If you are dealing with a roach infestation in your home or business and need the help of a Polk County cockroach exterminator, do not hesitate. Either visit us at insectfree.com and fill out the pop-up or give us a call at 1-800-634-1313 for a free consultation today. Let Earth’s Best Pest Control show you why we’ve been serving the area for three decades!
In central Florida winter is over and spring is finally here. The warm weather and smell of barbeque aren’t the only hints, though. The cockroaches are back, and thanks to an extremely mild winter, they’ll be worse than ever. More often than not, you’re going to need some help from the Polk County cockroach exterminator in times like these. So, let’s discuss one of Florida’s worst pests.
Polk County Cockroach Exterminator: Are cockroaches bad in Polk County?
Unfortunately, cockroaches are ubiquitous in Florida. The ecology of the state is simply too welcoming to any species in this family for it not to be. We have a warm and humid climate. And our long, hot, humid summers and mild and wet winters are something that roaches love. It creates an ideal environment for this pest insect family to live, breed, and reproduce.
Roaches also love subtropical climates. And Florida is nothing if not subtropical. The balmy weather provides them with the warmth and moisture they need and encourages the growth of plants that roaches love that provide them with plenty of shelter. Florida’s booming population is also a reason the cockroach problem is getting worse. With a dense human population, Florida offers roaches a limitless supply of food. Trash bins overflow with discarded meals, and the streets become veritable feasting grounds. Roaches feast on leftovers, crumbs, and organic matter, thriving on the culinary offerings of both residents and tourists.
Dumpsters and trash are huge attractants for roaches as well. With that booming human population, you get more amusement parks. More restaurants. More businesses in general create these garbage situations that can lead to massive population booms for roach species. At the end of the day, all of these factors combined are just too much. You will eventually need help with roaches if you’re a homeowner in central Florida. It’s been reported that roughly thirty percent of homes in Florida report at least one infestation per year, with the St Pete area reporting almost forty. So every house may not be infested, but most will face roach related challenges.
Polk County Cockroach Exterminator: What species of roach infest Florida homes?
Though dozens of species of cockroach infest Polk County homes and woods, there are a few stand outs that we should discuss. We’ll start with the largest and most dramatic species.
American Cockroach
The American cockroach is the largest species of common cockroach in the world. And despite its name, this cockroach doesn’t actually come from America. It was introduced from Africa during the trans-Atlantic slave trade. This species of roach averages about one and a half inch long as adults, but can easily reach three inches in length under the right conditions. This pest has a reddish-brown coloration, but can easily be recognized y the yellow band that half-circles the back of their heads.
They have flattened, oval shaped bodies with a shield-like shell covering the tops of their heads. They have long segmented antennae and hind wings that can be seen peeking just out of the back of their shells. And unlike other cockroaches, this pest can actually fly! It’s not an uncommon story in Florida for a window left open at night to invite in a cockroach, who is attracted by the light. Their large wings are very loud when they fly, and their heavy bodies lead to poor mid-flight coordination. If that wouldn’t make you want some help from a Polk County roach exterminator, I don’t know what would!
These are fast and agile roaches, and will often dart quickly for cover when the lights come on in a room that they’re in. They can fit into small cracks in doors and cabinets and will slip through unexpected openings.
German Cockroach
The German cockroach is a resilient and wide-spread species of home infesting roach. They occur widely in any area occupied by humans, but persist in restaurants, food processing plants, hotels, and institutions such as prisons or nursing homes. They can survive outside, but they’ve become such a human-adjacent pest that it’s rare to find them in the wild. They’ve been found as far north as the upper reaches of Canada and as far south as Patagonia in South America. They exist on every continent except for Antarctica.
German cockroaches are nocturnal creatures, but can occasionally appear during the day; especially if the infestation is large. When frightened or excited, they release a musky odor to ward off predation. They’re a medium-small species of cockroach, usually less than an inch in length. Their coloration varies from tan to almost black. But they do have two dark, parallel streaks on their back that run from their heads to their wings.
These roaches also have wings and can fly and glide short distances to escape danger. And their breeding habits are what make them such bad infestation pests. A female only needs to mate once in their life and will store the male’s semen to get pregnant whenever conditions are ideal. A single female can lay three hundred thousand eggs in their lives.
Polk County Cockroach Exterminator: What to do if your home is infested
If you’re dealing with cockroaches in your home, one of the best things you can do is to work on general cleanliness and maintenance. Trash cans with sealing lids, fixing leaking pipes, and patching any holes in screens or filling around utility pipes that run in from outside can all reduce roach populations.
However, if you have a true infestation, you need to contact a pest control specialist. Preferable one that uses natural methods of Polk County cockroach control, as roaches are fast breeding species and can adapt to chemical controls very rapidly.
