There is nothing more dreadful than spotting what you think maybe a baby cockroach in your home.
Cockroaches are vile and disgusting insects that thrive off of living in dirty places and eating decaying wood and rotten foods that carry all types of bacteria, viruses, mold, and fungi.
In their adult years, cockroaches are much easier to detect, which often means it’s harder to determine what a baby cockroach looks like. Identifying baby cockroaches earlier on can save you from much more serious problems down the road.
To prevent and control a potential roach infestation, early detection is key. This includes knowing and understanding exactly what a baby cockroach looks like and how cockroaches reproduce.
If you think you’ve spotted a baby cockroach in your home, then you’ll need to act FAST.
Spotting a baby cockroach is the sign of potential infestation which can spread rapidly throughout your residence if immediate steps are not taken to correct the issue.
Before they wreak havoc in your home, here is our guide on how to spot a baby cockroach to prevent further damage and a potential infestation in your Jackson, MS home.
What Does A Baby Cockroach Look Like?
Baby cockroaches are called cockroach nymphs and pass through several stages of development similar to other insects.
Although they are generally much smaller in size and have no wings, they can produce the same amount of damage as their adult counterparts. Nymph cockroaches are not fully developed and are under 2 cm long, but eventually grow to 5cm during development and are more than 80 mm in length.
The baby cockroach will exhibit two long, thin antennae, six spiny legs which allows them to crawl around faster on walls, and a flat hard-shell body without wings.
When they emerge from their sac, these nymphs are often white, to begin with. As they continue to develop their skin often turns into a brownish-black color before reaching full maturity.
In the United States, the two most common types of cockroaches are The American Cockroach and the German Cockroach. While both types are very dangerous, the American cockroach is considered to be the largest home-invading species and is usually found outside.
Known by its proper name the Periplaneta Americana, the American cockroach is 35-40 mm in length and its color ranges from a shiny reddish to chocolate brown color.
Female American cockroaches can produce between 6 and 14 egg capsules throughout their lifetime and can store sperm. Storing sperm allows them to continue to reproduce without mating.
The German cockroach is typically found inside and is known for reproducing very rapidly, as the females are capable of producing up to 300 offspring during her lifetime.
In size, they are a bit smaller than American cockroaches, but reach sexual maturity much sooner and lay larger egg capsules. A German cockroach egg capsule contains between 30 to 40 eggs.
As cockroaches continue growing and maturing into the adult state, they go through a process called molting in which they shed their exoskeleton and become darker in color and develop stripes on their back.
Why Are Baby Cockroaches Dangerous?
For both species, female cockroaches tend to lay their eggs in safe locations inside of the home.
This may include behind cabinets, furniture, cupboards, basements, or in cracks and crevices in walls.
During the day, cockroaches are known to relax as they are mostly nocturnal but they come out at night to search for food in storage places, trash bins, drains, and sewers. Foods that are starchy and sugary in nature attract cockroaches the most.
Turning lights on at night causes cockroaches to scatter as they prefer darkness.
They are considered pests because of the bacteria and germs that stick to their bodies. Cockroaches can cause a variety of illnesses as they are carriers of the organism that cause infections such as:
- Cholera
- Typhoid Fever
- Salmonellosis
- Gastroenteritis
- Dysentery
- Poliomyelitis
- Listeriosis
- Giardia
- Leprosy
- Plague
- Campylobacteriosis
In addition to these illnesses, cockroaches also are known to trigger allergies, asthma, food poisoning, spread E.coli, and to make things even worse, they bite.
The World Health Organization (WHO) refers to cockroaches as “unhygienic scavengers in human settlements.”
The National Pest Management Association states that 63 percent of homes in the United States have cockroach allergens that cause people to get sick. Children are more susceptible to cockroach allergies than adults according to the Environmental Protection Agency.
For those who may succumb to allergies produced by cockroaches, your doctor may prescribe or recommend some over-the-counter medications to help you fight off those allergies. They include:
- Antihistamines
- Decongestants
- Nasal corticosteroid sprays
Prescription medications that your doctor may prescribe include the following:
- Cromolyn sodium
- Leukotriene receptor antagonists
- Desensitization treatments
If you have asthma, your doctor may also prescribe bronchodilators or anti-inflammatory medication.
Thriving in temperature zones that are warm and humid, cockroaches are tropical in origin. Cockroaches are considered to be the most active in temperatures that are above 70 degrees Fahrenheit that have easy access to food and water. They generally live in packed groups and tend to hide in cracks and crevices in furniture, bathrooms, basements, walls, and drains.
When it gets too hot outside, they will seek shelter and find their way into buildings and homes to escape the heat.
How To Eliminate Baby Cockroaches
There are several different types of control measures that one can put in place to prevent a cockroach infestation which includes:
- Maintaining cleanliness
- Colder temperature climates
- Extermination
Maintaining Cleanliness
Cleanliness plays a vital role when it comes to preventing infestations.
Cockroaches love dirty places and it serves as easy access for food and materials to nibble on.
Although being clean will not necessarily prevent cockroaches from entering your home, it definitely can help. Poor sanitation and filthy home habits can attract cockroaches and cause them to multiply and grow in numbers.
Be sure to store food in sealed containers and keep plates and dishes covered. Do not leave food out overnight especially if uncovered. Counters, stovetops, and floors should be kept clean and free from any grease, spills, or food particles.
Double-check that all cracks and holes are sealed, as these can serve as a hiding place for them. Unfortunately, cockroaches are sneaky pests who are very good at hiding in cracks and crevices in your home.
Colder Temperature Climates
Cockroach populations do not survive in colder temperatures especially those of the winter seasons. They hate the cold and generally seek out warm humid areas to reproduce such as pipes and heating ducts.
Keeping cockroaches out of your home is much more manageable during the winter months than other months during the years. If temperatures drop below 10 degrees Celsius, cockroaches die.
If temperatures drop below 15 degrees Fahrenheit, cockroaches will die. Cold-blooded in nature, they prefer warm temperatures between 77 and 86 degrees Fahrenheit as they reproduce rapidly.
During the winter, cockroaches cannot survive because of the extreme weather. Generally, they will seek to escape indoors to escape the brutal cold. Please note that cockroaches can be found in very clean houses as well.
Extermination
The most important thing is to get rid of the cockroach infestation. You should consider hiring a professional exterminator to kill off the cockroaches permanently.
Although chemical controls such as a raid spray can be used to kill cockroaches, the results are often ephemeral and are not the best solutions for infestations.
Extermination is the best way to get rid of a cockroach infestation as they deprive the cockroaches of food and shelter.
To detect where a possible infestation maybe, your exterminator or pest control professional may use a flashlight and begin searching behind common hiding places such as furniture, bookshelves, boxes, sink, drains, kitchens, etc.
If the infestation is on the smaller end, it can be controlled by setting traps or bait. However, if an infestation is on a larger scale, contacting a pest control professional may be your only option.
Call Synergy² Pest Control
Spotting a baby cockroach is alarming and a good indicator that you may have a potential infestation on your hands.
Cockroach infestations are unpleasant to deal with and action must be taken immediately. They should be treated with the utmost concern as they can be extremely difficult to control.
We at Synergy² Pest are a group of highly trained professionals who are dedicated to providing you with the best solutions to control pests, and the best part about it is that we do it your way. It is this approach that has allowed us to gain more than 240 5-Star Google reviews online with more than 130 commercial accounts that we service.
If you need pest control services in your Jackson, MS home or business please visit our site at https://synergy2ms.com. Feel free to read more about us and decide if Synergy² is the right company for you. We have over 300 Five-Star Google reviews for pest control service in the Jackson metro area (Jackson/Madison/Brandon/Ridgeland). Check out our newest location reviews for pest control service in Jackson, MS here!