By Staff
First, I apologize to those that have unsuccessfully tried to e-mail me. Somewhere along the line an incorrect hyphen was added to the address. Hopefully, the correct address now appears at column's end.
I'll never forget my first introduction to cockroaches. I'd hauled the wife and kids off to Corpus Christi, Texas to find fame and fortune in the International hunt booking business. We'd just hit town and were having the first look at our newly rented house. I was in the living room, while wife rummaged around in the kitchen. I about jumped out of my britches when a loud whap-whap-whap-whap staccato of machine gun-like fire came from wife's direction. I dashed into the kitchen to see her wielding a hammer with a wild eyed, murderous look. Whap-whap-whap-whap she flailed the hammer back and forth along the counter top. "%$#&! cockroaches," she screamed, "this %$#&! place is alive with them!" And that it was. Every time she moved an object, any object, big, black cockroaches flushed in all directions.
I was born and raised here in Michigan where cockroaches aren't nearly as prolific as in the south and in all my sheltered years I'd never so much as seen a cockroach. During our short tenure in Corpus, though, we became intimately familiar with them. The year around warm, humid Gulf Coast climate is perfect for cockroaches and virtually every household from ne'r-do-wells to society's most elite aristocrats host them. Cockroaches are just a part of life down there.
There are thousands of species of cockroaches around the world but most are outdoor dwellers that keep to themselves. Here in the U.S. there are only four species that commonly cause troubles in our homes. Indoors cockroaches are more than just creepy. They can carry bacteria such as salmonella and e. Coli and transmit diseases including hepatitis and dysentery. Their feces and shed skins are strong allergens and often aggravate asthma in susceptible individuals.
The most common nationwide, and especially here in the Upper Midwest, is the German cockroach. They're fairly small as cockroaches go, about 5/8 of an inch long, and mottled with colors ranging from tan to gray and dark brown. Like most cockroaches, the German variety prefers warm, moist areas such as bathrooms and kitchens.
Another common species is the American cockroach. These grow up to 1 1/2 inches long and are the big boys we had down in Corpus. In addition to warm and moist, they like it dark, too, and are often found in basements.
The brown banded cockroach is the runt of the group, about 1/2 an inch long. They tolerate drier areas like bedrooms, closets and cabinets.
The oriental cockroach rounds out the bad four. They're black and about 1 inch long. They're more the outdoor type but often come inside during periods of extreme heat, cold or drought.
A cockroach invasion is very difficult to control. They're very prolific and just one cockroach and her ensuing offspring can produce hundreds of thousands in a single year. Though they live in close proximity there is no social structure or interaction like ants and termites.
What draws termites and allows them to thrive are food, water and shelter. The first step in home control is to do a major clean up. Remove all food and water sources as well as paper bags, boxes and other refuse that serve as hiding places.
The next step is rapidly reducing the population. You can't dink around at it or their fast reproduction will stay ahead of you. Most pesticides also act as repellants so are not very effective.
One of the best methods is with glue boards which trap the roaches with a sticky substance. Don't try to vacuum roaches up with a standard Shop Vac or vacuum cleaner. That blows their bacteria, disease and allergy causing particles out the exhaust. Only vacuums with HEPA filters should be used for major roach removal. The sticky boards or vacuum won't get them all so the final control measure is to put out roach bait stations or bait gels. These attract roaches and contain small amounts of pesticide that does them in.
Be careful not to contaminate food areas, clothing or bedding with the gels.
On the other hand, if living with roaches gives you the willies, do as I would do, simply shell out the cash for a professional exterminator. Carpe diem.
Larry Lyons writes a weekly outdoor column for Leader Publications. He can be reached at larrylyons@verizon.net