ROACH
Several types of cockroaches can be found around homes in the desert Southwest, and it’s important to understand the difference between outdoor roaches and indoor infestation roaches.
The large roaches most commonly seen around homes, such as American, smoky brown, and Oriental cockroaches, typically live outdoors in landscaping, sewers, irrigation boxes, and other moist areas. These species may occasionally wander inside, especially during warmer months. Although infestations can reach numbers in the thousands, they generally do not infest homes. Regular pest control treatments can eliminate nesting sites around the exterior of the home and limit how often any make their way indoors from neighboring properties. Houses that back green belts, parks and golf courses tend to experience higher roach activity. These areas provide ideal conditions for them to live and reproduce, especially if the irrigation boxes are nearby. They can also come up from drains, which tends to be more common in golf course communities, so finding them in or around bathrooms is not uncommon.
​
Smaller roaches that are found living and reproducing inside homes, such as German cockroaches and brown-banded cockroaches, are very different and require a specialized treatment program. These species are about 1/2 inch long, live entirely indoors and reproduce quickly in areas such as kitchens, cabinets, appliances, and wall voids. These roaches are commonly brought in homes by hiding in the corrugated layers of cardboard boxes, especially from bulk style grocery stores, or by hitchhiking in luggage or personal belongings from places where roaches are already present. A single roach can quickly multiply into a full infestation in a very short period of time. Not only are these infestations unsanitary, but they also pose health risks such as allergic reactions, asthma attacks and other respiratory irritation. Because of their behavior and reproduction rate, general pest control services alone are usually not effective at eliminating them. Successfully treating indoor roach infestations typically requires a targeted treatment plan specifically designed for German or brown-banded cockroaches.