may seem.
For local residents, here's what you should know about identifying the different types of cockroaches, whether they bite, and when to enlist professional help.
How To Identify Different Kinds Of Cockroaches In Chicago
The first step to getting cockroaches out of your Chicago home is understanding what kind of roaches you even have.
In the Chicago metropolitan area and this part of Illinois, you're likely to encounter one of three types in your house:
- American cockroaches: Not only are they strong fliers if they need to be, but American roaches are the largest house-infesting roach in the country. Their size can range from one to three inches, and you can usually recognize them by the yellow figure-eight pattern behind their heads.
- Oriental cockroaches: Oriental cockroaches may not be able to fly, but they don't have a problem using their spiny legs to get around. This type of roach has darker, mahogany coloring, a smooth body, and emits a musty odor.
- German cockroaches: While German cockroaches do have wings, you probably won't see these critters use them much. You can identify German roaches by their smaller size and the dark horizontal stripes behind their heads. These roaches are the most common in the country, especially in houses and restaurants.
Do Common House Roaches In Chicago Bite?
A cockroach's appearance is already unsettling enough, but do these pests bite? Fortunately, cockroaches aren't known to bite or inject you with venom like some critters, but this doesn't mean they're harmless.
All cockroaches, especially German and Oriental roaches, are unsanitary and carry plenty of harmful bacteria and pathogens. They may spread the bacteria by contaminating surfaces you eat on and leaving feces around your home.
For anyone with asthma or allergies, a roach's droppings, saliva, and discarded skin can make their symptoms worse. This is due to an enzyme, and it's especially true for younger children with asthma.
While it's less common, roaches can also spread pathogens through direct contact. If you try to grab a cockroach with your hands, their spiny legs can scratch you and spread bacteria or pathogens this way.
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