How to Identify Cockroaches

Cockroaches often enter your home or business through infected packages. They love paper and corrugated cardboard boxes. Even if you inspect packages and luggage for cockroaches you may miss their egg capsules, so before you know it, you have a cockroach pest problem. In apartment buildings, they can enter your home through cracks under doors or through plumbing or wiring. Re-infestation is almost inevitable without an Integrated Pest Management approach.

Cockroaches of all kinds infest New York. Four species of cockroach commonly infest homes and businesses in New York City, but also in Westchester, Long Island, and Rockland County. Homes and businesses can see several kinds all at once.

  • German Cockroach
  • Brown-Banded Cockroach
  • American Cockroach
  • Oriental Cockroach
German Cockroach
Long island cockroaches
Brown-Banded Cockroach
American Cockroach
Long island cockroaches
Oriental Cockroach

THE SIGNS OF Cockroaches

It’s important to be aware of the signs of cockroaches so you can take steps to eliminate them. Some common signs of a cockroach infestation include:

  • Live cockroaches crawling around your home
  • Small, dark droppings that resemble pepper or coffee grounds (cockroach droppings)
  • A musty odor in your home 
  • Small, oval-shaped egg cases (called oothecae) in your home

While each kind of cockroach has some differences, in general, they have a flattened body, oval in shape, with antennae about as long as its body. Some species like it warm and moist others seek cool dry spaces. Roaches are nocturnal, so if you see one in the daytime or in a lighted room, you probably have an infestation numbering in the hundreds. 

If you suspect that you have a cockroach infestation, it’s important to act quickly. Cockroaches can carry diseases and contaminate food, and their presence can be a health risk. 

THE RISKS OF Cockroaches

A cockroach infestation is more than unsightly; they carry a host of human pathogens and diseases like E. Coli and Salmonella. The feces, urine, and casings of roaches have also been known to cause allergies, asthma, and skin irritations. Roaches can also stain surfaces and produce a foul odor.

Eat Nearly Anything

Roaches can survive on just about anything from garbage, to paper, the glue in book bindings, to electronic wire casings, and even soap.

Health Risks

Cockroaches are known to cause gastrointestinal and respiratory illness, including asthma attacks.

Carry Diseases

Because cockroaches are right at home in the filth of sewers and trash, it's common for them to carry disease-casuing germs.

Musty Odor

If you have a cockroach infestation in your home, you likely have a musty smell that's hard to miss, too.

How WE KNOCK OUT Cockroaches

Knockout Pest Control is your local expert at knocking out cockroaches–and we keep them down for the count. Every member of our team receives over 100 hours of classroom instruction and in-the-field training so you are guaranteed a knock out punch to your pest problem every time. 

Get Rid of Cockroaches Fast
Call 1-800-244-PEST (1-800-244-7378)

We respond like every pest problem is an emergency with fast, 24 hour service seven days a week.

to top