St Paul and Minneapolis Pest Control | Cockroaches Inspection MN

Cockroaches Minneapolis & St Paul | Pest Control MN

 Fun Facts About Cockroaches

• Cockroaches have been around since the time of dinosaurs
  

  Minnesota Cockroach

• A cockroach can live almost a month without food
• A cockroach can live about two weeks without water
• Some female cockroaches only mate once and stay pregnant for life
• A cockroach can live for up to one week without its head
• Cockroaches can hold their breath for up to 40 minutes
• Cockroaches can run up to 3 miles an hour.

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For Every Cockroach You See There Are 100 More Behind The Walls

Cockroach Control MN

Cockroach control is one of the single most challenging pest control issues out there. Unfortunately, choosing any single method of cockroach extermination is setting yourself up for failure. Cockroaches are just too geared towards survival for any one method to do the trick. Instead, the best method of cockroach control is a comprehensive plan that includes keeping a sanitary home along with the use of baits, dusts, pheromone traps, growth regulators, and when necessary, insecticides.

Keep a Clean House
In order to combat a cockroach control problem, it’s important to understand how these bugs think. Cockroaches in house are survivors, and as such, their primary concerns include eating, drinking, and making more cockroaches. As long as there’s shelter and a source of food and water present, they will do their best to make themselves at home. That being said, the first step in any cockroach extermination is making things a little less hospitable. Make sure all foodstuffs are sealed and stored away when they’re not being used and never leave food out that’s not being eaten. That includes dirty dishes, old pizza boxes, crumbs on the floor, even dog food should be put away at night. Also, be sure to fix any leaky pipes as cockroaches are drawn to those high moisture areas as well.

Find out Where They’re Living
Once you’ve addressed your end of the problem, the next step in cockroach control is identifying where they’re living so you can try to close off and eliminate those areas. Look for cracks, holes, and other small spaces behind counters, appliances and in cabinets. Cockroaches in house like tight, dark places, and spend about all of their lives there. By identifying these places and sealing them off (usually with some kind of caulking material), you’re taking another big step towards on getting grid of your unwanted guests.

Poison Central
Once you’ve identified where your infestation problem has its origins, you can start assaulting that area with wide range of cockroach extermination products. Baits and dusts make for great cockroach solutions for several reasons. First of all, the poison kills any cockroach that comes in contact with them. Secondly, cockroaches are cannibals and any dead cockroach will quickly be eaten by others. If a cockroach dies of poisoning, then all the cockroaches who snack on him are likely to suffer the same fate.

Pheromone Traps and Growth Regulators
Besides poisoning, pheromone traps are an effective form of cockroach control as well. The traps emit a pheromone scent that cockroaches interpret as another roach ready to mate. They are attracted to the trap, head inside for some good times, and quickly find themselves stuck and dying. The other product that addresses the reproductive side of things are growth regulators. It’s a spray that when applied to immature cockroaches damages their ability to reproduce, heading the problem off at the source.

Should You Use Insecticide?
Insecticides haven’t proven to be as effective with cockroaches in house as with some other insects. Because of their high reproductive rate, many cockroach communities have developed resistance to insecticides, and cockroaches will often retreat from a treated area to another place in the house until the insecticide wears off. You might not see too many roaches for a while, but it doesn’t mean they won’t be back, either.

By far the best approach to cockroach control includes utilizing all of the tactics mentioned above, and more if you can find them. Also, keep in mind that cockroaches give even the pros a rough time. Honestly, your chances of getting rid of them yourself are pretty slim. If you’re suffering from a cockroach infestation, your best bet is to call in a pest control company with a proven track record of total cockroach extermination.

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Pest Risks In Vacant Homes and Properties

Vacant Homes and Properties Face Hidden Pest Risks

That vacant, foreclosed home next door isn’t just bringing down your neighborhood’s property values. It may also be a haven for numerous pests that can threaten the health and safety of neighbors, children and pets.

Pests thrive in the conditions offered by a foreclosed property with nobody home. Vacant properties offer a perfect habitat for a variety of problematic pests.

In the interest of preserving public health, it is imperative that vacant structures and properties be treated with pest control products to keep roaches, rats, spiders, stinging insects from moving in. Rodents and roaches, are often thought of as merely nuisances, but they can pose serious health risks for people and pets if they are left unchecked.

Rats, mice and roaches can thrive in empty houses and other structures like tool sheds left unused and untreated. Roaches have been proven to carry and spread E. coli, streptococcus and Salmonella along with other diseases and allergens, while rats are responsible for thousands of doctor and hospital visits each year due to bites and human contact with their feces and urine.

The threats each of these pests pose are very real and can become serious health and safety hazards if they are permitted to thrive. The challenge with foreclosed homes is finding the proper authorities to take responsibility for pest control measures that will keep neighborhoods safe and pest-free.

Each homeowner has the right to choose and use the products they need to protect their own home and property, and the best defense against pests is the responsible use of pest control products.

For more information on wild animal and pest control, consult a Minnesota Pest Control Expert today!

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Get Rid of Cockroaches NOW!

How Do I Get Rid Of A Cockroach Infestation?

Cockroaches breed incredibly quickly. Take action to get rid of them immediately, or you could find yourself with a major infestation on your hands.

If you see at least one during the daylight or after switching on the lights, this means you have a PROBLEM. Fix it as soon as possible or you will have an extra guest at your next dinner party.

Never step on a cockroach with your shoe, pregnant females carry their eggs beneath their tough exoskeleton, and smashing a cockroach will spread them, especially if you track the residue onto carpeted areas or around your house. If you kill a cockroach be sure to thoroughly clean the surface around the bug and dispose of or thoroughly clean whatever you killed it with. To dispose of dead cockroaches, flush them down the toilet so it’s out of your house. Don’t think that tossing it in the trash can is enough. The eggs can still hatch.

Call a professional pest-control expert. Exterminators are licensed to use stronger chemicals and to apply chemicals more widely, and they can do so while keeping your family safe.

How Do I Get Rid Of A Cockroach Infestation?

The following words of advice are only suitable for those of you who have mild roach outbreaks in your home. If you only see a lone roach wandering around your home once every year, you probably don’t have an infestation as it probably piggybacked into your home via a plastic grocery bag or something like that. However, if you are seeing them every few days, particular during the daytime when they are supposed to be in hiding, you may have a serious problem.

Actions You Can Take.  For this, I will refer to this article.

Correct identification of Roaches is instrumental in the treatment of these pests.  Different treatments are used to eradicate different species.  It is important to have a professional pest control exterminator diagnose your problem in order to treat for these pests accordingly.

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Selling Your Home? Make Sure You Have A Pest Inspection

Buying A New Home?  Selling Yours?  Make Sure You Get A Pest Inspection

Certainly do not think that you are alone in total disgust of the common cockroach.  Put a cockroach in front of people and they FREAK OUT!  Most folks are so freaked out by the cockroach that they can’t even get close enough to kill them.

Studies show that cockroaches work as a team!  Did you know that cockroaches leave a trail of chemicals in their feces (nice, huh) and other cockroaches will follow the trails to find food and water.  They also follow those trails to find each other because they prefer to be together.  Did you know that there are over 4000 species of the cockroach…Gross!  We fortunately only have to worry about 30 species of cockroaches (did I just use the words fortunately and cockroach in the same sentence).

Cockroaches can carry bacteria and disease and are a hazard to our health, not to mention, unsettling.  Pest Control is extremely important and there are hundreds of companies that can help you keep these pests far away from your home for a very reasonable cost.  An exterminator can help you eliminate your current pest problem and protect against any in the future.  If you insist on doing it yourself, make sure you do your research and do a proper job.

If you are buying a new home or trying to sell your home, please make sure your pest control is effective for the sake of the possible buyer.  It is a big turn off to see cockroaches crawling all over when you are considering buying a place to call home.

Correct identification of Roaches is instrumental in the treatment of these pests.  Different treatments are used to eradicate different species.  It is important to have a professional pest control exterminator diagnose your problem in order to treat for these pests accordingly.

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Getting Rid Of Cockroaches Is Easier Said Than Done

Roach Infestations Are Bad For Your Health and Must Be Eliminated Quickly

(Easier Said Than Done!)

So other than the scare factor, why are cockroaches and the infestation that they bring to our homes so bad for you and me? First of all, it should be noted that not all insects are inherently bad. Some bugs like spiders and millipedes actually serve useful ecological purposes. Without their presence, our human existence would be inundated with out of control growth populations of pesky critters of all sorts. Most of these utilitarian insects help to control general insect population by building webs to trap, eat, and kill off other insects, helping to keep a lid on spiraling population growth.

Roaches of all breeds on the other hand are a different story – they are simply vile. While cockroaches live all around the world and come in all shapes and sizes, the breeds I’m most adverse to are the classic American and German cockroach. These two breeds are the most common roach pests found in American homes.

Roaches are the ultimate scavengers and harbingers of disease, germs, and insect fecal wastes. They have no qualms about walking through poo or other disgusting solids and liquids. Their bodies frequently carry around all sorts of germs and potential infection spreading agents. One huge problem that they cause for inhabitants of homes that they infect is the creation of roach dust that they build up and leave behind. Roach dust is made up of decayed roach body parts and droppings that become airborne, infecting our breathing and embedding itself onto our hairs, clothes, and furniture. Roach dust is a powerful asthmatic agent that has the potential to trigger significant asthma attacks in sensitive people.

Cockroaches will consume almost anything organic and even some things otherwise inorganic. They’ll chew threw paper, cloth, oils, bodily wastes, and any type of food or liquid product you leave behind. These little evil cannibals will even snack on the dead bodies of their fellow roach comrades they come across. Nothing is off limits when it comes to their diets. In their never ending pursuit for food, roaches often follow the footsteps of humans into homes and stay close to sources of water and food – which is why they are often found in bathrooms, kitchens, and places where food is plentiful (like near your dog or cat’s food bowl).

Cockroaches are also very difficult to kill. Not only do they run like Olympic track stars, their bodies are extremely well adapted to fend off damage. Because their breathing system is made up of tubes on their bodies called trachea, they can continue to live even after their heads or limbs are chopped off – talk about walking zombies. Also, have you tried to chase down a roach with your shoe before? It’s nearly impossible. It’s like playing whack a mole on steroids as they dart around so fast, it’s scary. They are able to quickly scurry into wall corners and flatten their bodies to avoid your newspaper punishment. They are also primarily nocturnal, preferring to come out at night. When they do, they are very stealthy and experts at staying hidden, invading your cabinets, sinks, toothbrushes, and your food stocks right under your nose.

How Do I Get Rid Of A Cockroach Infestation?

The following words of advice are only suitable for those of you who have mild roach outbreaks in your home. If you only see a lone roach wandering around your home once every year, you probably don’t have an infestation as it probably piggybacked into your home via a plastic grocery bag or something like that. However, if you are seeing them every few days, particular during the daytime when they are supposed to be in hiding, you may have a serious problem.

Actions You Can Take.  For this, I will refer to this article.

Correct identification of Roaches is instrumental in the treatment of these pests.  Different treatments are used to eradicate different species.  It is important to have a professional pest control exterminator diagnose your problem in order to treat for these pests accordingly.

 

Actions You Can Take

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Get Rid Of Cockroaches

Cockroaches have survived on our planet for about 400 million years and many people just assume there is nothing they can do to control the common pests. There are several varieties of cockroaches found in Minnesota and they tend to exhibit different feeding habits. Cockroaches typically are found in kitchens, bathrooms, sinks, garages, appliances, and just about any other warm or humid area in your home.

Cockroaches typically gather in large numbers in concentrated areas. The most common types of cockroaches found in Minnesota homes are the German, Oriental, American, and Brown Banded.

There are several effective products used to rid your home of pesky cockroaches. If you are having problems with cockroaches call a Professional Pest Control Expert today for proven methods to get rid of the insects.

How Can I Get Rid of Cockroaches?

The bad news is, you have cockroaches. The good news is, there are effective treatments to control and get rid of the bugs. First and foremost, controlling cockroaches involves eliminating their food source. This means keeping kitchen cabinets and floors clean of crumbs and scraps, which may attract hungry cockroaches. By cutting out their food source, you are going a long way toward getting rid of cockroaches.

Preventive measures are the key to successful control. It is easier to prevent a cockroach invasion than to control an established population. The success of preventive measures requires care, planning and continued effort. Cleanliness in the home and elimination of favorable breeding sites lessens the possibility of cockroach infestations and reduces the need for pesticides, but these practices WILL NOT ALWAYS prevent invasions from outside sources.

Inspections

• Cockroaches and their likely habitats should be identified before any treatment
• Homeowners can detect conditions that will foster the development of infestations through frequent inspections.

Sanitation

• Proper sanitation, both indoors and outdoors, effectively limits cockroach populations.
• Do not leave unwashed dishes, kitchen utensils, and uncovered food out overnight.
• Clean up all spilled liquids.
• Areas beneath and behind cabinets, furniture, sinks, stoves and refrigerators should be cleaned often, as should cupboards, pantry shelves and storage bins where particles of food frequently accumulate.
• Kitchen waste and excess refuse should be kept in cockroach proof container and disposed of as frequently as possible.
• Dry pet food should be stored in tight containers away from the kitchen and other food.
• If pets are fed indoors, leftover foods should not be allowed to remain in the feeding dish overnight.
• Outdoors, garbage cans, racks, platforms or slabs should be cleaned regularly

Exclusion

• Discourage cockroaches from entering the home by sealing any cracks of ¹/₈ in or more in the foundation and exterior walls.
• Check the seal or caulking around air conditioning unit, windows, doors, pipes or other openings into the home.
• Inside the home eliminate all possible hiding areas and food sources.
• Repair cracks and holes in floors, walls and ceilings.
• Seal openings around plumbing fixtures, furnace flues, electrical outlets, windowsills and walls, and along baseboards and ceiling moldings.
• Leaky water faucets and pipes should be repaired.
• Thresholds on doors should be as tight as possible and cracks in porches and stoops should be sealed

Eliminate Hiding Places

• Paper, Cardboard, lumber, firewood and other debris next to the home provide excellent refuge for several cockroach species.
• Keep yard trash and stacks of firewood away from the home or garage to minimize the chance of cockroach invasion

Cockroach Traps

• There are a number of cockroach traps that are inexpensive, convenient to use, disposable and contain no toxic insecticide.
• Most are about the size of a large matchbox, that are open at both ends and have the inside surface covered with a very sticky adhesive. (The adhesive immobilizes cockroaches that enter the trap.)
• Some may contain a slow release food attractant.
• Trapping alone will not eliminate cockroach populations, but must be used in conjunction with preventive measures for maximum effectiveness.
• Trapping can reveal the hiding places and the severity of infestation help monitor the effectiveness of control measures and detect population increases which may require an insecticide treatment.

Traps should be placed where cockroaches are likely to travel to and from feeding and hiding areas. It is best to place traps against walls and in corners where both ends are unobstructed. Reposition the traps if no cockroaches are caught after two or three nights. The number of traps required for a home or building will vary with the kind of cockroach present and the severity and location of the infestation.

If cockroach infestation persists, contact a qualified exterminator.

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What Can Minnesota Homeowners Do To Get Rid Of Cockroaches?

What Can I Do To Get Rid of Cockroaches?

What Homeowners Can Do

Inspection: first, inspect the entire kitchen area, under sinks, refrigerator, dishwasher, stove, microwave oven, other cooking appliances, bathroom cabinets, draws, basement and sub-floor crawlspace (if any) for likely high activity and harborage areas. Look for cockroaches, alive or dead, their feces and egg sacs.

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Identification: place “sticky” glue traps in any likely high activity areas. At night sneak into the kitchen, turn on the lights and observe any cockroach activity. Observe where they scurry to. Place your sticky traps near these areas to collect and identify the species and the source of infestation.

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Food, shelter and water – we all need it, so do cockroaches. Make your home unfit for cockroaches, where possible, take away their food, water and restrict shelter and access points into the kitchen and they will almost certainly move somewhere else.

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Starve them out – keep all food in sealed containers. Particularly at night, do not leave food scraps exposed in the kitchen or waste storage areas. Thoroughly clean all benches and food preparation areas, particularly between counters and appliances. Regularly vacuum accessible likely harborage and high activity areas, carpets, drapes, furniture, kitchen and bathroom cupboards in order to remove cockroach eggs and food deposits.

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Cockroaches need water and will thrive in damp sub-floor crawl space areas, near leaking taps, etc. Ensure adequate drainage and ventilation. Regularly check and fix any plumbing problems, broken roof tiles, etc that may allow or cause moisture ingress to potential cockroach harborage areas. Wipe kitchen sink of moisture before retiring or going out at night. Turn off leaking taps.

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Reduce shelter and access points: seal all cracks and crevices in bathroom, pantry and kitchen cupboards. Store all cardboard boxes and the like above ground level. Cockroaches do not like drafty exposed areas, or bright lights. A good reason why some restaurants keep lights on at night around their dumpster waste bins.

Inspection

A thorough inspection is key to a successful cockroach management plan. It helps to determine the best treatment method. The purpose of an inspection is not only to sight cockroach life stages, but also to locate the source of the infestation whether associated with sewer areas, wall voids, or any moist, warm and dark places in a building.

How much does it cost?

Onsite appraisal is needed to determine the exact cost. The treatment cost depends on size of the house, ease of access to various parts of the building. Commercial premises need to be appraised on a specific basis.

Since they can hide in so many places, they are not easy to eradicate. Unless you have a lot of time at your disposal, and limitless patience, it is advisable to get a professional in pest control. Experts know where to look for them, as well as how to get rid of them.

 

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MN Cockroach Inspection

Cockroach Inspection

There are four kinds of cockroaches that can infest homes in Minnesota, including German cockroach, brownbanded cockroach, American cockroach, and Oriental cockroach. These four species can be major pests in restaurants, hospitals, warehouses, offices and buildings with food-handling areas. A fifth kind, the Pennsylvania wood cockroach, may enter buildings accidentally but become only a temporary nuisance.

Cockroaches are one of the most commonly encountered household pests. Homeowners  can learn about ways to eliminate these insects and the conditions that encourage their infestation.

Cockroaches have a broad, flattened body and a relatively small head that covers their mandibles and other mouthparts. They have six legs, large ocelli (simple eyes), and a pair of long, flexible antennae. Although winged, they are not adept fliers. The best-known varieties are the American cockroach (1.2 inches long), the German and Asian cockroaches (0.59 inches long), the Oriental cockroach (0.98 inches long), and the brown-banded cockroach (0.55 inches long).

Cockroach Identification

Facts About Cockroaches

• The world’s heaviest cockroach is the Australian giant burrowing cockroach, which can weigh more than 30 grams and reach 3½ inches in length.
• While cockroaches could withstand six to 15 times as much radiation exposure as humans, the popular belief that they will “inherit the Earth” in the wake of nuclear war is largely undeserved; other insects, such as fruit flies, have even better resistance against radiation than cockroaches.
• While it has been known for some time that cockroaches and termites are related, it wasn’t until 2007 that it was proven that termites are a kind of “social cockroach,” having actually evolved from cockroaches. Similarities include specialized casings that enclose their eggs, perforations in the internal parts of their heads, and similarities among their young. There are significant differences between these pests, however; termites pose a greater danger to wood, and they form huge, complex societies, while cockroaches are solitary, generalized insects with few special adaptations.
• Some species of cockroaches can survive for months without food and subsist on nothing but the glue on the back of a postage stamp, and even their own feces. Experiments have revealed that they can go without air for 45 minutes and recover after being submerged under water for half an hour.
• Cockroaches are prolific breeders and can produce several thousand offspring in a year, once they become established in a home. They are normally introduced on clothing, shopping bags and furniture, and they can also simply wander in from the outdoors.

Cockroaches are known to spread diseases such as salmonella, food poisoning and dysentery, primarily through contact with their feces and defensive secretions. They also transport dangerous microbes, a particular problem in hospitals. Their skin, which is discarded through periodic molting, can become airborne and trigger severe asthmatic reactions in prone individuals. Incredibly, cockroaches have even been found to be second only to house dust as the worst allergen affecting people. Besides these physical ailments, cockroaches emit an unpleasant odor during swarming and mating, and they can keep a building’s occupants awake at night with their incessant hissing and, in the case of some cockroach species, chirping.

Tips For Minnesota Homeowners:

• Place boric acid in areas of cockroach activity. Boric acid can maintain an infestation once under control, but pyrethrin should be used first and the whole structure bug-bombed.
• Pyrethrin should be used first, and after the population is under control place boric acid wherever needed.
• Place bait stations containing hydramethylnon or fipronil in areas of termite activity. At night, homeowners can sneak into the kitchen and turn on the lights. If cockroaches scurry for cover, observe where they run and position traps accordingly.
• Keep all food in sealed containers, use trashcans that have tight-fitting lids, and do not leave pet food out overnight.
• Clean the kitchen regularly, and wipe moisture from the kitchen sink before going to bed at night.
• Vacuum frequently.
• Repair dripping taps and leaky pipes, broken roof tiles, and any other condition that might allow moisture to enter areas where cockroaches can establish harborage.
• Seal off all entry points into the house, such as cracks around baseboards, pipes, windows, cabinets, doors and crevices in bathrooms with copper mesh or steel wool and caulk or putty.
• Keep lights on at night. Although it will consume additional electricity, cockroaches will avoid lit areas. For the same reason, restaurant owners sometimes leave lights on around dumpsters.
• If cockroach infestation persists, contact a qualified exterminator.

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Green Pest Control in Minnesota, Part III

Cockroaches in Minnesota

Roaches, Part III – Types of Cockroaches in Minnesota

There are four (4) main types of Cockroaches that infest homes and buildings in Minnesota.  They are: the German Cockroach, the American Cockroach, the brownbanded Cockroach and the Oriental Cockroach.  Below please find descriptions for two of these types.

The brownbanded Cockroach is found in homes or other buildings.  As an adult these pests will reach about ½ inch long.  The males and females appear different, with the male having a long slender body, while the female has a pear shaped body.  The male’s wings extend past the end of the body and the female’s wings are shorter than its body.  All brownbanded Cockroaches have yellow bands which run horizontally to their bodies.

Additionally, the Oriental Cockroach can be found in homes and other buildings in Minnesota.  This pest is dark brown to black and is approximately 1 to 1 ¼ inches long.  Both males and females will have shorter wings than their bodies.  It is said to carry a strong odor and will usually be found near a water source, in a garbage pile, in a damp basement or near a water pipe.

Correct identification of Roaches is instrumental in the treatment of these pests.  Different treatments are used to eradicate different species.  It is important to have a professional diagnose your problem in order to treat for these pests accordingly.

At Eco Tech, we are committed to our earth-friendly organic line of pest treatments.  Call us today for a free consultation.  We can diagnose the type of Roach or other pest you may have and begin treatment immediately.  We also offer 24/7 emergency service throughout the Twin Cities Metro Area.  Give us a call today! 

(763) 785.1414; (612) 237.8282; (952) 881.6662; (651) 633.8600

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