Cockroach Identification & Prevention

There are many places you could discover cockroaches inside your home, but the most common is the kitchen. Our kitchens provide them with ample access to food; even the cleanest kitchen will have hidden crumbs that cockroaches will locate and use as a food source. During the day, cockroaches hide in dark, small spaces. Some of their most common hideouts are:

• Spaces behind cabinets or appliances.
• Inside drawers.
• Spaces behind loose backsplashes or wallpaper.
• Areas behind baseboards and wood trim.
• Inside cardboard boxes.
• Under rugs and large appliances.

In addition to kitchens, cockroaches like to hang out in bathrooms, utility rooms, basements, and attics. Cockroaches regularly congregate outside our homes in wooded areas, woodpiles, gardens, trash cans, and drains.

Because cockroaches are nocturnal, we often don't know of their presence when they first enter homes. As the cockroaches feed and breed and the infestation grows, it becomes more difficult for them to go unnoticed. If an infestation is left untreated, the cockroaches will eventually emerge during the day because of the increased competition for food sources. If you ever spot a cockroach scurrying across your home during the day, immediately reach out for help!

Cockroach infestations can occur in any structure where food is stored or prepared, making our Knoxville homes common hot spots for cockroaches.

While many people associate cockroach infestations with dirty or cluttered homes, the truth is that cockroaches can find their way into any house. Our homes provide cockroaches with food, warmth, moisture, and safe places to hide and lay their eggs.

These insects can become a problem after moving inside on their own through small spaces they discover in the exterior of your house. They also get into our homes by hitchhiking inside appliances, furniture, deliveries, and grocery bags. No matter how they enter, once inside, they won't hesitate to make themselves at home.

Cockroaches should never be allowed to live near people for any period of time. These insects naturally live in unsanitary areas that put them near the decaying organic materials they eat.

In our homes, cockroaches will transfer bacteria that cause infections like salmonellosis, dysentery, gastroenteritis, and disease-causing pathogens to food and surfaces throughout our homes. As if that weren't enough, cockroach saliva, their excrement, and shed exoskeletons emit allergens into the air that, in some, will trigger allergies and asthma attacks.

We identify cockroaches by their flat, oval bodies and long antennae. When you look at a cockroach from above, the head is hidden. Most cockroaches have fully developed wings, but very few regularly fly; instead, they run from place to place using their six spine-covered legs.

Cockroaches are one of the top most unwanted pests for people to discover in their homes. These scavenging insects are helpful when living outside, away from people, but in our homes, they are dangerous pests. These omnivores feed on and eliminate organic waste.

Thankfully, most of the thousands of species of cockroaches living worldwide live in habitats well away from people. Only a small handful of cockroach species have adapted to living near or with people who have given these insects a bad name.