Are smoky brown roaches invading your home? Don’t underestimate their presence! Smoky brown roaches are an outdoor species known for actively searching for areas of high humidity. Homes in areas with warm climates have high humidity levels, which makes them prone to infestation.
While they may not be the usual suspects that invade households, these pesky critters can still wreak havoc on your health and home. From spreading diseases to infesting garbage and sewers, these filthy roaches are the last thing you want lurking in your living space.
In this article, we’ll cover everything you should know to deal with smoky brown roaches, including their identifying characteristics and effective methods of eliminating and preventing infestations.
Identifying Smoky Brown Cockroaches
Smokybrown cockroaches are typically larger than other common roaches measuring about 1.5 inches long. They are similar in appearance to an American cockroach but lack the yellow accents on the pronotum. Instead, these roaches have a solid dark brown or almost black color and have a shiny dark pronotum.
Habitat and Distribution
Smokybrown cockroaches have also been observed on roofs and in rain gutters, where they feed on bird droppings and plant materials. While they are mainly an outdoor species, they can be brought indoors through a pile of firewood, or they may fly in through the window. Indoors, they tend to take refuge in attics, crawl spaces, around the chimney, or upper-floor areas with higher humidity.
Life Cycle
The life cycle of the smokybrown cockroach spans for approximately 320 days, from the time of hatching to adulthood. Female smoky brown cockroaches lay eggs in an ootheca, a protective capsule that is dark brown and about 3/8 inches long. The incubation process ranges from 50-80 days, after which an average of 20-40 nymphs or babies emerge from each case.
Behavior and Diet
The survival of the smoky brown cockroach depends heavily on moisture and water. Smokybrown cockroaches are opportunistic feeders that feed on anything; they have been observed feeding on animal droppings, dead insects, sweets, starches, meats, and decaying plant matter.
In addition, smoky brown cockroaches bite rarely.
Tips for Preventing Smoky Brown Cockroaches
To effectively control and eliminate smokybrown cockroaches, it’s essential to identify the source of the infestation and target it directly, paying special attention to areas where these pests are known to hide. Below are measures homeowners can take to prevent these cockroaches:
- Ensure there is ample ventilation in the attic. Research has shown that proper ventilation can create an unsuitable environment for cockroaches and other pests. Ventilation improves the overall cooling effects of the home; cool temperatures repel roaches
- Ensure that all vents and windows are equipped with tight-fitting screens to prevent these pests from entering through these openings.
- Seal any cracks or crevices the cockroaches may use to enter your home.
- Do not leave pet food to sit out overnight. Empty pet food containers after the pet has finished eating.
- Keep piles of firewood away from the house; Cockroaches love to harbor in piles of firewood, so eliminate these whenever possible.
- Check your gutters, as smoky brown cockroaches often thrive in debris that has accumulated inside the gutter. Clearing out debris and treating the area with insecticide can help prevent these pests from residing in your home.
- Dehumidify your home and eliminate excess moisture that invites these roaches indoors.
How to Get Rid of Smoky Brown Cockroaches
There are various ways to get rid of smokybrown roaches in your home or business. These methods can be natural for people with pets and kids, mild roach infestation and who don’t want to handle harsh chemicals. There are also chemicals you can use to kill smoky brown roaches.
Conventional Options
Glue Traps
Glue traps, even homemade ones, are an excellent option for getting rid of smokybrown roaches. They can also be used to identify problematic areas. The glue scent attracts roaches, which get stuck once they step on the strip. If the trap catches a lot of roaches, you will know that the infestation is severe.
That said, to use this kind of trap, place glue trips in areas with roach activity. Don’t forget to monitor the strip and change it if full.
Bait Stations
Bait stations can kill smokybrown roaches quickly. Usually, these baits come in a tube and can be placed in areas where you have seen roaches.
Bait stations are very effective roach traps because they have a long-lasting killing effect. If a roach eats the poisonous bait, it returns to the nest and dies there. Then other cockroaches will consume the poisoned roach and die.
Insect Growth Regulator
Smokybrown roaches are peridomestic species. They can invade your home and establish a nest inside. So, to control their population, try using an insect growth regulator.
These are chemicals that focus on cockroach eggs and nymphs. Cockroaches exposed to this chemical cannot reproduce. However, it would help if you combined IGR with other treatments to kill and control roaches effectively.
Hire a Pest Control Expert
If everything else fails to clear the cockroach population, it might be time for professional help. Professional pest control companies know how to locate and eliminate cockroaches safely. Moreover, they have the right tools and can use chemicals to eliminate roaches without endangering your loved ones.
Natural Methods
If you are looking for an easy way to eliminate roaches without using foggers, insecticide sprays and other chemicals-based roach killers, you can use natural remedies.
Diatomaceous Earth
Food-grade diatomaceous earth is excellent in killing smokybrown roaches. This powder has sharp edges that can kill roaches on contact. When roaches walk on this powder, it damages their outer shell, dehydrates them, and eventually kills them.
Borax and Boric Acid
For killing roaches, boric acid and borax are different formulations derived from the same compound. These two compounds kill roaches in contact. When roaches walk over either powder, it sticks to their wings and legs. Roaches will then eat the powder when grooming themselves and die. Borax will kill roaches by dehydration, and boric acid disrupts the nervous and digestive systems killing them.
Baking Soda
You can use baking soda if you don’t have boric acid, borax, or diatomaceous earth to kill roaches. Mix baking soda and sugar and sprinkle the mixture in areas with high roach traffic. The roaches will ingest the baking soda, get extremely gassy and burst from the inside.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why Do I Have Smoky Brown Roaches?
You have smoky brown roaches because of cracks or gaps in your home’s exterior, allowing the cockroaches to enter. Smoky brown cockroaches may enter homes seeking warmth and shelter when the weather becomes too harsh for them to survive. If they discover ample food and water sources, they will likely stay and establish a home, requiring effective control measures.
If your home is in an area where these types of roaches are common, especially in warm and humid climates, they are highly likely to invade your home. Additionally, when these roaches fly, they tend to be attracted to bright lights and can quickly enter your home through open windows.
Where Do Smoky Brown Roaches Hide?
Smoky brown roaches hide in warm and humid environments where they can thrive. This includes tree holes, mulch beds and leaf litter, woodpiles, attics, crawl spaces, kitchens, bathrooms, and laundry areas.
Do Smoky Brown Roaches Live Outdoors?
Yes, smoky brown roaches live outdoors.
