Cockroaches are one of the most common household pests in the world. While they don’t often bite or cause much structural damage to your home, these insects can be dangerous to your health.
They can enter your home, contaminate food and other surfaces, cause food poisoning, and trigger allergic reactions like asthma attacks, skin rashes, and sneezing.
Unfortunately, roaches can get into your house no matter how clean it is when searching for food, shelter, and water, which they need to thrive.
Cockroaches thrive once they enter your home because they will find warmth, moisture, and darkness, usually behind large kitchen appliances and in your bathroom.
As disgusting as it is to find roaches in your home, you might wonder where they come from, what attracts them to your home, where they hide, and how they get inside your home.
This guide will help you answer all these questions. You will also learn more about the common types of roaches that can invade your home and how to eliminate them if they already exist and prevent a future roach infestation. Keep reading to learn more.
Common Roaches You Can Find in Your Home
There are at least 4,000 cockroach species in the world. Out of those, only 30 species are associated with human settlements.
Some cockroach invaders include:
Brown-Banded Cockroach
Brown-banded cockroaches prefer warmer and drier conditions, unlike other roach species. As a result, you can find them hiding in higher places like ceiling corners, bookshelves, high cabinets, and behind hanging pictures and artwork.
Read More: How to Get Rid of Brown-Banded Cockroaches
German Cockroaches
German cockroaches are the most common home invaders. They like warm, dark, humid areas near water and food sources.
Common hiding spots for German cockroaches are in the kitchen, cracks, crevices, and under or behind large appliances.
Read More: How to Get Rid of German Roaches Fast
American Cockroaches
The American cockroach is the largest species and prefers to live outdoors. However, it can find its way into homes and commercial buildings through plumbing or drains.
American cockroaches’ preferred habitats include warm and humid areas, hiding in boiler rooms, damp basements, sewer systems, and near water heaters.
Read More: Geting Rid of the American Cockroach
Oriental Cockroaches
Oriental cockroaches are mostly outdoor dwellers and can be found under patio bricks, mulch, or leaf piles and around house foundations where there is a lot of soil.
Indoors, you can find oriental cockroaches near sewer drains, bathrooms, and crawl spaces.
Read More: I Found an Oriental Cockroach In My House: How to Get Rid of Them
How Do Cockroaches Get Inside Your House?
Cockroaches get inside your house from the outside or other people’s stuff. In addition, cockroaches are very clever insects when it comes to sneaking into your house.
The following are ways cockroaches get inside your house.
From Outside
Cockroaches can enter your home from outside. However, species like the American and the German cockroach can live anywhere. This means that no weather conditions or environment can keep them from thriving.
They are highly adaptable, and once in your home, they can decide to stay there and feed on whatever they get.
Roaches can enter your house from outside through the following:
Cracks and Gaps
Cockroaches have slim flat bodies that make it easy for them to squeeze their way into tiny cracks and gaps around your home’s exterior.
Apart from cracks in your exterior, roaches can enter your house through holes in your wall.
In addition, bathroom and dryer vents can be good entry points for cockroaches and other critters if left uncovered.
Drains and Plumbing
Cockroaches prefer warm and moist areas, which is why they are found around plumbing pipes.
This is one of the major ways roaches enter homes. So, roaches can enter your home from your neighbors through pipes if you reside in an apartment building.
Read More: How To Deal With Apartment Roaches
Firewood
Cockroaches are attracted to wood by the moisture and decaying matter in it. Therefore, you might get an invasion if you bring roaches into your house with firewood.
Poorly Insulated Basements
Another common place where roaches come from is the basement. Cockroaches prefer secluded, dark, and moist areas.
So, if your basement is not adequately insulated, cockroaches might find their way into your house from outside. Once in the basement, they can spread to the other parts of your home.
Read More: Getting Rid Of Roaches In Your Basement
Hitching a Ride
Cockroaches can enter your home by hitching a ride on things you bring into your home. For example, German roaches can infest your home after being brought in via deliveries, used furniture, and packages.
Besides, German roaches are smaller than other roach species and can easily hide in seams and folds of suitcases, boxes, and used furniture.
Doorways
Cockroaches have slim, flexible bodies and can squeeze themselves beneath a door. Therefore, roaches can enter your home if you habitually leave doors open for an extended period. In addition, if your door has gaps beneath it, roaches can use them as entry points to your home.
What Attracts Cockroaches to Your House?
Cockroaches are attracted to your house if it has everything they need to thrive, like, food, shelter, and water.
Although cockroaches are found in moist and shady areas both outside and inside, like flowerbeds, kitchens, bathrooms, and mulch piles, their diet is pretty varied, making their prevention much harder.
Moreover, cockroaches are not picky feeders and can feed on pet food, fungi, small insects, crumbs, leftovers, cardboard boxes, and even nail clippings.
So, if your drains are dirty, food particles are under your toaster or on food preparation areas, or the trash can is left open, cockroaches will come running to your home.
Where Do Cockroaches Hide?
Cockroaches hide anywhere they feel safe and secluded, near water and food sources. So, once they enter your home, it can prove problematic to find the roaches’ nest.
Remember that cockroaches have small and flat bodies and can hide anywhere. They can hide in cracks in your walls, under sinks, and in places hard to reach and out of sight.
Additionally, they can hide in basements, kitchen cabinets, bathrooms, attics, and any dark and damp areas of your house.
Read More: Why Are There Cockroaches in the Bathroom?
Signs of a Cockroach Infestation
Most cockroach species are not elusive; their reddish-brown complexion helps homeowners identify them fast as they scurry away.
However, to know whether you have an infestation, there is more you need to look out for. For example:
Musty Smell
Cockroaches release chemicals called pheromones that have a unique musty smell. This smell can be more pungent in case of a serious infestation.
Read More: What Do Cockroaches Smell Like?
Roach Droppings
When looking for roaches in your house, always look for their droppings. Depending on the type of cockroach infestation, the droppings can resemble rice grains, coffee grounds, or mouse droppings.
Egg Capsules
Finding egg casings is shocking because no one wants multiple generations of cockroaches in their house.
Egg casings usually measure 8mm long and are dark-colored. They also look like miniature purses and can be found in different places, stuck to the surface.
Dead and Live Cockroaches
Spotting a dead or live cockroach is one of the most apparent signs of an infestation.
How to Get Rid of Cockroaches
Cockroaches are resilient and can be hard to eliminate. Therefore, you should use a more detailed approach to eliminate them.
Here are a few ways you can eliminate roaches:
Seal Cracks and Crevices
Cracks in doors, plumbing lines, spaces under doors, windows, and door screens can all be potential entry points for cockroaches. Therefore, seal them to keep cockroaches away. In addition, inspect your luggage before bringing them into your home.
Maintain a Clean Home
Cockroaches are usually attracted to areas with plenty of food. So, it is best to keep your house free from food residue. Also, ensure your drains and all hard-to-reach areas are clean, and don’t leave dirty dishes overnight.
Reduce Their Number
You can get rid of most cockroaches using roach powder and baits, setting glue or roach bait traps in areas with roach activity, and spraying best pesticides for roaches around the perimeter to kill roaches on contact.
Get Professional Help
Cockroaches are resilient and can be hard to kill. Besides, some roaches have even developed resistance to certain pesticides.
Therefore, if you have tried everything and the roaches are not going anywhere, get the help of a professional pest control company.
How to Prevent a Future Cockroach Infestation
To keep cockroaches at bay, declutter your home, store your food in sealed containers, repair any leaky water pipes, and seal all cracks and crevices.
Also, keep your home dry by adequately ventilating your basement, using a dehumidifier, and using a bathroom fan to reduce humidity.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where Do Roaches Come From Originally?
Roaches originally come from tropical regions and eventually adapted to cooler conditions. That said, they are not picky eaters and can survive in most temperatures apart from the extreme polar regions. Besides, they have learned to survive in human settlements and take advantage of their necessities.
What Is the Fastest Way to Get Rid of Roaches in Your House?
The fastest way to get rid of roaches in your house is by using glue traps to determine high-risk areas, setting bait stations, sealing all entry points, and hiring a professional pest control company.
Why Do Roaches Infest a Clean House?
Roaches infest a clean house because other things attract them into your house. For example, roaches can enter your home searching for food, water, and shelter.
Your clean house might have cracks and crevices that can be a harborage for roaches, and your plumbing lines might be leaky and offer them the moisture they need to thrive.
