Cockroach Facts, Identification, and Control

• Pronotum: A prominent, shield-shaped plate that covers the head when viewed from above. Markings on the pronotum are the primary way to identify different species.
• Antennae: Two very long, slender antennae (often the length of the body) that act as “feelers” for touch and smell.
• Legs: Six long legs covered with spines.
• Wings: Most adult cockroaches have wings lying flat on their back.
• Cerci: Two small, stubby appendages at the very end of the abdomen used to sense air movements (like a predator approaching), triggering the roach’s rapid escape response.

Baby cockroaches, or nymphs, look like smaller, wingless versions of the adults. Their appearance can differ from adults; for instance, baby German roaches are dark with a single light stripe.

• Infestations are usually associated with moisture or plumbing problems.
• They prefers warm, damp environments and are commonly found in sewers, steam heat tunnels, boiler rooms, basements, and around drains.
• They often enter structures from the outside or by traveling up through sewer pipes

• This is the most common household pest cockroach worldwide.
• They reproduce extremely quickly. A single female and her offspring can lead to a population of over 300,000 in one year.
• They are an indoor-only species. Infestations are common in cluttered areas or where sanitation is poor.
• They prefer warm, humid environments are are almost exclusively found in kitchens and bathrooms, close to food and moisture.
• They move to new locations by hitchhiking in cardboard boxes, grocery bags, and other household items.

• They prefer cool, dark, and very damp, ground-level areas, such as basements, cellars, crawl spaces, garages, in and around floor drains, and in water meter boxes.
• Outdoors, they live in mulch and leaves and can survive temperate winters.
• These roaches only produce one generation a year, and newly-hatched nymphs take 18 months to reach adulthood.

• Because of their dry-environment preference, they are known to feed on non-food items with starch, such as wallpaper paste, book bindings, glue, and stamps.
• The males have long wings extending past their body tip and can manage short flights, while the females have short wings and cannot fly.
• One female can produce up to 600 young in her lifetime.
• Control can be difficult because infestation are usually not centralized (they may be hiding in every room of the house).

These are the most effective DIY chemical controls. They combine a food attractant with a slow-acting, non-repellent insecticide. Roaches eat the bait and carry it back to their harborage. This allows the poison to spread to other roaches, wiping out 90–95% of populations within days.

This is an effective, long-lasting insecticidal dust. Boric acid sticks to their bodies when they crawl through treated areas. Since roaches constantly clean their legs and antennae, they swallow the powder, which attacks their digestive and nervous systems. It’s ideal for treating inaccessible, undisturbed areas behind outlets, under appliances, and in wall voids.

This is another effective insecticidal dust. It is made of fossilized diatoms with microscopic sharp edges, which scratches the waxy outer layer of the roach’s exoskeleton and causes them to lose moisture and die from dehydration.

Important Safety Note: Only use “pesticide grade” (often labeled “food grade”) DE. “Pool grade” DE is not the same and is a severe respiratory hazard.

These are not recommended and largely ineffective.

• The aerosol mist settles on exposed surfaces but cannot penetrate narrow cracks and wall voids where most roaches hide.
• The active ingredients are often repellent, which scatters the infestation, driving roaches deeper into walls or into new, previously un-infested areas.
• They leave toxic residue on human-contact surfaces and the propellants are highly flammable.

• Store all food (including pet food, cereal, and grains) in hard, insect-proof containers (glass, metal, or thick plastic) with tight-fitting lids. Roaches can chew through cardboard and thin plastic.
• Clean up all crumbs and spills immediately.
• Don’t leave dirty dishes in the sink overnight.
• Keep garbage in a container with a tight-fitting lid and empty it daily.
• Remove clutter, especially stacks of paper, magazines, and cardboard boxes.

• Fix all leaky pipes and dripping faucets immediately.
• Drain sinks and tubs after use and keep all areas clean and dry.
• Run bathroom fans or open a window after showering to keep moisture from building up.

• Use caulk to seal cracks and crevices. Pay special attention to gaps along baseboards, behind sinks, and inside cabinets.
• Seal all openings around pipes (under sinks, behind toilets) and where utility lines enter the home.
• Check and maintain unused sinks. When P-traps dry out, it creates a direct route for American cockroaches to travel from the sewers into your home.
• Inspect everything before bringing it inside. Roaches can hitchhike in cardboard boxes, electronics, old appliances, etc.

• You see cockroaches during the daytime (a sign of a severe infestation).
• You live in a multi-unit dwelling (like an apartment or condo). In this case, DIY efforts will almost always fail, as roaches will simply migrate from untreated neighboring units. Control requires a coordinated, building-wide effort.
• DIY efforts (baits, dusts, and sanitation) fail to eliminate the problem after a few weeks.

A professional does not just “spray” for roaches.

At MMPC, we an IPM approach to provide effective, long-lasting solutions for cockroach infestations. Our proven process involves both assessment and treatment steps.

• Assessment: Identifying the species, locating harborages and entry points, and monitoring with sticky traps
• Treatment: Combining sanitation and exclusion with targeted, professional-grade baits and dusts.

A key tool in our professional toolkit is the Insect Growth Regulator (IGR). These mimic the insect’s own juvenile hormones, disrupting the cockroach life cycle by preventing nymphs from successfully molting into reproductive adults.

It’s important to note that IGRs are a long-term, strategic tool, not a “quick fix” or fast-acting poison.